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29 July 2010

Baseefa leads the world in ‘personnel competence and equipment ’ certification

Baseefa Ltd of Buxton, the world leader in hazardous area equipment certification, has become the first Certification Body in the world to offer the full IECEx Certificate of Personnel Competence (CoPC) for personnel working in hazardous areas.

Baseefa Ltd has now been given the go-ahead to deliver all 10 Units of Competence, as detailed below, under the new IECEx CoPC scheme - the only provider in the world so far to have achieved this approval.

"While others can only offer the Unit "Applying basic principles of protection in explosive atmospheres", we can provide Certificates of Personnel Competence in all 10 Units of Competence for both operatives and responsible persons across all disciplines in personnel competency," said Baseefa's Allan Ogden. "This means we can offer a complete one-stop shop for the certification of personnel competency for owners, plant operators and individuals - a service which cannot be matched by any other IECExCB."

Since the effective beginning of the IECEx Equipment Certification Scheme in 2003 Baseefa has consistently out-performed all other IECEx Certification Bodies in equipment certification, providing over 1,100 prime certificates by the middle of 2010, plus many supplementary certificates - 14 per cent more than any other Certification Body. The new personnel competency scheme extends Baseefa's certification expertise to cover personnel as well as equipment .

Baseefa's acceptance by the IECEx Scheme as the first, and so far only, Certification Body for issuing Certificates of Personnel Competence for all 10 Units confirms Baseefa's total commitment to implementing the IECEx Personnel Competence Scheme in full. And, as the world's foremost certification body in the Ex field, Baseefa continues to strive to maintain its commitment to making the world of Ex a safer place.

The new IECEx Certificate of Personnel Competency scheme offers plant owners and operators, for the first time, the opportunity to use a worldwide standard for judging whether staff or contractors - at both management and technician level - required to perform duties such as hazardous area classifications, selection and installation, inspection and maintenance or repair and overhaul of Ex equipment together with the design of plant, are truly competent in the selected discipline.

In Europe, the ATEX "User" Directive 1999/92/EC reinforces the statements in the international standards in the IEC 60079 series Parts 10, 14, 17 and 19 which refer directly to the requirement to have competent operators. This applies to those in charge of the operation (responsible person) as well as the hands-on people (the operatives).

The 10 Units of Competence offered by Baseefa are:

Unit Ex 001 - Apply basic principles of protection in explosive atmospheres
Unit Ex 002 - Perform classification of hazardous areas
Unit Ex 003 - Install explosion-protected equipment and wiring systems
Unit Ex 004 - Maintain equipment in explosive atmospheres
Unit Ex 005- Overhaul and repair of explosion-protected equipment
Unit Ex 006 - Test electrical installations in or associated with explosive atmospheres
Unit Ex 007- Perform visual & close inspection of electrical installations in or associated with explosive atmospheres
Unit Ex 008 - Perform detailed inspection of electrical installations in or associated with explosive atmospheres
Unit Ex 009 - Design electrical installations in or associated with explosive atmospheres
Unit Ex 010- Perform audit inspection of electrical installations in or associated with explosive atmospheres

In addition to a stringent written examination with a combination of multiple-choice and extended-answer questions, many of the units also have a practical test, involving selecting, installing, inspecting, repairing and recording findings on, and correcting installation errors on, actual equipment.

Baseefa's managing director Ron Sinclair explained: "Competence is more than simply being able to sit an exam after training. It is about the sustained ability to correctly apply the knowledge and skills gained during both formal and on-the-job training."

The IECEx Certificate of Personnel Competence Scheme requires validated evidence of education, training and experience in relation to hazardous area work together with how an individual has been performing in their ‘day job', and this evidence is updated on a regular basis as part of certification maintenance. Baseefa's secure Competency Certification website makes this process easy. To initiate the application process, just log on to www.competency.baseefa.com and apply.

Although Baseefa has offered related training for many years and will continue to do so, it is important to understand that the training activity is separate from the Certification of Personnel Competence activity, and Baseefa's rigorous procedures ensure that necessary separation.

At recent meetings, oil giants Total and Petronas have put their weight behind the scheme, and have indicated that once enough operatives have achieved the IECEx Certificate of Personnel Competence, they will make it mandatory for access to their sites and to conduct work across the world.

For further information, contact Ron Sinclair or Allan Ogden of Baseefa on 01298 766600, or Kath Harding, Communications Consultant, on 07710 490943.