You can carry contamination into the water and you can catch things from it, so personal health and hygiene run right through the scheme. The assessment leans heavily on Weil's disease and on knowing when you must not work on potable water.
What personal health and hygiene covers in the assessment
- Weil's disease (leptospirosis) is caught from rats' urine in water, wet ground and sewers
- It enters the body through cuts and grazes and through the eyes, nose and mouth
- Symptoms start flu-like and can progress to jaundice and kidney or liver failure — carry a warning card and tell your doctor you work with water
- You must not work on potable water while you have diarrhoea, vomiting or a stomach upset — report it to your supervisor
- Wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking and after using the toilet; cover cuts with a waterproof dressing
- Never eat, drink or smoke in an excavation; some employers require health screening before restricted work
Where people slip up
Working on with an upset stomach. Diarrhoea and vomiting must be reported and you must stay off potable work.
Thinking Weil's disease only enters through cuts. It also enters through the eyes, nose and mouth.
Eating your lunch in the trench. No eating, drinking or smoking in an excavation.
Both free mocks draw from this area — 25 questions in 30 minutes, with an explanation for every answer and a per-area breakdown at the end.
Start a free mock testThe other areas
Independent study material, not affiliated with or endorsed by EUSR or Energy & Utility Skills. Always check the official EUSR website for the current scheme and card requirements.