Electricity is the power supply most commonly used in today’s industrial society, with the majority of employees using some form of electricity in their everyday work environment. Use is evidently greater in certain industries, notably manufacturing and utility plants, and the risk of serious accidents, such as electrocution or fire, is increased.
This is why European legislation requires a minimum level of training and certification for workers operating electrical machinery. To use equipment powered by a standard electric motor, for example, each operator must have the BR qualification – the level just under that required for electricians.
Money, money, money!
Training for this qualification usually takes around 3 days and costs approximately €500 per person. It is the responsibility of the company to ensure operators have followed the training and are qualified to use the relevant machinery and equipment.
Although many operators in the field will have already obtained the qualification, either as part of their studies or with a previous employer, it is highly recommended that the qualification is re-validated every three years to be sure that workers are up to date with any changes. If the training hasn’t been validated on a regular basis, it could count against the company in any legal proceedings following an accident or serious incident.
So, depending on the size of your workforce, the process of making sure all your operators are legally competent to handle the machinery can prove a fairly costly exercise, both financially and in terms of lost man hours - hitting your bottom line, year in, year out.
Stand-in temporary workers (… or maybe not)
Also bear in mind that, very often, when a company needs temporary workers, it’s for a short-term project or to fill in for absent staff members. In most cases, there isn’t much time before you need those temporary employees up and running on the job. But, hang on a minute. Do they have the BR qualification? Is it up-to-date?
This will need to be checked, which takes time. And if they have to follow a training course, well that takes more time – and money. So, potentially, if your machinery is powered by an electric motor, finding temporary workers could be a bit of a problem.
Whereas, with an air motor…
The beauty of a motor powered by compressed air, on the other hand, is that you don’t need a qualification. Why? Because there is no risk involved – no electric field, no sparks, no overheating and so on.
With an air motor, you simply plug it in and your operator is ready to go. No training, no certification, no cost.
How’s that for a simple life?
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