Materials

CIWM announces Metal Recycling Contractor Competency Scheme

Today, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has announced the launch of its Metal Recycling Contractor Competency Scheme (MRCCS). CIWM developed the scheme in association with the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), with the aim of reducing the risk of incidents by improving sector health and safety.

Metal RecyclingTo meet this aim, CIWM stated that the MRCCS will provide evidence of individual contractors’ capability and competency, which should enable organisations to quickly and easily check that they have the required health, safety and wellbeing skills to work on-site in the metal recycling sector.

Contractors will be required to answer various multiple-choice questions will be introduced in the hope to ensure that metal recycling workforces are operating safely. CIWM expects that, as a result, employers will be able to identify personnel with recognised health and safety skills.

Two MRCCS tests were announced for contractors to choose from: the ‘Contractor – Operative test’, which is made up of 26 questions, and the ‘Contractor – Supervisory test’, which is made up of 40 questions. To provide continued evidence of competence, CIWM has said that contractors are required to take their test every three years.

Alongside the announcement, CIWM also stated that the MRCCS’s suitability will be confirmed by a Pearson VUE test and evidenced via CIWM ProFile – CIWM’s digital credentials system, which validates through a unique QR code.

The MRCCS tests are now available for contractors to book, with the first tests taking place on Tuesday 3 May.

Katie Cockburn, Professional Services Director at CIWM, commented: “CIWM is delighted to be able to support businesses, big and small, to ensure contractors have the necessary health, safety and wellbeing skills to work safely whilst on site through our new ProFile digital credential system.

“The MRCCS will not only make it much simpler for organisations to complete vital reference checking, but also enable them to recruit and retain employees and make a tangible contribution towards improved health and safety across the sector.”

Antonia Grey, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the BMRA, added: “Having a system in place that allows metals recycling companies to quickly ensure that contractors working on site have the appropriate training and skills is going to be a great add-on to our existing health and safety toolkit.

“This launch is the culmination of many months of hard work, and we are grateful to members who helped us write the syllabus and the question banks. We look forward to working with the team at CIWM to produce the next cards in our sector-specific competency card scheme – the metal recycling operative and the metal recycling manager.”