“Who suffers most as a result of an accident?” This is the question put to me by Mike Cogan, Head of Engineering Training at EMK, when I spoke to him recently about the first EMK open registration BOAS Managers’ course taking place between the 26th - 30th January 2015 at Gladstone’s library in Flintshire, North Wales.

My response to this question was obvious as I inevitably replied that the injured person suffers the most as a result of the accident, but Cogan also asked me to consider the consequences for the managers. He explained that of course the injured person suffers the most, but he added that it is also a deeply distressing experience for the managers involved highlighting that “they suffer and their families suffers”.

If the accident results in a fatality/fatalities, he explains, a coroner’s court could take up to 12 months to come to a verdict, in the mean time the manager and his family do not know if he will go to prison or not, resulting in significant distress and uncertainty for all those involved.

Cogan says that all managers should ask themselves searching questions about their competency that could lead to such potential situations arising. He therefore believes strongly that managers should be trained in what they have to do and it is for this reason that he has developed BOAS training courses specifically focused for boiler plant managers and not shared with operators so that managers’ needs are at the core. By doing so, Cogan says, managers can be in an environment focused on what their jobs truly entail; fully appreciate the extent of their responsibilities and the mantle they are taking on when they accept the BOAS DipBOM (Diploma in Boiler Operation Management) certificate.

On completing the BOAS Diploma, managers receive a certificate of achievement and an ID card that will specify that they have been successfully assessed in the relevant boiler categories and certified as competent, hence responsible, and therefore will not be able to hide behind anybody else or be able to claim ignorance if things go wrong – managers therefore need to be sure of their responsibilities.

Awareness of a manager’s responsibility, says Cogan, can be aided through EMK’s forthcoming BOAS training taking place between the 26th-30th January at Gladstone’s Library in Flintshire. The course is specifically designed for boiler plant managers, leading to the Diploma in Boiler Plant Operation Management (DipBOM) under the Combustion Engineering Association (CEA) accreditation scheme.

The programme’s activities are designed to develop and demonstrate the analytical and process improvement skills as well as written and verbal capability required by boiler plant managers.

One important exercise is that the candidates carry out an audit on their own boiler plant, write a report on their findings and recommendations, and develop systems to bring the plant into compliance with BG01. A core recommendation will usually be a thorough review of all boiler plant operation procedures backed up through risk assessment.

For further information or to attend the BOAS course in January please visit: www.emk-ltd.co.uk or call: 07443018259.

EMK specialise in professional and vocational education and training. It is a member of the Combustion Engineering Association (CEA) and employs professional trainers who are specialists in energy efficiency, fuel technology, gas engine and turbine, steam turbine, steam boiler and hot water boiler training. All EMK trainers are Chartered Engineers and qualified teachers having many years’ experience in industrial and commercial plant operations training.

EMK specialises in boiler operations training for both managers and operators and provide training under the Boiler Operation Accredited Scheme (BOAS).

The introduction of BG01 – Guidance on the Safe Operation of Boilers in October 2011 has been the signal for many forward looking organisations to undertake accredited boiler plant training for their managers and operators. BG01 has been produced jointly by the Safety Assessment Federation and the Combustion Engineering Association in consultation with the Health & Safety Executive. BG01 has superseded HSE Guidance Note PM5 which covered automatically controlled steam and hot water boilers. Accredited BOAS training will ensure that boiler plant managers have compliant systems for all relevant aspects of health, safety and efficiency of boiler operations set out in the new document.

For further information please visit: www.cea.org.uk