Pilz announces a new approach to safety training

Due to a heightened awareness and the increasing availability of technical information in recent years, there has been an increase in industry requirements to develop the competency of machinery safety professionals and employers.

When dealing with safety matters, employers need to consider a multidisciplined approach in order to tackle the issue ‘head on’.

Pilz has developed a BIAC program to enable professional development for individuals and whole organisations. It enables individuals to advance their career, increase their personal know-how and their standing in the workplace, and it can provide organisations with a competitive edge within their industry.

What is BIAC?

The BIAC — Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Certified — training program has been specifically designed to allow customers to increase competency in safety and machinery safety, and develop careers within their organisation. The training is divided into ‘Training Steps’. As the steps progress the content will be more complex to suit the advancing level of competency and it will result in those trained becoming a Certified Machinery Safety Expert (CMSE).

• Beginner: The aim of this training level is to allow delegates a basic understanding of the safety requirements in their industry, including regulations and standards and the guidelines in respect of plant safety.
• Intermediate: To further develop understanding of the technical safety of the industry at a more in-depth level than the beginner training. This level aims to improve competency in key areas considered particularly relevant to machinery safety.
• Advanced: The Advanced Level contains a number of courses. The aim of these is to offer an understanding of specialised topics relevant to an employee’s particular area of work. One or more topics can be chosen, with each course lasting one day. It is not necessary for BIAC participants to complete all six topics at the Advanced Level but rather, it is advised that participants choose the topic(s) most relevant to their area of work.
• Certified: CMSE (Certified Machinery Safety Expert) is targeted at professionals who require a thorough understanding of the safety life cycle. It will benefit those who actively lead, coordinate and review the more complex and demanding activities in machinery safety. It is the foremost machinery safety certification in the market and an industry-wide recognised level of competence in machinery safety.

The aim of the BIAC program is to enhance the existing safety culture within the organisation and allow you to understand the technical safety of machinery, including regulations and standards in reference to existing machinery, as well as to the design and construction of new machinery.

The program works by facilitating employees at all levels to enter into the training program at the stage most suitable for them and continue through to the final level (certified) if relevant to their role.

The training is provided by Pilz, a global leader in the provision of safety services in the industrial sector. Through the BIAC program employees will:

• develop a greater understanding of legislation and standards in relation to machinery;
• understand the obligations to be met when specifying, designing, constructing or putting a machine into service;
• learn the key technical safety aspects for the acquisition of new machinery;
• discover how these may be applied to the design, build, maintenance, modification and operation of machinery.