Authorising Engineer [Water] as a Friend: One definition of the word “friend” taken from the Oxford English Dictionary is “a person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side”. 

As an Authorising Engineer [Water], our goal of “maintaining a safe service” is the same as the organisations we support and we are therefore “on the same side".

Authorising Engineer [Water] and the Water Safety Group : Confidence in the Authorising Engineer [AE] with their knowledge and experience can play a key part in successful water safety management. AE duties are defined in the Department of Health’s guidance Health Technical Memorandum 00 [HTM00]. The role can be summarised as an independent auditor and an assessor of competency & performance.

We are very pleased to announce that we are expanding our team with the arrival of two new members of staff - a new Authorising Engineer [Water] and Business Development Executive!

This group, the ‘water safety group’ [WSG], isn’t a new idea! The concept of the Water Safety Group was first outlined in the Department of Health’s HTM04-01 addendum and the subsequent revision of the HTM04-01 in 2016 provided updated guidance on the remit and aims of the group.

The title “Authorising Engineer” is not new. It has been used for some time in industry and in the Ministry of Defence, where high risk activities require a competent person to oversee and provide assurance in respect to the competency of operatives, and the adequate implementation of rules and procedures. This need is defined in the MoD and Defence Safety Authority’s guidance Management of health and safety in defence: high risk activities on the defence estate (JSP 375 part 2, volume 3)