Hey guys I have just finished a course working with sewage tankers, and have been dealing with raw sewage and contaminated rain water, other wise known as leatche, but can any one tell me what is the rule for protective clothing? I have been issued 1 pair of rubber gloves and a hard hat as well as a hi viz vest, thats it, the tanks work on donkey engines or pto so should we not get ear protection, the fumes from the outlet filter on raw sewage makes me heave (not used to it yet) so what about a face mask, and finally like today on a site the coupling came adrift from the outlet vaulve and I got cover in every thing including womens towels and well you know what I mean, surely in this type of work there must be some sort of guidelines the way health and saftey is now a days. any one in the same game give us any info please.
I’m on mostly the same work, and the only extra we carry is tyvek’s (white paper suits) which to be honest only get used when you get covered and youve no clean clothes left!
to be honest the more you do the job the more careful you become as a matter of course, and less you get dirty. but the ppe for non haz work is minimal and usually just enough to satisfy health and safety on most sites i.e. hi viz, hard hat, glasses and safety boots, and most places require you to cover your arms(no t shirts).
what you should have as ppe is at least this.
rubber gloves
hard hat
ear defenders
face masks
boots and wellies
and also a waterproof leggings and top.
and dont forget anti bacterial gel for your hands.
if the boss refuses it all then tell him thats what hse says i need. if not you have to ring them back.
you will soon get them. how do i know… next door neighbour works for hse. 
greggy:
… if the boss refuses it all then tell him thats what hse says i need. if not you have to ring them back.
you will soon get them. how do i know… next door neighbour works for hse.
Hi greggy,
I’m not sure about this cos it’s non-ADR, but just out of interest, isn’t there also a requirement for Hep “B”, Hep “C” and tetanus jabs on that kind of job too?
Maybe your neighbour would know?
and I got cover in every thing including womens towels…
Mate seriously work is scarce but you need to find a different job! Surely no money would be enough to do this job! The only job I think that could be worse than this is those boys who chip away the fat in the sewers
By the way, those hand gels don’t work if you have ■■■ (or any soiling actually) on your hands - take some water in a water container and some hand soap in a lttle bottle and lather up your hands with that. Use kitchen roll to dry - expensive I know. I suppose you could put some of those latex (or similar) gloves on underneath your main gloves for piece of mind too.
Good luck 
dieseldave:
greggy:
… if the boss refuses it all then tell him thats what hse says i need. if not you have to ring them back.
you will soon get them. how do i know… next door neighbour works for hse.Hi greggy,
I’m not sure about this cos it’s non-ADR, but just out of interest, isn’t there also a requirement for Hep “B”, Hep “C” and tetanus jabs on that kind of job too?
Maybe your neighbour would know?
There isn’t a Hep C jab just yet
bazza123:
dieseldave:
greggy:
… if the boss refuses it all then tell him thats what hse says i need. if not you have to ring them back.
you will soon get them. how do i know… next door neighbour works for hse.Hi greggy,
I’m not sure about this cos it’s non-ADR, but just out of interest, isn’t there also a requirement for Hep “B”, Hep “C” and tetanus jabs on that kind of job too?
Maybe your neighbour would know?There isn’t a Hep C jab just yet
Hi bazza, thanks for that mate. 
It just proves that if you don’t know, you should ask.
I know that the guys who collect hospital waste get all kinds of jabs. And that’s dry stuff in bags and the bags are in bins. The big risk for them is needle stick because those wonderful angels of mercy in the hospitals can’t be arsed to put them in the proper containers.
i did leachate tankers along with another member Bill Hyde we had the same problem with ppe.I used to carry a 5 gallon drum with a tap on it for washing face a hands and another on for drinking etc also alchol hand gel and 8 days work of clothes.
Also becareful of Leptospirosis or wells diesease caused by ifection from rats pee
Santa:
I know that the guys who collect hospital waste get all kinds of jabs. And that’s dry stuff in bags and the bags are in bins. The big risk for them is needle stick because those wonderful angels of mercy in the hospitals can’t be arsed to put them in the proper containers.
Done hospital waste for many months on the agency and never had injections, neither have any of the other permanent drivers.
Lycanthrope:
Santa:
I know that the guys who collect hospital waste get all kinds of jabs. And that’s dry stuff in bags and the bags are in bins. The big risk for them is needle stick because those wonderful angels of mercy in the hospitals can’t be arsed to put them in the proper containers.Done hospital waste for many months on the agency and never had injections, neither have any of the other permanent drivers.
Hi Lycanthrope,
That’s very interesting indeed.
I’ve often taught a cut-down version of ADR (core, packs and Class 6 only) in many locations around the country for the guys who transport bagged clinical waste for incineration and/or surgical instruments going for sterilisation. In conversations I’ve had with those guys, it’s often been said that they have had to have some jabs for that type of work. I just couldn’t remember the names of the jabs in my post above. 
The thing I don’t know for sure is whether the jabs are an actual legal requirement (it’s not in ADR,) OR whether they are done as a matter of company policy? It seems sensible to me that a company (or Health Trust) would wish to protect its workers against possible infections that could have been contracted by workers working for them.
Been driving a slurry tanker on agency as well, no training or PPE supplied.Had a man with me who knew how to operate the valves and pumps,smelly work and a lot of tight manouvering.
I hope you are well remunerated for this job.
Its down to your company health and safety rep to carry out a full risk asessment and that will decide what ppe you should be provided. You can ask him/her to carry this out and they must do so by law. Good luck!
i worked in this game 3 years knee deep in the ■■■■ , pressure jetting , cleaning out digesters what you really must be careful of is wiels disease off rats and pathogens, if u get serious flu like symptons get the doctors and tell him u build sandcastles with his stools cos it can be fatal , as for ppe you shouldnt get dirty when you get used to it all ppe will be basic and if you got a dodgey fitting then a big roll of tape does the trick , or tie off the hose to stop it kicking, other than that stand back out the way ,
water cooling plants/towers legionnaires diease (an no youre boss wont tell you before you go in)
weils disease associated with sewage /drains there is an injection you can have before you do the the job but it would cost youre boss money so theyd rather you lose 4 stone in 2 months.
its cheaper.
Watch where they send you an ppe supplied.
I drove to an address where they had only discovered that they had a septic tank .The toilet roll and sanitary products were oozing out of the rodding eye beside the kids trampoline!Agreat place to grow rhubarb.
the big un:
i did leachate tankers along with another member Bill Hyde we had the same problem with ppe.I used to carry a 5 gallon drum with a tap on it for washing face a hands and another on for drinking etc also alchol hand gel and 8 days work of clothes.
Also becareful of Leptospirosis or wells diesease caused by ifection from rats pee
Oh GREAT didnt know about the rats , thanks for that one.
Well Im comming to the end of the second week and as of Friday 6th I am on my own, Oh Boy, the fun begins, I have only been covered once this week due to the hose comming off the intake vaulve, and as this was a load from a sceptic tank you can imagine the state I was in, and all this for £9 an hour. yes thats what I thought as well, but it is better than benefits, and the guys I work with are a good bunch the as well, the smell still makes me heave and they get a good laugh about it, but even after a shower and teeth scrub you still get the smell up your nose, honestly if people new that some one had to work with the stuff they put down the loo,maybe they would be more considerate, and if you are interested guys from a six inch legnth of ■■■ you can obtain point three something of methain, so next time you get under the truck for a tom ■■■ dont have any naked lights, god I love this job.lol.