The Safe Working In Water (SWIW) course is designed for people tasked with working in water who will need a self- and co-worker rescue capability using conditional rescue techniques, eg throwbags, wading techniques and reach poles. The target audience is EA, SEPA, NRW personnel, construction industry workers, road and bridge maintenance workers.

This course offers a higher level rescue capability than the Safe Working Near Water (SWNW) course.

Course content includes

About Rescue 3
Workplace legislation
Safe systems of work
Risk assessments
Pre-planning for emergencies and rescue
Hydrology and water hazards
Cold water considerations
Mud, ice and coastal considerations
Biosecurity and environmental considerations
Medical and decontamination considerations
Lifejackets vs. buoyancy aids
Buoyancy aid and lifejacket maintenance, periodic inspection and transportation
Lifejacket firing mechanisms
Lifejacket accidental inflation risks
Personal and team equipment
Considerations for night/poor visibility working
Communications
Pre- and post-use lifejacket checks
Lifejacket inflation and deflation – auto/manual
Swimming and self-rescue in lifejackets
Swimming and self-rescue in buoyancy aids
Throwbags and other conditional rescues
Shallow water techniques
Tethered shallow water techniques
Strainers
People and equipment entrapments