Thames Water Passport: What It Is, Who Needs It and How to Get Yours
If you’ve been told you need a Thames Water Passport before you can start on site, you’re not alone. It’s one of our busiest courses, and most of the questions we get are about the admin rather than the training itself.
So let’s clear that up.
What is the Thames Water Passport?
The Thames Water Passport is Thames Water’s mandatory health, safety and environmental training for anyone working on its sites or assets. It sits at the heart of their “Zero Incidents, Zero Harm, Zero Compromise” safety culture.
It applies to everyone: direct employees, contractors and supply chain partners. No valid passport, no start on site.
Who needs one?
In short, anyone working, or wanting to work, on Thames Water sites. That includes:
- Civils and groundworks teams
- Mains layers and service layers
- Maintenance and repair crews
- Supervisors and site managers
- Specialist subcontractors brought in for a single job
What does the course cover?
It’s a half-day, instructor-led course delivered online via Zoom. Delegates are assessed through group exercises, so it’s interactive, not a click-through video.
The content includes:
- An introduction to Thames Water, its operations and its safety commitments
- Site hazards, common operational risks and your personal responsibilities
- Industry terminology used on Thames Water sites
- Catastrophic risk awareness: the high-risk activities and the controls that prevent serious harm
- Personal leadership and behavioural expectations, including when and how to intervene
- Reporting unsafe conditions and escalating concerns
- Customer impact and public safety
What you need before you book
This is where people get caught out. Before the course, you need:
- SkillGuard registration. Your employer must register you on SkillGuard for Utilities and pay the subscription. You’ll need your SkillGuard number at checkout.
- Valid photo ID: a driving licence or passport.
- A completed Delegate Information Form for each person attending.
- A good understanding of spoken and written English.
If any of these are missing, the delegate can’t take part, so please get them sorted early.
How long does it last?
Once you pass, your Thames Water Passport is issued as a virtual card through SkillGuard. It’s valid for three years, and it must be available for inspection on every Thames Water site.
Will I need anything else?
Possibly. The passport is about Thames Water’s own standards, but depending on your role you may also need:
| Card | When you’re likely to need it |
| Energy & Utility Skills Register (EUSR) Safety, Health and Environmental Awareness (SHEA) Water | General safety passport for the water industry |
| EUSR National Water Hygiene (Blue Card) | Working on or near drinking water assets |
| EUSR Safe Control of Mains Connection (SCMC) Water | Making connections to water mains |
If you’re not sure, ask your Thames Water contact.
We can also arrange closed courses on site or online for groups.
Book your Thames Water Passport
We run the Thames Water Passport on Zoom several times a month, with morning, midday and evening sessions so it doesn’t have to cost your team a full working day. It’s £70 + VAT per person on weekdays. We also run Saturday sessions for £80 + VAT per person, so your team can train without losing a day on site.
Our trainers come from the water industry, so they keep it practical and relevant to what you’ll actually see on site. As one delegate put it, he “explains everything very clearly”.
View dates and book your Thames Water Passport, or call us on 01926 674340 or email support@pragmatic-consulting.co.uk.
