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Various construction
industry initiatives have been implemented to achieve the HSC targets and
these include industry competency schemes linked to better training and
the registration of competent contractors and operatives. The highways sector has embraced these schemes and under the
leadership of the Highways Agency has established the National Highway
Sector Schemes.
National Highway Sector Schemes are quality
management schemes that have been developed, as a partnership, by all
sides of the highway industry to interpret ISO 9001 as it applies to a
particular highway activity for industry within the United Kingdom.
These schemes cover the full range of equipment and services
required on the highway and for those that are installation and
maintenance services, there is a strong element of competency. There
are a total of 14 schemes and are listed in Appendix A of the Highways
Agency Specification for Highway Works.
The Highway Electrical Sector is made up of Traffic Signals –
Scheme 8, Signs – Scheme 9B and Public Lighting – 10.
Each scheme has a technical advisory committees
made up of stakeholders within for the industry to provide advice to UKAS,
the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. The technical advisory committee
interprets ISO9001 in relation to the requirements of their particular
activity and comes to a consensus on the minimum levels of workmanship,
services, products, testing, and the training & competency of
operatives, needed to meet specification requirements as well as auditor
qualification. The details are contained in the individual sector
scheme documents.
After reaching consensus on the sector scheme
document, the final draft is then submitted to UKAS, for final scrutiny as
a sector scheme, before being accepted. UKAS particularly checks which
organisations have participated in the development of the scheme, the
interpretation of ISO 9001 (especially the training and competency
elements) and the auditor qualifications for the certification bodies.
Following this scrutiny and after making any necessary amendments, the
document is published by UKAS. UKAS provides copies to UKAS-accredited
certification bodies that wish to participate in the scheme for a sector
activity. A copy is also sent to the relevant technical advisory committee
chairman. These organisations or persons are then responsible for
circulating the document to their respective suppliers and committee
members.
The Highway Electrical Sector Scheme has
undergone this process and its stakeholders include ASLEC, the ARTSM, the
Department for Transport, the Highways Agency and the Institution of
Lighting Engineers. The scheme was formerly launched on 21 October 2004 at
Highlex 2004, the highway electrical industry’s annual exhibition and
conference. The main elements
of the scheme relating to competency are:-
-
Training
All operatives must be trained to a training specification that
contains the syllabus for courses which will provide the required
knowledge for the range of operatives working in the industry.
Courses will be fully certificated by the awarding body Lantra
Awards
-
Competency Qualification – NVQ
All operatives will be required to be assessed against the
occupational standards for highway electrical works and obtain an NVQ
qualification appropriate to their occupation.
-
Registration of Organisations
All organisations who employ operatives will be required to register
with the Registration Board for Registration of Competent Operatives.
The qualification requirements for registration are that the
organisation must be either registered to the Sector Scheme for
Highway Electrical Works 8, 9B or 10 or alternatively comply with the
competency elements of the sector scheme.
In this latter case a separate initial assessment will be
required whereas for the former assessments will be carried out by the
organisation’s Certification Body.
-
Registration of Operatives
Once the Organisation has been registered, it is able to register
their operatives following which a competency card will be issued.
The core requirements for registration are that the operative
must be assessed by his employer as competent and that this assessment
is an on-going process which ensures the continuous competence of the
operative.
-
Grandfather Rights
The Sector Scheme allows a
“grandfather rights” period known as industry accreditation during
which the operative does not need to have the NVQ qualification.
This period ends on 30 September 2005.
Till then companies can register their operatives with the
Registration Board after they have assessed them as being competent
but must ensure that the evidence for this assessment of competence is
contained in a training and competency portfolio for each individual
operative.
Each
sector activity scheme is reviewed at least annually by the appropriate
technical advisory committee. The review takes account of feedback on the
performance of the scheme including perceived deficiencies, comments
received from users of the scheme and the effect that new standards or
codes of practice may have on the scheme. This allows the scheme to
develop naturally and provides continuous improvement.
The individual technical advisory committees are
overseen by the Highways Sector Scheme Liaison Group. This group provides
a forum for discussion on the effectiveness of the sector schemes and
co-ordinates developments so that they can be uniformly taken forward by
each of the technical advisory committees. It is also the venue where
dialogue with UKAS and the certification bodies on the application of the
schemes is discussed. One of the main aims of the group is to promote the
schemes throughout the Country so that only certificated suppliers for
highway work are used.
The Highways Sector Scheme Liaison Group
comprises representation from the Highways Agency, CSS (County Surveyors'
Society), TAG (Technical Advisers Group) UKAS, the Scottish Executive, the
National Assembly for Wales, Certification Body (CB) Representatives and
the Sector Scheme Chairmen. The group is currently chaired by the
CSS. National Highway Sector
Schemes provide a major opportunity for Clients to review their
procurement policies, contract procedures and supervision
responsibilities. This review should enable savings to be made in manpower
and compliance testing without compromising quality.
Most of the new schemes require operatives to
undergo training and demonstrate their continued competency. This is being
called up through the provision of recognised training courses (which if
they do not exist are being created, as in the case of traffic
management), operative registration cards (valid for three years and then
renewable after further training) and NVQ assessments. It is
foreseen that, as operatives become more skilled, training of supervisory
staff for contractors and consultants alike will become a necessity so
that the quality of work can be reflected in the design and implementation
of highway works (it will undermine the sector schemes if
clients/contractors and consultants ask trained operatives to carry out
work not in accordance with the schemes). There is likely to be an
increasingly greater client requirement for main contractors and
consultants to demonstrate that their staff are not only trained but also
competent.
National Highway Sector Scheme documents are
available from UKAS, 21-47 High Street, Feltham, Middlesex TW13 4UN, Tel
0208 917 8400 or can be down loaded from their web-site www.ukas.com
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