Festive greetings all, apologies if this isn't the correct forum, but I would prefer established industry expert opinion rather than general management input from those early on in their career (said with as little detriment as possible) but please feel free to reply if you have specific experience. Here goes, I'm looking for a dedicated DSEAR assessment provider for a training course. I asked opinion of FRA courses a couple of years ago and the valuable experience of IOSH members led to to the FPA or Vulcan, I went Vulcan and never regretted it at all, quite the contrary. So if anyone has good experiences to share I'd appreciate it. Details of duration and locations would helps, perhaps costs could be inboxed for any commercial sensitivity issues (?). I don't want to be breaking any rules im unaware of on the forum policy. Thanks in advance

Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere. Fire Risk Assessment

I did an IOSH DSEAR course a few years ago. It was tough going as it was all new for me, but the instructor was very good (sorry, I cant recall her name or what company she was from) I do not know if IOSH are still offering these courses as all I could find in a very quick Google search was this out of date document https://www.iosh.co.uk/~...omplying_with_DSEAR.ashx

The simple answer is why wouldn't I? I am responsible for fire safety for a reasonably large employer (approx 8,000 employees) who occupy a range of risks in sites across the UK with varying levels of fire risk. I can be treated as a 'Responsible Person' under the Fire Safety Order (and it's equivalents in NI & Scotland). I have negotiated as part of my contract that my employer funds the maintenance of my CPD. I constantly review what I am doing professionally and where I felt I am weakest in my knowledge, I source & attend appropriate training within a strict annual budget. I feel I need to go through this process to maintain my competence as required by the Fire Safety Order and defined as..' having the necessary skills and experience....' I have attended courses covering subjects from sprinklers to radioactive materials and from building regs to fire investigation I am aware that I am fortunate to have an employer who will fund such training as part of my remuneration and frankly astonished that a fellow H&S professional would question/criticise(?) a personal development strategy that involves attending training courses. In my experience learning a subject from an expert in that field and entering into group discussions is far more useful that tucking myself away with a book for a few hours

I'd recommend looking at the IECEx website to gain a better understanding of what courses, training providers etc are available. However, most of the courses have strict pre-requisites that need to be met, including detailed experience in that particular field. As an example, if you wish to become certified to perform the classification of hazardous areas, then 'shadow' a competent person at your workplace through various projects to gain an overview of the whole process before attending one of these courses. In essence, the course aims to certify you as being both suitably qualified and experienced in DSEAR principles. The website can be found via http://www.iecex.com/about.htm (PS I have no commercial link or affiliation with this organisation) Pete