The water operator plays an important role in water safety; however, little published research exists that has examined this role. The purpose of this study was to develop a greater understanding of the experience, existing knowledge, confidence and future training needs of the small, non-community drinking water operator in Ontario in order to help guide future outreach and training opportunities. A cross-sectional telephone survey of 332 small, non-community drinking water operators in Ontario was conducted in July and August 2011. Survey questions pertained to respondents' experience as operators, formal training, perceived importance of water safety issues, confidence in handling water safety issues, and future training needs. Approximately 16% (54/330) of respondents had one year or less experience as a water operator, and 60% (199/332) reported that being a water operator was not a chosen profession. Only 37% (124/332) of operators reported completing operator training. Respondents reported a preference for online training courses or on-site training (compared with a classroom setting). Low training rates, inexperience, and in certain situations, low confidence, among many small water system operators highlight a need to provide continued support to the development of ongoing training opportunities in this population.
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Research Article|
June 06 2014
Experience, training and confidence among small, non-community drinking water system operators in Ontario, Canada
Wendy Pons;
1Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
E-mail: [email protected]
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Scott A. McEwen;
Scott A. McEwen
1Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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Katarina Pintar;
Katarina Pintar
1Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
2FoodNet Canada Surveillance, Public Health Agency of Canada, 2936 Baseline Rd, Tower A, rm 334B, K2H 1B3, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Andria Jones-Bitton;
Andria Jones-Bitton
1Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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Ian Young;
Ian Young
1Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
3Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Public Health Agency of Canada, 160 Research Lane, Suite 206, Guelph, ON N1G 5B2, Canada
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Andrew Papadopoulos
Andrew Papadopoulos
1Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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J Water Health (2014) 12 (4): 782–790.
Article history
Received:
March 04 2014
Accepted:
May 11 2014
Citation
Wendy Pons, Scott A. McEwen, Katarina Pintar, Andria Jones-Bitton, Ian Young, Andrew Papadopoulos; Experience, training and confidence among small, non-community drinking water system operators in Ontario, Canada. J Water Health 1 December 2014; 12 (4): 782–790. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2014.163
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