IMCA publishes basic safety training guide for offshore renewables

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published ‘Basic Safety Training Requirements for Personnel Employed in the Offshore Renewable Energy Sector’.

It provides standard basic safety training requirements for inclusion at contract awards stage covering those employed on-board vessels during the construction and maintenance support phases of offshore renewable energy projects.

The new guidance document incorporates an invaluable matrix to aid clarity for the sector.

The ‘Basic Safety Training Matrix’ defines the minimum level of health and safety training, and medical fitness needed to work on, and from, vessels engaged on an offshore renewable energy project.

It was designed by a working group of IMCA’s Marine Renewable Energy Committee chaired by Marc van Dorth of Seaway 7.

The group also included members from IMCA’s Diving, Marine, ROV and Offshore Survey Committees and the document is published as an IMCA Competence & Training Guideline.

“All workers and mariners require a basic level of training prior to the commencement of work in the offshore renewable energy industry. The new document is designed to eliminate confusion and duplication of basic training which can not only be costly in terms of both time and financial investment, but also affects the morale of marine contractor personnel.

“The matrix, which was finalised in consultation with major developers such as Ørsted and Vattenfall greatly aids clarity for the sector. It ensures that clearly defined safety measures can be put in place right at the start of every offshore renewable energy project by showing the basic safety training requirements dependent on where an offshore worker is located.

“The working patterns and environment for personnel employed in a vessel are significantly different from personnel deployed directly from onshore to an offshore structure. Therefore, basic safety training requirements cannot be generalised and are different for both groups of personnel.

“All the basic safety training courses that marine personnel and other personnel employed on a vessel need to undertake are listed; something that has, until now, been subject to potential duplication.”

IMCA stresses that the basic safety training is only one element of an individual’s competency requirement.

The matrix does not detail training required by individuals to be competent in the role for which they have been employed.

This level of training should be identified in a detailed Competence Assurance framework addressed by a company Competence Assurance scheme.