Steel workers facing compulsory training

Compulsory training for corrosion protection teams working on transportation steelwork was unexpectedly introduced last week with the announcement that firms have seven months to get their operatives certified.

By next July, four out of 10 employees of steelwork and painting contractors will have to be qualified in order to win work, according to the announcement on the United Kingdom Accreditation Scheme (UKAS) website. Their qualification comes under the Industrial Coatings Applicator Training and Certification Scheme. Six months later, at the end of January 2008, all operatives will need to be qualified.

Companies that don't comply will be barred from bidding for all transport infrastructure projects involving steel, including new and existing bridges, bus and railway stations, toll booths, etc. Clients such as the Highways Agency and Network Rail have already adopted the scheme.

The main hotspot is likely to be motorway bridge repair work, where corrosion caused by poor protection causes millions of pounds in disruption while the motorway is closed for repairs. Currently, few operatives have completed training.

According to the Highways Agency, the scheme should improve the quality of application of paint coatings used to protect its steel structures from corrosion. In the past where there has been corrosion, it can usually be traced back to failure in the application of protective coatings, said Dr Derek Tordoff, director general of the British Constructional Steelwork Association.

"Main contractors have to know about this because they are the ones who have to be checking. If they choose a steel work contractor who does not comply and the Highway Agency finds out, they will not be able to continue the job," he says.

[Contract Journal, 06  December 2006, p 9]