Thames Water Clean-Water Construction Team
We're building an experienced three-person team to deliver civil engineering and potable-water infrastructure work on Thames Water's operational sites and networks.
The work covers deep excavation, temporary excavation support, ductile iron and HDPE pipe installation, precast and cast-in-situ chamber construction, valve and service installation, setting out, testing support, backfilling and reinstatement. The team needs to work safely around live water infrastructure, existing underground services, groundwater, restricted working areas and heavy plant.
The three roles
Individual team members aren't expected to hold every skill — but together, the team needs to cover all three of these.
360° Excavator / Machine Operator
Operate the excavator for a Thames Water clean-water civils team — deep excavation, shoring, pipe installation and lifting duties.
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.
Working Supervisor / Ganger
Lead the daily organisation, safety and quality of a Thames Water clean-water civils team — planning, setting out and supervising excavation and pipe-laying.
A typical day
- Start of shift — sign in, check plant and tools, review RAMS and the permit to dig, set out the day's excavation and pipe alignment
- Excavation & shoring — controlled excavation and shoring installation, with every excavation inspected before anyone enters it
- Pipe installation — pipes, valves and fittings lowered, cleaned, aligned, jointed and checked before backfilling
- Chamber construction — precast units, reinforcement, formwork and concrete brought together, with checks before anything is cast in
- End of shift — excavations made safe, pipe ends capped, plant secured, and records logged for the next shift
General team requirements
The following applies across all three roles, alongside each one's own specific requirements.
General experience
Collectively, the team must have proven recent experience in water, utilities or heavy civil-engineering construction — deep trench, pit and chamber excavation; working in varying ground conditions; working around live water mains and buried utilities; safe-digging practices; working with trench boxes, sheeting and shoring; installing ductile iron and HDPE water mains and fittings; constructing precast and cast-in-situ concrete chambers; setting out; reading construction drawings; dewatering; backfilling and reinstatement; and supporting pressure testing, chlorination and commissioning.
Essential training & certification
Unless otherwise agreed, all team members must hold current EUSR National Water Hygiene and SHEA Water registration, an appropriate role-based CSCS, CPCS or NPORS card, utility-avoidance and safe-digging training, manual-handling training, and site induction. Task-dependent tickets — required where relevant to the individual's role — include EUSR Utility Excavations Categories 1 & 2, NRSWA certificates, Slinger/Signaller, Temporary Works Supervisor training, Confined Spaces training, HDPE jointing certification, CAT & Genny training, and plant-specific tickets.
Health, safety & environmental responsibilities
Every team member works in accordance with the Construction Phase Plan, approved RAMS, permits and site rules; attends daily briefings; has and uses stop-work authority if conditions become unsafe; never enters an unsupported or uninspected excavation; follows the permit-to-dig system; maintains safe access and escape routes; and reports incidents, near misses, service strikes and environmental issues immediately.
Clean-water hygiene responsibilities
All team members follow National Water Hygiene requirements — preventing contamination of pipework, keeping pipe ends capped when not actively working, using clean and appropriately disinfected tools for potable-water activities, and inspecting pipes and fittings for damage or contamination before installation.
Working conditions
Work is outdoors throughout the year, often in wet, muddy or restricted conditions, in and around deep excavations, operational water sites and heavy plant, with travel between Thames Water sites and occasional night, weekend or emergency work.
Interested? Apply directly from one of the three role pages above, or get in touch generally.