Watercare's New Multi-purpose Training Facility - Enhancing Training Across the Construction Industry

J Kubala, B Struthers - Watercare Services Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand

The construction industry inherently involves high-risk work. A major focus and challenge for the industry has been minimising and eliminating this risk with appropriate planning, training, and support for the workers on the ground. 

Watercare’s Central Interceptor Project has the desire to go above and beyond to create a new industry standard for construction health, safety and wellbeing. Those working in construction benefit from high-quality training facilities that provide hands-on and controlled hazards reflecting the risks encountered on site. To achieve this, the Central Interceptor Project has delivered a new multi-purpose training facility, which has been integrated into Watercare’s day-to-day business. 

Watercare’s vision is to provide a high-quality training environment that has a meaningful impact to workers; from those starting their careers, refreshing theirsafety knowledge, or commencing a new role in the underground environment. Providing a safe environment ensures workers feel confident and empowered to manage their own safety as well as their colleagues on site. The training facility provides engaging and fit for purpose facilities, exemplifying Watercare’s commitment to ensuring all workers go home safe at the end of each day.

Through a positive and collaborative relationship with the Contractor (March Cato), the training facility was constructed. The training facility consists of an above-ground shaft, 7.2m long tunnel, connecting manhole, scaffolding platform, and realistic simulations of services, jacking frames and hydraulic rams, and a muck wagon on rails. These features allow training to be delivered on a diverse range of construction activities, including confined space entry, working at heights and the use of self-contained self-rescuers. The dynamic resources embedded in the facility allow training to be tailored to meet the needs of the trainees or the specific construction risk, and for companies to engage training specialists to deliver custom training in a facility that mirrors real world work environments.

This paper highlights the positive impact this facility has had on the Central Interceptor Project, Watercare and the wider construction industry in its first year of operation. The facility has been used by internal and external parties with positive feedback validating the benefit of a purpose-built facility for industry use.

This paper aims to showcase the benefits of purpose-built training facilities within the construction industry and the importance of collaboration with industry partners when planning, constructing and operating training facilities to obtain the largest impact