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Creating a Strong Treatment Plant Safety Program

Providing safe working conditions for employees is a top concerns for most businesses. When employees take it upon themselves to further develop and implement safety programs at treatment plants we operate, and then are awarded for it, it makes us exceptionally proud! And that’s exactly what the Provincetown Wastewater Treatment and Collection System in Provincetown, MA did. The plant recently won the 2013 George W. Burke Jr. Facility Safety Award, which recognizes a municipal or industrial wastewater facility for establishing and maintaining an active and effective safety program.

The Provincetown plant is a 0.75-MGD sequencing batch reactor (SBR) facility with ultraviolet disinfection and subsurface discharge. The collection system consists of a unique vacuum system, grinders, and conventional pump stations. Woodard & Curran’s full-time staff of four, led by Plant Manager, Chris Rowe, operates the facility. You can read more about the facility in the article, A Seasonal Challenge, from TPO Magazine.

When Woodard & Curran began contract operation of the system in 2003, we implemented our Health and Safety Program, which is a standard step we take at all facilities we run. But the staff in Provincetown took our program a step further and developed additional worksite-specific solutions to address actual conditions at the facility. Safety improvements included the installation of a system of aboveground posts that eliminated three to six combined space entries every month, the installation of electrical outlets to eliminate reliance on extension cords, and the installation of a hoist system for the removal of grinder pumps at public rest rooms in town, which previously had to be done manually.

The high level of commitment the staff in Provincetown place on safety is a shining example of how when we work together as a team the outcome is a safe and enjoyable workplace for all.

The New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) will present the Provincetown Wastewater Treatment Facility staff with the Award at NEWEA’s January 2014 meeting.

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Paul Roux

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