General Operative / Water Main Pipe Layer
Support the excavation and pipe-laying team on a Thames Water clean-water project — excavation prep, shoring, pipe jointing, chamber construction and concrete work.
Location
Thames Water clean-water sites — projects primarily within about an hour of Purton, Swindon
Experience
2+ years' relevant utility or civil-engineering experience, including supported excavations and pipe installation
You'll support the Supervisor/Ganger and Machine Operator with excavation preparation, shoring, pipe installation, chamber construction, concrete work, backfilling and general site activities. If you're taken on as a Water Main Pipe Layer, you'll need the relevant competence and authorisation for the jointing work involved.
What we're looking for
- Experience working inside supported trenches and chamber excavations
- Hand digging and exposing existing services safely
- Installing ductile iron or HDPE pipework
- Cleaning, inspecting and jointing pipe ends, seals, flanges and fittings
- Installing valves, hydrants, air valves, washouts and meters
- Installing precast chamber units, fixing reinforcement and basic formwork
- Placing, compacting and finishing concrete
- Operating compactors, breakers, disc cutters and other small plant
Your day-to-day duties
- Assist with fencing, barriers, access routes and exclusion zones
- Hand dig and expose services using the approved safe-digging method
- Prepare bedding and pipe supports to the specified depth and level
- Clean, inspect, cap and protect pipes and fittings
- Align and joint ductile iron and HDPE pipes where competent and authorised
- Install valves and fittings in the correct position and orientation
- Assist with concrete placement, finishing and chamber construction
- Place and compact pipe surround and backfill without damaging the installed asset
- Report damaged pipes, seals, shoring or equipment immediately
Essential qualifications & tickets
For a general labouring role, an appropriate CSCS/EUSR Labourer or NCO Water Assistant card.
For a skilled pipe-laying role:
- Recognised Network Construction Operations (Water), Water Main Layer or equivalent vocational qualification
- Appropriate skilled-worker competency card
Useful to have
- HDPE butt-fusion or electrofusion certification
- Ductile iron pipe-installation training
- CPCS/NPORS Slinger/Signaller
- Forward-tipping dumper, ride-on roller or abrasive wheels tickets
- Confined-space entry training
This role is part of a 3-person team — see the full project overview and the other roles.