When Scott Easton from Water Corporation was named the 2025 winner of the WIOA Problem Accepted Solution Supplied Award, the recognition reflected more than a single improvement. It acknowledged a sustained, operator-led response to a calcite handling safety issue that had challenged treatment plant operations for years.
The PASS Award is designed to surface practical, transferable solutions that improve safety and performance across the water industry. In this case, the problem had been present since 2020. It centred on the repeated task of loading calcite for pH correction at a water treatment plant, a process that carried both operational and ergonomic risk.
Every four to six months, operators were required to transfer between four and six tonnes of calcite from ground level into a feed hopper positioned around six metres above. Traditional methods relied on 1-tonne bulky bags suspended above an auger using a contractor’s skid steer, a process that offered limited control and introduced multiple hazards.
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Why calcite handling safety become a critical issue
The suspended loading method routinely led to auger overloading, product loss and the risk of plastic bag fragments entering the treatment process. These issues affected both asset reliability and water quality outcomes and created a safety concern for operators working beneath suspended loads.
A trial using 22-kilogram individual bags was undertaken to eliminate suspended lifting, but this approach introduced new risks. The task required repetitive lifting, bending and twisting over extended periods, resulting in operator fatigue and musculoskeletal strain.
“The manual loading trial was stopped early because it simply wasn’t sustainable,” Easton said. “It took close to six hours across two days, and operators were already reporting discomfort in their backs, shoulders and upper limbs.”
The experience confirmed that calcite-handling safety was not just a procedural issue but an ergonomic one, requiring a redesign rather than an incremental adjustment.
Turning a practical idea into an award-winning solution
The solution emerged from outside the traditional water industry playbook. Drawing on an agricultural grain feed system he had seen in use, Easton began exploring whether a similar concept could be adapted for treatment plant operations.
“I started thinking about how farmers control material flow safely without putting people under suspended loads,” he said. “That was the turning point.”
Working alongside teammate and operator Justin Burley, Easton identified a fled bag dispenser that could be speared into the base of a 1-tonne calcite bag, allowing controlled release of material. To make the system safe and fit for purpose, the team collaborated with local fabricator Tony Fazioli from FazFab to design and build a custom steel frame capable of supporting the bag directly above the auger inlet.
Safety and well-being specialists, including ergonomic expertise from within the business, were involved throughout the design process to ensure the final configuration addressed both acute and cumulative injury risks.
What changed on site and why it mattered
The finished setup removed the need for suspended lifting entirely. The steel frame securely supports the bulk bag, while the feed bag dispenser allows operators to precisely regulate calcite flow. Operators can open or close the dispenser gradually, preventing auger overload and eliminating the risk of plastic contamination.
“The biggest change was control,” Easton said. “Once operators could manage the flow properly, the whole task became safer, quicker and far less physically demanding.”
The new arrangement reduced the loading task by four to five hours and removed repetitive manual handling altogether. Ergonomic risk assessments showed a significant reduction in strain across the arms, shoulders, back and legs, aligning with the PASS Award’s focus on solutions that deliver measurable safety outcomes.
Why the PASS Award recognition matters
For Easton, the PASS Award recognition reflects the strength of collaboration rather than individual effort.
“This wasn’t about one person coming up with a clever idea,” he said. “It was about operators, safety specialists and fabricators working together to fix a problem that everyone understood.”
The solution has already delivered tangible benefits for operators and has the potential to be replicated at other treatment plants facing similar calcite handling safety challenges. With further investment, options such as gantry cranes or redesigned hopper structures could remove the need for auger-based transfer entirely.
By turning a persistent operational risk into a practical, adaptable improvement, the project demonstrates exactly what the PASS Award is intended to highlight. As Easton put it, “If a solution makes the job safer and easier for the next person, then it’s worth sharing.”