Free Online Course
Wastewater Safety Fundamentals
Learn to recognize what can hurt you before work starts, and the controls, equipment and habits that keep wastewater crews safe.
Course Details
- Certificate
- 1.0 hour
- Time
- About 70 minutes
- To pass
- 80% or better on the final
- Price
- Free for everyone, with credit and a certificate
For You
Pick your state or province to see if this course counts.
Your progress
Checking your course record…
What You'll Learn
- Check hazards and controls before a job starts, and stop to reassess when conditions change.
- Choose PPE for the task and protect yourself from germs, sharps and exposures.
- Read labels and safety data sheets, and store, deliver and clean up chemicals safely.
- Explain air hazards such as hydrogen sulfide, low oxygen and flammable atmospheres, and how gas monitors and ventilation help.
- Describe confined-space permits, isolation, the entrant and attendant, retrieval and rescue planning.
- Describe lockout/tagout, stored energy, machine guards, electrical boundaries and hot work.
- Recognize fall, ladder, lifting, suspended-load, traffic and weather hazards.
- Prepare for fires, medical emergencies and lone work, and report incidents and near misses.
What's Inside 8 parts, 72 pages
Safe Work Starts Before the Task 9 pages
- Welcome
- Hazard and Risk
- Stop and Look
- Hierarchy of Controls
- Job Hazard Review
- Roles and Authority
- Changes Matter
- Near Misses
- Checkpoint
PPE, Hygiene, and Biological Hazards 9 pages
- PPE Selection
- Eye and Face
- Gloves
- Protective Clothing
- Hygiene
- Sharps
- Exposure Response
- Vaccination and Health
- Checkpoint
Chemical Safety 9 pages
- Know the Chemical
- Labels and SDS
- Incompatible Chemicals
- Chemical Delivery
- Secondary Containment
- Eyewash and Shower
- Small Spill
- Gas Release
- Checkpoint
Air Hazards and Gas Monitoring 9 pages
- Air Can Change
- Hydrogen Sulfide
- Oxygen
- Flammable Atmosphere
- Gas Monitors
- Test the Space
- Ventilation
- Respirators
- Checkpoint
Confined Spaces 9 pages
- Confined Space
- Permit Space
- Isolate the Space
- Entrant
- Attendant
- Retrieval System
- Rescue Plan
- End the Entry
- Checkpoint
Hazardous Energy and Electrical Safety 9 pages
- Energy Sources
- LOTO Steps
- Stored Energy
- Group Lockout
- Machine Guards
- Electrical Boundaries
- Extension Cords
- Hot Work
- Checkpoint
Falls, Lifting, Traffic, and Physical Hazards 9 pages
- Walking Surfaces
- Open Water
- Ladders
- Fall Protection
- Safe Lifting
- Suspended Loads
- Vehicles and Traffic
- Heat, Cold, and Weather
- Checkpoint
Emergency Readiness and Safety Culture 9 pages
- Emergency Action Plan
- Fire Response
- Medical Emergency
- Lone Work
- Security
- Incident Reports
- Drills and Training
- Safety Culture
- Final Checkpoint
More Details
Who It's For
Wastewater operators at any level and people studying to become operators. No experience needed.
The course does not replace your employer’s safety program.
Format
72 narrated pages with short checks and a final. Built by a working wastewater operator (Washington Group III).
Where Does This Course Count?
A course counts toward your continuing education credit only once your state or province accepts it. Today Minnesota and Montana have approved our courses, they count in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, where courses need no pre-approval, and we are asking more states. Ask us to add your state or province.
Do I Need an Account?
Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.
Can I Skip Ahead?
No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.
What Do I Get When I Finish?
A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.0 hour, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.