Industrial cleaning is a crucial aspect of plant operations, ensuring a safe and efficient working environment.
Despite its importance, the discipline and workers involved are sometimes overlooked or taken for granted. Fouling buildup in process equipment has a direct effect on the efficiency of an industrial facility in terms of maintenance downtime and product production. Efficient utilization of skilled workers in an industrial cleaning project maximizes production and minimizes downtime.
The traditional view of industrial cleaning as unskilled labor is changing rapidly. A skilled trade is typically defined as an occupation requiring a particular skillset, knowledge or ability. Clearly, industrial cleaning requires a specialized skillset. Hydroblasters, for example, must understand aspects of plumbing, fluid dynamics, operating and maintaining high pressure pumps, types of foulant and process equipment and more.
Retaining tradespeople within industrial cleaning is a primary concern for contractors in the industry, but it is also extremely important for asset owners. Having knowledgeable, experienced operators who are familiar with the facility and equipment being cleaned is one of the best ways to achieve repeatable, high-quality results.
Standardized and repeatable entry-level credentialing is an important first step in creating a career ladder within industrial cleaning. Craft certification provides a credential that is retained by the employee even if they change employers, and helps ensure that contractors, suppliers and asset owners speak the same language.
To meet the industry’s need for a verifiable, universal training credential, WJTA launched its training and certification program for hydroblasting and industrial vacuum tradespeople. The WJTA hydroblasting credential is a two-part certification consisting of eLearning Foundational Training and in-person Field Verification. Training can be accessed through a safety council or remotely through the safety council network or remotely through Health and Safety Council’s (HASC) system of live online proctoring.
WJTA Field Verification can be delivered in-house by completing the train-the-trainer program and verified training site assessment process. For organizations not approved to deliver training in-house, Field Verification can be outsourced through approved thirdparty training providers.
Continuous review from early adopters of the program and updates to the curriculum ensure that it remains compliant with the WJTA Industry Best Practices for the Use of High Pressure Waterjetting Equipment and current industry practices, relieving the training organization of the need for gap analysis and updates.
The Field Verification covers manual and automated tube, pipe and surface cleaning, along with pre-job inspections and setup. This course can be delivered in-house at approved, verified training sites or outsourced to third party training providers.
For asset owners, the program provides outstanding value. Credentials can easily be verified through HASC’s gate check system, so asset owners can be assured that industrial cleaning tradespeople in their facilities have been trained to meet WJTA’s recommendations.
For more information, visit wjta.org.
