Agriculture, environmental and animal care
Water environment worker
This role protects water environments, manages flood risks, prevents pollution, and ensures public safety while working with teams, contractors.
Summary
Water environment workers can be employed across a range of different organisations ranging in size and type. This could include government agencies, local authorities, water utility companies, environmental consultancies, charities and non-government organisations (NGOs), contractors and engineering firms. They have a responsibility to manage water environments, natural or man-made, and the impact on the land and surrounding homes and businesses. The water environment includes rivers, coasts, lakes, wetlands, canals, riparian habitats and reservoirs.
They also operate, maintain and manage assets. Assets can be any physical structure, system or piece of equipment that plays a role in managing, protecting, or enhancing water environments.
The broad purpose of this occupation is to protect and enhance the environment while promoting sustainable practices that support low carbon, biodiversity-rich, and equitable solutions for both people and nature. Organisations carry out work which has a positive impact on upland habitats and flood risk management downstream.
Water can cause erosion to coasts and riverbanks, damage assets and infrastructure, and create the risk of flooding on both a small and large scale. Flooding can come from multiple sources, including rivers, the coast, surface water and groundwater. Organisations who work in this area are often involved in the operation and maintenance of assets, as well as incident response and recovery following flooding or environmental incidents.
A water environment worker primarily work outdoors, operating machinery and equipment to manage water levels, flow, and navigation in varied weather conditions. They are responsible for delivering their scheduled work activities on time and on budget, managing water to meet environmental and organisational objectives. Water environment workers work in a way that is considerate of the environment and addresses environmental incidents that impact homes and businesses. They work in coordination with other stakeholders. They have an awareness of the core principles of asset management and can deploy plans when assets don’t perform as expected.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues from different teams within their organisation and may engage with the public while working in the field. Employees may also liaise with contractors hired for ongoing maintenance or specific projects. Water environment workers may also work alongside volunteers contributing their time and services to improve the local environment. They sometimes partner with other agencies as part of a multi-agency approach to the planning and delivery of water management and in response to incidents.
Water environment workers will be responsible for any plant and equipment supplied to carry out their duties. Whilst working in the field as part of a team, they will perform duties in a safe manner in accordance with legislation and their organisation’s health, safety and well-being procedures.
As a frontline representative of their organisation, they are expected to display their organisation’s values and behaviours and respond to queries in an appropriate manner.
Typical job titles include
- Assistant rangers | Field team member | Ground maintenance operative | Operator, maintainer and responder | Waterways worker
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
How to operate different assets and how they contribute to the protection of communities and the environment.
K2:
Maintenance practices, processes and procedures covering operational assets and plant.
K3:
How to enact plans if assets do not operate as expected or they exceed their operational tolerance.
K4:
Resources, materials, and techniques that support a sustainable approach to work delivery, including options for habitat creation, soft engineering methods for water flow control or retention, and approaches that minimise environmental impact while enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
K5:
Techniques and materials for building or maintaining boundaries, barriers and signage relating to public safety or access.
K6:
Legal requirements and best practice for rights of way and public access routes, including the extent of legal powers where public access needs to be restricted.
K7:
Principles of vegetation management, including control of plant growth to ensure safety, reliability of assets, and environmental compliance.
K8:
How to communicate with internal and external stakeholders including which communication channels to use, active listening, empathy, how to manage challenging conversations and when to escalate.
K9:
Importance of business relationships with partners, for example other organisations, contractors, volunteers and communities, to ensure efficient and effective work and enhance the organisation’s local and national reputation.
K10:
The principles underpinning the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP), how to work with other category 1 responders and responsibilities that come under the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA).
K11:
How to plan and select plant, equipment and materials suitable for an activity, considering the site, sensitivity to local heritage, weather conditions and wear and tear.
K12:
Relevant health, safety and wellbeing legislation, organisational responsibilities, standards and risk management procedures including lone working systems, manual handling practices and procedures for working at height.
