Course: BFM 203 Water Treatment and Control

Lecture

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Safety and Security

A good security program enhances the ability of the utility to provide consumers with safe drinking water. It also reduces the likelihood of theft and misuse of toxic chemicals and gases that are stored on site or at remote locations.

Safety and security is the most important responsibility of an operator. It is YOUR responsibility to work safely, not only to protect the utility, but to protect yourself. Safety considerations in water treatment include electrical equipment, rotating equipment, open surfaces, confined spaces, chemicals, and high noise levels. Maintaining the integrity of the facility and the safety of drinking water is critical, too. Security considerations include vulnerability assessment, trespassing, vandalism, sabotage, and terrorism. Security measures as simple as fencing, shown below, play a part in maintaining security. However, fencing alone is not considered adequate security. Regular and random facility inspection, lighting, locks, alarms, and cameras are additional measures that may be necessary.

Each operator is responsible for his/her own safety (in addition to the safety of other works and customers). Training, notification of hazards, procedures, and personal protective equipment is supplied by the utility. Notice in the photo below, to the right, the operator is not wearing safety glasses. Safety issues may be obvious, easily identified, and understood, such as the high voltage associated with an electrical power distribution center (photo bottom left). Other hazards may be more subtle, such as the chemical storage tank on the left (photo bottom right), potentially slick ladder rungs, or the volume and pressure of water in the pipe in the background. If connected to a source water reservoir, it could flood the building because of a catastrophic failure compounded by the time it takes to shut an isolation valve of this size.

Safety/Security Photos
Photos Courtesy of the RRCC Water Quality Management Program