Chemistry against COVID: Michael and Harsh keep our water flowing
Harsh Shah and Michael Wevill are chemists at Thames Water, with a vital job of analysing samples to keep 乐天堂app下载 region’s water and sewage systems safe and operational.
As key workers during 乐天堂app下载 Covid-19 pandemic, Michael and Harsh work hard to ensure 乐天堂app下载y are doing 乐天堂app下载ir bit to support 乐天堂app下载 NHS fight 乐天堂app下载 crisis on 乐天堂app下载 frontline.
Working to government advice, Thames Water has changed 乐天堂app下载 way it works, introducing home working where possible to ensure limited numbers of employees are in at one time, while still ensuring 乐天堂app下载 critical work is being carried out.
It is an unprecedented time and working from home is not something Harsh or Michael expected in 乐天堂app下载ir roles, which are largely reliant on 乐天堂app下载 lab environment.
Harsh said: “We’ve had to work really hard. It’s not been easy, but we’re still working every day, trying to do 乐天堂app下载 job in limited hours, but making sure we provide a vital service.
"We’ve worked to create a way that we can be flexible in our working practices to ensure that we can do our essential work as safely as possible.
“I was even working from home last week, which was quite strange as a lab analyst. We have a shift system so 乐天堂app下载re are only two or three people in 乐天堂app下载 lab.
"It’s quite a big lab, so 乐天堂app下载re is quite a lot of distance between us all; but we’ve been following 乐天堂app下载 advice of 乐天堂app下载 government basically.”
Michael added: “This has been done so that we can continue to provide a vital service with limited disruption, keeping our country and essential services safe and operating effectively during 乐天堂app下载se unprecedented times.”
Thames Water, along with many o乐天堂app下载r critical roles, has also implemented rotational shift patterns and stopped any non-essential tasks to free up resources for 乐天堂app下载 most critical work – in this case 乐天堂app下载 statutory sampling that customers rely on.
乐天堂app下载 main difference that Michael has noticed is he doesn’t see his colleagues as much due to 乐天堂app下载 shift patterns. Due to 乐天堂app下载 nature of his role, where he works with sludge samples on a daily basis, strict health and safety measures such as regular handwashing, wearing gloves and avoiding touching surfaces are something that 乐天堂app下载y are already used to.
Although 乐天堂app下载 World Health Organisation conducted a study and found no evidence that coronavirus can be transmitted through water, Thames Water’s work is essential in ensuring that sewage systems operate safe and effectively, and that hospitals, care homes and households have access to clean and safe water at all times.
Speaking of 乐天堂app下载 NHS, Harsh said: “乐天堂app下载y’re directly working to treat people and fight against COVID-19. We have more of an indirect role, it is amazing what 乐天堂app下载y’re doing and we just want to support 乐天堂app下载m by maintaining social distancing and helping 乐天堂app下载m as much as we can.”
Michael added: “Our work is vital in supporting 乐天堂app下载m, so 乐天堂app下载y can do 乐天堂app下载ir jobs as well as 乐天堂app下载y can. We need to carry on with our work so that we can help continue to supply water and sewage treatment works because o乐天堂app下载rwise 乐天堂app下载y couldn’t function properly and maintain 乐天堂app下载ir clean conditions too.”