Making the most of training opportunities

BCAS offers specialist compressed air training and education and has broadened its e-learning portfolio. Partnering with Virtual College, it can now offer a range of online training covering management and health and safety via its new web platform as well as its popular classroom-based courses, such as the Competent Examiner module, which attracts both members and end users.

eLearning:

The Working Safely with Compressed Air and the Compressed Air System Technology courses enable delegates to study for a qualification online. These courses provide an introduction to the main principles and uses of modern compressed air systems and how to comply with current legislation while working safely.

Studying online provides an efficient means of acquiring the underpinning knowledge to those already employed, or seeking a career in any sector of industry that uses compressed air. There are no formal entry qualifications but to undertake the courses participants should already have some experience in basic computer skills.

Diploma

The Diploma in Compressed Air Management (DipCAM) offers a comprehensive technical grounding in the principles of operation of compressed air systems. It has been developed and produced to meet the needs of individuals who have responsibility for a compressed air installation and wish to attain a level of technical knowledge. It will also be of value to sales engineers and those who design or maintain compressed air systems.

Candidates should have either an engineering qualification at minimum level 3 (HNC), or practical experience within the industry of at least two years at a responsible level.

Introduction to Written Schemes

Regulation 8 of the PSSR – written scheme of examination – includes the requirement to identify a competent person to drawn up, or certify as being suitable, a written scheme of examination of specified parts of a compressed air system.

This one-day workshop will explore the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (S.I. 2000 No 128) and related standards and codes of practice, contributing to the knowledge and understanding required as a provider of a written scheme.

Competent Examiner

Owners or users of a compressed air system operating in excess of 0.5 bar and containing an air receiver must comply with 15 regulations, one of which is the requirement under the PSSR to have a written scheme and to have examinations of the equipment carried out at intervals specified within that scheme.

This five-day course enables students to achieve a BCAS certificate in compressed air system testing and examination. It is aimed at a range of individuals, including users of compressed air systems who wish to train their own staff, distributors, and field inspectors who offer the service as part of insurance cover. 

This qualification, which is divided in to four separate assessments, assures the customer that its supplier has reached an approved standard to carry out the function of a Competent Examiner. In the event of an accident, such a certificate would demonstrate to the Health and Safety Executive that the supplier has met its duty of care obligations. 

Candidates are expected to have five years’ experience in the compressed air industry, and to be aware of the examination requirements contained within the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations.

BCAS also offers a one-day Competent Examiner refresher course for industry.