BSTR-P updated with changes to equipment requirements

The Basic Safety Training Online Partial Refresher (BSTR-P) provides a solution to mitigate skills fade when wind power technicians are unable to refresh their GWO trainings.

The standard was developed during the Covid-19 lock down and following its release on 15th April 2020, we monitored the deployment and listened carefully to feedback from various stakeholders.

We have acted quickly to make some important changes, which are now detailed in the first update of BSTR-P.

In its first version, the BSTR-P training standard was viable for wind power technicians located on site and have access to the vertical fall arrest system, and associated slider or glider, rescue device and slings. However, the feedback received highlights the following problems:

• Many sites do not have this equipment available for training, due to either having limited spares or that the equipment has been decommissioned.
• The cost of breaking the seal on the equipment is high and limits the value of the training standard for many companies
• There are any technicians that have been unable to travel to site owing to their being on rotation when the COVID-19 restrictions were put in effect. These technicians may find themselves unable to refresh their skillset due to the equipment constraints currently in the BSTR-P  

Based on the feedback, an analysis was completed and efforts were made to keep the amount and scope of the changes to a minimum to maintain the effect of the training and to limit the updates to material for existing training providers. Consequently, the following update of the BSTR-P is now in effect:

The training participants will not need any equipment at their location during the training and the skill demonstration in BSTR-P Module 4 – Working At Heights will be changed from a skill-demonstration to a knowledge-based exercise, where explanations and discussions instead of practical demonstrations of the equipment  are required.

Visit the BSTR-P Standard page here

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