Sewer jetting is a serious business and a high level of awareness of common jetting hazards, knowing how to protect oneself from them, and learning and practicing the proper safety procedures can prevent injury to our employees and the general public.
When water is pressurized (PSI) it becomes a potentially dangerous force that can easily result in serious injury. Understanding how to follow safety standards use engineered devices and best operating practices can help you get the most from the equipment being used all while maintaining a safe work site. The Ted Berry Company utilizes high pressure “jetters” and combination units generally called “Vactors” to clean pipes of varying sizes from 2″ to 120″ and larger and from pressures as low as 20 PSI to 3,000PSI +. A large portion of our business consists of flushing mainline sewer pipes which are generally owned and operated by a municipality and run from a manhole to another manhole.
When setting up a sewer jetting project it is important to do a jobsite risk analysis and involve the entire project team in identifying the potential risks associated with the tasks at hand and making sure you are able to perform the tasks and follow the company safety policies, as risks are identified and discussed with team members modifications to the work plan can be made to ensure project is safely executed. Work zone safety, proper use of PPE, confined space entry, and others are typical hazards found on a sewer jetting job. From an operations standpoint we also check our equipment including all hoses, fittings, and machinery to make sure it is in proper working order as well as follow standard operating procedures for executing the job. At the Ted Berry Company we adhere to a strict Every Job – Every Crew- Every Shift pre-job safety meeting which drives collaboration and awareness to potential hazards.
As the nozzle is placed into the sewer line, typically through a sewer manhole, it is essential that it be placed far enough inside the line (at least 12″) to prevent it from inadvertently exiting the line and potentially injuring the operator. Devices such as a lead hose, nozzle extension, or centralizer can prevent the nozzle from leaving the pipe. As the sewer nozzle travels through the line to the next manhole which is typically upstream the operator must be aware of the location of the nozzle at all times which eliminates the risk to the general public from a nozzle leaving the pipe through a manhole or connection.
The NASSCO “Jetter code of practice” is a industry publication which we use for training and maintaining industry best practice. This code of practice is intended to give US and North American sewer cleaning operators a general guide as to the safe and efficient use of sewer cleaning and jetting equipment. It is also hoped that this document will provide the operator a better understanding of cleaning techniques, equipment selection, and general sewer and storm water operational improvements. We have both printed and video copies of the manual available for all employees in the Ted Berry Company Employee Training Center. Obviously, the techniques of jetting have evolved over the years, vary from operator to operator, and evolution still continues. It is hoped that the operator reading this manual will recognize NASSCO’s efforts to chronicle these changes and improvements. Also, it is hoped that if yet better techniques and practices are available and are not detailed in this manual, that the developers of these new techniques would share them for future publication. This is a great source of reference both in planning and executing a job, we refer to it on a daily basis and as NASSCO members have an open line of communication with them and share our experiences and recommendations for future manual updates.
Work Safe.
Matt Timberlake