- Conference
- 2011 Water, Environment & Transport Service Group
- Date
- 28 February 2011
- Decision
- Carried
Many of the assets of the Water Companies are large and situated in isolated locations. This is particularly true of sewage works which were deliberately built well away from populated areas.
However this isolation now put our operatives at risk as these sites have copper cable, stainless steel screens and lots of metal equipment that can be weighed in as scrap. Our operatives are increasingly being confronted by intruders who just cut through the fencing to get in. They have also arrived on site to find gangs cutting up metal and loading equipment onto wagons.
Whilst our companies make the right soundbites by telling our members not to put themselves at risk, this is not always possible as there are so many hiding places on sites especially when it is dark. Furthermore, operators are still called out at night if alarms cannot be reset and expected to attend these isolated sites.
Conference asks the Water, Environment and Transport Executive to mount a campaign throughout our branches raising awareness of this issue so that:-
1) Branch representatives are able to discuss the risks to our members with management hopefully influencing management decisions with a view to increasing site security and site monitoring e.g. by encouraging the installation of more CCTV and other suitable measures to increase site security.
2) Branch representatives have sufficient knowledge to
challenge and request management give consideration to
Operator working and lone working safe procedures.
Yorkshire Water Branch