Safety giant Arco has achieved wind industry training status.
The Hull-headquartered company’s Professional Safety Services arm has been accredited by the Global Wind Organisation.
Sites in Stafford and Scotland can now deliver a suite of basic safety training courses for onshore workers, with the company focused on further developing its training capabilities to support the renewables sector.
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It will cover working at height, manual handling, first aid and fire awareness modules.
The burgeoning industry requires recertification every two years, with latest figures showing 39,000 people completed it in 2019.
Many are involved in the construction, operation and maintenance of the 8,600 turbines now generating across the UK.
Steve Dawson, manager of working at height training for the five-generation firm, said: “Arco Professional Safety Services is delighted to have received accreditation from the Global Wind Organisation and to be able to offer customers the full suite of onshore BST qualifications.
“In addition to our GWO BST Onshore training offer, Arco, as the UK’s only integrated services and safety products business, is also able to offer additional products and capabilities which other training providers can’t, such as fall protection equipment, rescue equipment, IRATA training (rope access), workwear, respiratory protection services and musculoskeletal disorder management, making Arco the expert safety partner of choice for those businesses and staff working in the wind industry.”
GWO is a non-profit body founded by leading wind turbine manufacturers and operators. It sets the international standard for training qualifications required by those working in the sector.
It comes as an Arco scholarship in Xiamen, China, has now supported more than 1,000 students, having extended support from UK communities to those overseas where the £320 million turnover company operates.
The Hard Work and Enterprise Scholarship launched in the Fujian province in 2019, with an office having opened there to procure and evaluate manufactured equipment back in 2005. David Evison, managing director of Arco, said: “Our passion for inspiring and supporting the next generation in our communities goes beyond our UK operations.”
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