What the Reps say...

Water UK Standards Reps make major contributions to the drafting of standards. Here, four Reps offer their perspectives on the role. Please scroll to read the full accounts.
 

From a personal perspective, being a standards representative is a good opportunity to broaden your perspective on a particular subject. It is fascinating to see how other countries work, for example, the scale of the problem created by earthquakes on infrastructure.
Jim O’Connor, Head of Asset Planning and Security, Scottish Water & member of Water UK Emergency Planning Group

The UK is in the forefront in the rehabilitation field, and through this work we have managed to make sure that the standards which are being produced are the best standards for the job. It is very rewarding to see a standard that you have been involved in become approved; because you know that it is what the industry needs and that you have made a difference.
Mike Shepherd, Senior Networks Consultant, Thames Water

Through developing standards for longer-lasting manhole covers, the water industry has saved money though less frequent replacement of covers including knock-on costs of labour and traffic management. There is a clear need for end users of products to be involved in producing standards because the standards are generally led by the manufacturing industry.
Ken Banfield, Policy Manager, Anglian Water & member of Water UK Sewerage Infrastructure Network

The water industry should be actively involved in the development of standards because it is the industry that will eventually own the assets and need to maintain them. Equally important is the need to ensure that standards encourage new technology...
Ian Whittaker, Materials Engineer, Yorkshire Water

Read the full accounts below...

Jim O’Connor, Head of Asset Planning and Security, Scottish Water

Jim O’Connor is a member of the Water UK Emergency Planning Group and responded to a recent request to support the industry in the development of an International Standard on Crisis Management of Water Utilities. The standard is intended to be a universal roadmap for emergency planning within which individual countries or companies can work.

Getting involved in this group, which has representatives from around the world, means that Jim is able to bring the thinking on emergency planning back to the UK. Work on the drafting the text has allowed him to take a step back and think about the processes that have developed over a number of years within Scottish Water and what steps are needed to develop emergency planning for the future.

From a personal perspective, Jim feels that being a Standards Representative is a good opportunity to broaden your perspective on a particular subject. He has found it fascinating to see how other countries work: for example the scale of the problem created by earthquakes on infrastructure. He has, of course, enjoyed the overseas travel to Canada and Israel.

Jim feels that to represent the industry, you should have good working knowledge of your subject and want to share experiences and learn from others.

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Mike Shepherd, Senior Networks Consultant, Thames Water

Mike Shepherd has been involved with the development of standards from early in his career. Mike was originally invited to sit on an expert panel to draft standards for the rehabilitation of mains because of the knowledge he had gained through managing the rehabilitation programme for Thames Water.

Getting involved in the Water UK Standards Programme was a natural progression for his career. Since then Mike has actively supported the drafting of standards at British, European and international levels, which ensures that the standards reflect the requirements needed by the end user – the water industry.

Mike said: “The UK is in the forefront in the rehabilitation field and through this work, we have managed to make sure that the standards which are being produced are the best standards for the job”

He feels that there are a number of benefits associated with becoming a Standards Representative, ranging from recognition among your peers to meeting a wide-ranging community of people who you wouldn’t normally meet, especially if you get involved in international standards-making. (You might get to travel too!)

The most valued benefit Mike wanted to share was that aside from the professional development, it is very rewarding to see a standard that you have been involved in become approved; because you know that it is what the industry needs and that you have made a difference.

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Ken Banfield, Policy Manager, Anglian Water

Ken is proactively seeking to ensure efficiency and value for money. Becoming involved in the development of product standards was an ideal way to support these aims.

Ken has been a member of the Water UK Sewerage Infrastructure Network for many years and responded to a request for volunteers to be involved with the development of standards, specifically manholes and gully tops. This complimented his work at Anglian Water.

By input to development of standards for longer-lasting manhole covers, the water industry has saved money though less frequent replacement of covers, including knock-on costs of labour and traffic management.

Ken has had the opportunity to access training programmes provided free-of-charge to standards representatives by BSi (British Standards Institute). He feels that an important benefit to him personally is the professional recognition that comes with an involvement in standards.

Ken has also acted as expert witness on behalf of his company in a personal injury case where a member of the public tripped on a cover. The knowledge of product standards gained through his work for Water UK enabled him to get involved in the case.

There is a clear need for end users of products to be involved in producing standards because the standards are generally led by the manufacturing industry. Ken feels that to represent the industry, you should have good working knowledge of the products or services for which the standards are being developed.

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Ian Whittaker, Materials Engineer, Yorkshire Water

Ian Whittaker works in the specification of products for Yorkshire Water. He became involved in the development of standards through his knowledge of how products perform and how they are used in the water industry.

Ian has been able to use his detailed knowledge of standards for fire hydrants, sprinkler systems, valves, pipes and fittings, to ensure that products supplied to Yorkshire Water are of the right quality at the right price and acceptable whole life costs.

Ian feels that the water industry should be actively involved in the development of standards because it is the industry that will eventually own the assets and need to maintain them. Equally important is the need to ensure that standards encourage new technology which might be beneficial to the industry and those small businesses who might offer such products are not precluded from offering innovative solutions.

From a personal perspective, Ian feels that his approach to life and curious mind led him into a career in engineering and is well suited to the structured process of developing standards. Product standards are about “What does it need to do to operate properly, how is it used and how is that brought together into standards requirements?”

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