Within Unica, you may also have to work on or near the water. Working on or along the water involves specific risks. Drowning is one of the most well-known risks, but certainly not the only one. In this toolbox, you can read about the risks of working on or near the water and what measures need to be taken to minimise or eliminate the risk.

The main risks when working on or near the water are:

• End up in the water;

You often have to deal with an embankment and wet and soft soils. This can cause you to slip and end up in the water. In addition, you may also have to work at height next to the water. In bad weather conditions, scaffolding may be slippery, which can cause you to fall/slip again.

• Drowning

You can fall into the water in an unfortunate way. This can cause the employee to become unconscious.

• Contamination with bacteria and viruses;

When you come into contact with surface water, you run the risk of becoming contaminated. These risks are often overlooked or underestimated. These are often innocent-looking streams, canals or ditches.

• Hypothermia/cold shock;

Working near or on the water under cold conditions is extra risky. The drowning person becomes hypothermic more quickly when the water temperature drops. At a water temperature of around freezing, you can get hypothermia after only 5 minutes.

• Collision;

Boating users may pose a risk when working on or near the water. Inform the interested party of the work and make arrangements if necessary.

• Fall;

Working on a jetty next to the water is very risky because the impact of this fall is very large. For this reason, it is extremely important that measures are taken.

• Draw up a task risk analysis (TRA)!
• Install a railing/barrier along the water's edge. If this is not possible due to the nature of the work, use a safety net;
• Always wear a life jacket (minimum buoyancy of 275N);
• Check the life jacket for wear and tear on the connection;
• Only use a life jacket with a collar (this keeps the head above the water at all times);
• Provide a lifebuoy or lifeline;
• Always work with two or more people nearby the water;
• Make sure the workplace is tidy;
• Use lighting;
• Secure the equipment so that it cannot fall;
• In case of a strong current, provide grab rods, (rake) grids and lines along the quays;
• Climbing in and out of facilities with non-chute or fixed anchor point for fall protection;
• Be sure to bring extra clothes and towels;
• Follow the customer's rules.​​​​​​​

Talk to each other about the following:

1. I think a life jacket is overrated, because I can swim well;
2. I think it's overrated to take measures when I work on or near the water, because that's how I've always done it.

Please note: the terms 'zwemvest' and 'reddingsvest' are often wrongly confused. A 'zwemvest' helps you float, while a 'reddingsvest' is made to save you. This is because a life jacket has a greater buoyancy This can be from 100 newtons (N) to 275N. This while a life jacket has a buoyancy of up to 50N. You can often recognize a life jacket by the flat model in the shape of a horseshoe.