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C and G course updates machinery safety knowledge

A Pilz Automation Technology product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 5, 2006

Five members of staff at Outokumpu are awarded City and Guilds Certificates in machinery safety.

Outokumpu Holton designs, manufactures and sells Conform continuous rotary extrusion machinery, as well as carrying out research and development relating to other metallurgical processes.

In addition, its specialised production department processes batches of extruded products for customers that do not have a Conform machine.

Using a combination of in-house training and rigorous adherence to appropriate British, European and international standards, the engineers at Outokumpu were confident that the machinery being manufactured did conform to current safety standards.

Nevertheless, a consultant from Pilz Automation Technology was invited to perform periodic independent risk assessments as a means of auditing the internal procedures.

Although the results of these risk assessments showed that Outokumpu was achieving its aims, it was felt that the engineers would benefit from formal training and certification.

This would enable them to demonstrate their competency should that ever be required.

Various alternative training courses were considered, but it was decided to opt for the City and Guilds Certificate in machinery safety that is currently available exclusively through Pilz Automation Technology.

Unlike most other machinery safety courses, this one provided a City and Guilds certificate for successful trainees; Outokumpu was attracted to this because of its indication of a well-structured course.

The fact that the course was presented by an expert from Pilz was also an advantage to Outokumpu, as the company had a longstanding relationship with Pilz and truly trusted the company's knowledgeable and experienced personnel in all matters relating to machinery safety.

Five people from Outokumpu have now completed the course and been awarded their C and G Certificates in machinery safety: the Operations Manager, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Design Managers, a Products Engineer and an Electrical Design Engineer.

Richard Senior, the Electrical Engineering Manager, comments: "We all feel that the course was excellent, in terms of the content, presentation and course material".

"I would say that virtually every aspect of the course is used on a daily basis, so it has proved to be extremely useful".

He continues: "We discussed the content prior to booking the course, as the engineers all had some degree of knowledge already".

"Within the bounds of the syllabus, Pilz was able to tailor the course to suit our needs, which meant that we could spend more time on some topics and less on others".

"It was also very helpful that Pilz could come on site and run the course here".

Informative and practical, the modular four-day course explains the current UK machinery safety legislation and standards.

A combination of classroom sessions, practical exercises and examinations lead to successful candidates being awarded a City and Guilds Machinery Safety Certificate.

Employers benefit from the improved competency of the individuals and the organisation as a whole.