Occupation 8134 · Process, plant and machine operatives
Water and sewerage plant operatives operate valves to control water supplies in mains and pipelines, attend screening, filtering, water purifying and sedimentation plant, clear any blockages and patrol and maintain sewerage systems.
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs in Operating Process Plant are available at level 2.
Controller (water treatment) · Plant operator (sewage works) · Pump attendant · Water treatment engineer · Water treatment operator
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 17,300.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 18,400.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 20,500.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 500.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 2,100.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 21,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | None | 2026-03 | 1,100.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.
| Region | Measure | Hours | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 2,600.00 | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 1,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| London | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| North East | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 1,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| North West | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 1,800.00 | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 500.00 | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 2,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| South East | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 3,500.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 3,500.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 1,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 700.00 | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8134 : Water and sewerage plant operatives | None | 3,000.00 | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 11 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.
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