VA 5 Hour Water Utility Management Course

This five-hour class satisfies the Virginia Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals' requirement that at 5 hours of the 20 hours of continuing education needed to renew a Class 1 or Class 2 waterworks operator's license must cover utility management. The class contains two instructional modules drawn from the list of acceptable topics prepared by the Board.

The first module is on "Waterworks Management" and includes the following:

• What Makes a Good Manager;
• How to More Effectively Manage Your Waterworks Operation;
• Management Theories - a chance to see how managerial philosophies and strategies have evolved over the years and what has been learned from this history that can inform how we effectively manage today; and
• Risk Management - a specific area within management that is especially vital for waterworks operations.

The second module covers "Security and Safety Procedures" and utilizes recommendations by OSHA, NIOSH, the EPA, the AWWA, and other industry organizations to address:

• The risks to which Water Treatment Operators are exposed in a typical work environment;
• Ways to mitigate or avoid these risks
• Reporting requirements;
• Who's responsible for workplace safety;
• First aid and access to care for more serious injuries; and
• Common-sense recommendations for how to work more safely and help to make water/wastewater (w/ww) treatment facilities as illness and injury-free as possible.