First IECEx Certificate of Personnel Competence in Australia
17 November 2011
Sean Segond von Banchet, Managing Director of SvB ExTech, the company he founded in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, is the first Australian expert to be granted an international IECEx CoPC.
Sean officially received his Certificate from Ron Sinclair, Managing Director of Baseefa, one of the foundation IECEx Certification Bodies for the IECEx CoPC Scheme
Wide Ex area experience
To obtain his IECEx CoPC, Sean, who has worked in the Ex field since he began his career in 1979, had to undergo a series of knowledge tests and an assessment of qualifications and experience. The IECEx Personnel Competence Scheme uses several criteria to establish a person’s level of competence when working in Ex industries and that person under assessment must be able to perform a number of tasks in or near explosive areas.
- apply basic principles of protection
- perform classification of hazardous areas
- design electrical installations
- install explosion-protected equipment and wiring systems
- test, maintain, overhaul and repair explosion-protected equipment
- perform visual, close or detailed inspection of electrical installations
- perform audit inspection of electrical installations
Safety in Ex areas is a must
Sean passed all assessments and tests with flying colours. His scope of competence, as recognized in the certificate, is the widest ever achieved by an applicant.
Asked what his motivation was in seeking the IECEx certification, Sean explained: “Safety has always been the trigger for me. Safety in Ex areas is non-negotiable. When equipment is not installed or repaired according to strict Ex standards, the outcome can be devastating. What may be tolerable in non-explosive atmospheres can directly lead to explosions that not only destroy property but cost human lives or cause severe injuries. One always assumes that danger lurks only in obvious places, such as the chemical, mining and oil and gas industries. But this assumption is incorrect. Industries with some of the highest explosive risks include sugar refineries, grain handling and storage silos or wood and metal saw mills.”
A passport to the world
The international IECEx certificate is personal, non-transmittable and valid across international borders. Along with the certificate, IECEx also provides a wallet-sized identification card with photo for instant proof of certification. The IECEx CoPC gives independent proof that the person has the required qualifications and experience to work on, or repair, electrical equipment located in hazardous areas.
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