ECITB Global has rolled out a suite of new courses designed to help workers operating in confined spaces within the engineering construction industry (ECI) across the world.
The international skills body introduced the four new confined space courses in Qatar earlier this year to replace the confined space low and medium-risk courses.
These now form part of the ECITB training courses mandated in the Middle East country by Ashghal, the government regulatory authority for all public works in Qatar.
More than 5,000 learners in Qatar have completed one of the four new courses since then, prompting ECITB Global to make the full suite available to its wider network of international licensed training providers in other countries.
Three of the new confined space courses can each be delivered in a day, lasting between four and six hours. The longer rescue training is a comprehensive, hands-on course for teams responsible for extracting casualties from confined spaces.
The four new confined space courses are:
- Confined Space Attendant/Hole Watcher (4 hours)
- Confined Space Entrant (4 hours)
- Confined Space Supervisor (6 hours)
- Confined Space Rescue (16-18 hours)
“Given the strong uptake in Qatar, we are delighted to be able to extend the opportunity to deliver these four new courses across our wider provider network.
“Confined space training is vitally important in the ECI given the high-hazard environments many workers operate in across sectors like oil & gas, renewables and process industries.
“The training standards these new courses are developed against are trusted by industry in covering the appreciation, principles and requirements of working safely in low, medium or high-risk confined spaces.
“We anticipate a bulk of people will go through the Entrant course, which is equivalent to the old low risk course. Each of the courses comprises assessed knowledge and practical elements.
“Providers will need to have facilities and their equipment approved before they can start delivering these ‘courses in a box’, which include all slides, tutor notes, test papers and supporting materials.”
Tristan Kemp
ECITB Head of Commercial
Confined space training standards
ECITB Global is the international division of the ECITB (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board), which is the industry-led skills body for engineering construction in Great Britain and sponsored by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The four confined space courses are developed against ECITB training standards, which are created working with subject matter experts from across engineering construction employers, professional organisations and training providers.
These standards provide outline content for courses and set out the training necessary to develop the knowledge and skills required to perform an activity in engineering construction, such as working in confined spaces (CS).
Among the key topics covered in the four new CS courses include knowledge of hazards, control and safety measures; permit requirements; precautions when working in a confined space; PPE and confined space entry equipment; and responsibilities.
Pictured: A Vibrant Global trainer on an ECITB-approved confined space rig at its training centre in Qatar.
