After a couple of years of inactivity it was decided to be more proactive and the first meeting of the new season was held on 4th September at Leigh Rugby Union Club, Leigh, where Chris Atkins, Chairman of the Institute of Corrosion Professional Development and Training Committee, gave an entertaining talk entitled “Cathodic Protection Training News – ISO 15257”. Over twenty people attended and despite the chaotic arrangements (the caterer let us down at the last minute and we had to find a replacement and we arrived to find the venue locked) everything went smoothly. Chris began his talk by explaining why CP certification was necessary, and went on to outline how the training scheme is progressing. The CP certification means that clients can be sure that people designing testing and installing cathodic protection schemes have the correct paperwork to demonstrate competence in the correct area, not just a generic CP qualification. It also means that those installing CP systems can demonstrate to clients they have the right skills for the job, and justify why they should be included on CP tenders and they have. It also means they have the best chance of not having to repeat work and revisit sites to rectify problems caused by using unskilled, uncertificated people.
ISO 15257 has been published, which means the current BS EN 15257 will become BS EN ISO 15257. This standard extends the reach of the Cathodic Protection (CP) training and certification scheme and incorporates the existing NACE CP scheme. As a result the certification paperwork and training courses need a little tweaking (the ISO has 5 levels and the BS EN currently only has 3). Levels 1 to 3 in the current CP schemes correspond to levels 2 to 4 in the ISO scheme.
North West Branch plans to hold regular meetings throughout the winter, and details will be circulated in due course.