K13:
Hazards and risks associated with working in an unfamiliar and emergency working environment, for example in severe weather or near hazardous substances, and how to carry out dynamic risk assessments.
K14:
How to identify confined spaces, be aware of their associated risks and when to request specialist support.
K15:
The principles of how underground and overhead services are located and their associated risks.
K16:
The stages of an asset’s lifecycle and the organisation’s asset management system.
K17:
How operational decisions are made and informed by information such as on-line telemetry, water levels, flow and rainfall gauges, national and local weather forecasts.
K18:
What causes flooding and increased water levels in different water environments, and how to manage associated risks to on-site personnel.
K19:
Agricultural practices, including the causes and consequences of runoff, sedimentation, and watercourse erosion, along with their impact on ecosystems.
K20:
The nature and behaviour of different water environments and assets, both natural and engineered, and an awareness of different hazards within these environments, for example, seasonal change, tidal variations, changing weather conditions and water levels.
K21:
Environmental standards, legislation, practices and control measures in reference to biosecurity, waste management, cross contamination, impact on protected species and spread of Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) to preserve our natural environment.
K22:
Principles, legislation and sources of advice relating to the management of valued heritage, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and historic structures.
K23:
Natural flood management techniques, their benefits and the impact they have on watercourses, including on water quality and biodiversity.
K24:
Relevant legislation that relates to bird nesting, protected species and how it affects permissions for flood risk and land drainage works.
- Reference:
- OCC0767
- Status:
Occupational standard in development
- SOC 2020 code:
- 0
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
S1:
Operate assets safely and effectively in accordance with environmental and organisational standards and procedures.
S2:
Use a range of techniques to maintain assets safely and effectively in accordance with environmental and organisational standards and procedures.
S3:
Enact plans when assets do not operate as expected, taking steps to minimise the impact on communities and customers.
S4:
Use sustainable materials and methods where possible to support biodiversity, reduce flood risk or improve ecosystem resilience.
S5:
Maintain or build safety signage and barriers or boundaries to protect the public.
S6:
Manage vegetation safely and effectively using a range of appropriate plant and machinery.
S7:
Communicate through the appropriate channels with the support of technology and digital tools.
S8:
Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders for example colleagues, partner organisations, local communities, volunteers and the general public, offering guidance and handling queries or concerns professionally.
S9:
Collect and record relevant information using appropriate technology and digital tools to ensure assets can be well maintained.
S10:
Select and operate appropriate plant and equipment, choosing suitable resources to carry out the activity safely and efficiently.
S11:
Work in line with health and safety legislation.
S12:
Identify hazards, carry out continuous dynamic risk assessments, implement control measures and challenge unsafe actions to protect yourself and others.
S13:
Work safely in or around water.
S14:
Apply manual handling techniques to safely handle and move materials and equipment.
S15:
Support asset management by working to local maintenance priorities, helping assess asset condition, and shaping work programmes that meet defined standards.
S16:
Use a range of practices and control measures to ensure compliance with legislation and standards relating to biosecurity, waste management and protected species.
S17:
Carry out work in-line with seasonal restrictions and check for nesting birds and protected species when carrying out vegetation management.
- Reference:
- OCC0767
- Status:
Occupational standard in development
- SOC 2020 code:
- 0
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
B1:
Acts as an ambassador of the organisation’s values and behaviours.
B2:
Has a strong work ethic, takes responsibility for delivering work to a high standard and conducts themselves in a professional manner.
B3:
Willingness to suggest new ideas, offer feedback and seek guidance and support.
B4:
Willing to work as part of a team and independently in a way that achieves shared goals and supports an inclusive workplace.
B5:
Takes ownership of work, reflects on own performance and is willing to engage with their personal and professional development.
B6:
Has a positive attitude towards health and safety, proactively manages their personal wellbeing and actively follows guidance and procedures relevant to their training and responsibilities to maintain a safe working environment for themselves and others, and contribute to a culture of safety awareness.
- Reference:
- OCC0767
- Status:
- Occupational standard in development
- SOC 2020 code:
- 0
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
