Cold Control in pole position

UK: Cold Control Services Ltd is ensuring its engineers are properly accredited to work in the petrol retailing sector by putting them through the UKPIA Forecourt Contractor Safety Passport Scheme.

The dedicated UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA) course is focused on ensuring engineers know how to work safely on petrol forecourts. Oil companies and some supermarket petrol retailers require contract workers to complete a two day training course before they are even allowed to work on their petrol filling stations. Successful candidates receive a ‘safety passport’ which qualifies them to work on a petrol filling station.

The UKPIA Forecourt Contractor Safety Passport Scheme is applicable to all contractors undertaking work on petrol filling stations including in forecourt stores to service fridges for food and drinks cabinets and air conditioning.

Lee Grant, HR manager at Cold Control, explains: “Not every organisation is aware that it is a legal requirement for contractors to have this ‘safety passport’ to be able to work on forecourts. While most oil companies and supermarket petrol retailers require contractors to undertake the two day course, too many filling station operators are still unaware of the importance of the scheme and how it can improve the safety on site of the contractor, owner and general public.

“We became aware of this accreditation after being turned away from a petrol forecourt after we’d been contracted to do some work in the store, as we didn’t have the correct qualifications. We now aim to have put all our engineers through this course within the next few months.

“We have always been committed to training our engineers to the very highest standards available, and this adds another string of expertise to our bow.”

All those who successfully complete the course will be awarded with a Safety Passport which is valid for three years.