FEATURE
P
eople with a trade have a better chance of securing offshore work – so holding a scaffolding card is a given. As well as a CISRS COTS Course, you’ll need CISRS Part 1 & 2 scaffolder, NVQ level 2 and a CISRS skills test but as a minimum you must have a CISRS Basic Scaffolder’s card.
Mandatory training To work offshore there are a number of mandatory safety certificates required by the oil and gas sector and approved by OPITO, the industry’s official training body. First off, you’ll need a valid and in-date Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) medical certificate and a valid and in-date Fit to Train certificate.These certificates are prerequisites for basic training and show you’re medically fit to work in the offshore sector and OK to use an emergency breathing system (CA-EBS). After that you’ll need the Basic Offshore Safety Induction
and Emergency Training certificate (BOSIET).This three-day course is compulsory for everyone working offshore and covers the specific safety issues and regimes on offshore installations, including travelling offshore by helicopter. During the course, you’ll learn how to deal with an emergency helicopter ditching and how to survive at sea, so be prepared to get wet! Anyone travelling by helicopter to an offshore installation, needs to have their shoulders formally measured by a specially trained person as seats are allocated according to size. If you don’t have your shoulder-width measured, you’re automatically classified as Extra Broad (XBR) which means you might not be allowed on certain flights, restricting your work opportunities. In addition to a BOSIET, many offshore oil and gas operators require new entrants to have OPITO Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST).This two-day training course provides the basic knowledge and understanding of the key safety elements of
44 | ISSUE 7 2019
ScaffMag.com
