What is your workforce worth?

How much money can your water utility afford to lose? At a time when public utilities regularly struggle to secure necessary resources, can anyone afford costs of code violations that may be up to $3,000, $6,000, or even $12,000 a day? The most common cause of code violations is human error. Consequently, it is of highest importance to invest in the most valuable asset in your plant — your operators, the men and women who run your utilities.When your operators’ daily tasks are viewed in a process flow (Figure 1) and every component is evaluated in isolation, the need for professionalism is made clear. The importance of each task is extremely high. Professionalism in your operators is the intersection of a high knowledge base, principles & values, and customer-focus. (Figure 2) The outward effect of professionalism in your operators is an entire system that is reliable, resilient, and robust.Operator certification is the means by which to ensure that your workforce has the necessary knowledge base, principles & values, and customer-focus. Today, all states and provinces recognize the importance of operator certification for water environment professionals. Furthermore, operators themselves recognize the importance of certification. A study, which included 420 interviews with operators, employers, managers, and regulators in the water industry, produced the following results in regard to their opinions of operator certification:Openness to CertificationThe majority of the respondents held certification and 79% indicated being open to seeking voluntary certification.84% felt there is a need for an industry-developed, peer reviewed certification standard.Impact of CertificationCertification is overwhelming viewed as positively influencing earnings, mobility, prestige, and professional ethics.Certification is also considered to enhance solidarity and political influence.Elements of CertificationRespondents felt that the most important elements of certification are quality of the program offered, relevance of exams, transferability of certification, and impact on career advancement.General Benefits of Operator CertificationSkill & Knowledge Acquisition — certification ensures competence and increases accountability of operators.Utility managers and operators clearly recognize the value traditional certification lends both operators and the utilities they serve (Figure 3). The Professional Operator (PO) certification program provides the traditional benefits of certification while providing both utility managers and their operators with 1) confidence gained from utilizing a transparent certification process designed to conform to international standards for certification, 2) cost savings and efficiency increases for operator certification programs, and 3) an increase in the value of certification.Acknowledgement — certification increases the professionalism of operators in the eyes of the general public and employers while also increasing feelings of accomplishment and pride among operators.Career Opportunities / Job Security — certification is seen as an important step in an operator’s career pathDesired Benefits of an Ideal Operator Certification ProgramRecognition / acknowledgement of operator professionalism and their importance to society.The program’s certifications are transferable, providing utility managers with a greater opportunity to identify and hire qualified operators.