Dec 7 2009
SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings is pleased to announce that effective December 1, 2009, Lloyd's Register, the world's largest commercial shipping classification society, has approved SSPC's Protective Coatings Inspector (PCI) program as equivalent to NACE Coating Inspector Level 2 and FROSIO Inspector Level III.
This approval is another milestone for the PCI program, which was launched by SSPC in 2007 and gained similar approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in 2008. "The PCI is an important program for the industry because it gives professional inspectors another avenue to gain a critical certification that is required on many projects around the world," stated Bill Shoup, Executive Director of SSPC. "The need for high quality, affordable professional training continues to expand as employers demand a better trained work force and infrastructure owners seek to improve the performance of their protective coating projects." Added Steve Roetter, P.E., President of SSPC and Managing Principal, Tank Industry Consultants, "As global standards increasingly focus on the importance of coatings to the protection of key assets, PCI provides professionals in emerging markets with the ability and opportunity to put their experience to work and gain certification from an internationally recognized organization."
The PCI program is an intensive one week program designed to thoroughly train individuals in the proper methods of inspecting surface preparation and the installation of industrial and marine protective coatings and lining systems on a wide variety of steel structures. It is one of four inspector programs offered by SSPC and joins the Bridge Coatings Inspector (BCI) program, Concrete Coatings Inspector (CCI) program, and NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector (NBPI) course in SSPC's comprehensive set of coatings inspector certification programs.
Lloyd's Register has accredited the PCI level 2 training program with equivalent status under the direction of IACS Procedural Requirement No. 34 (PR34) which addresses "Application of the IMO Performance Standard for Protective Coatings (PSPC)" and UI SC223, which addresses "Application of SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-2 Performance Standard for Protective Coatings (PSPC) for Dedicated Seawater Ballast Tanks in All Types of Ships and Double-side Skin Spaces of Bulk Carriers." To achieve approval, SSPC had to undergo a thorough audit of the course contents, course deliverance, and SSPC's quality management systems. Following approval, Lloyd's Register Senior Coating Specialist for EMEA, Bill Cramman, presented an Accreditation Certificate to Bill Shoup.
The qualification is valid for all Delegates who have successfully completed the SSPC PCI Training Program level 2 (certification level), and who have a minimum of 2 years experience working as a coatings inspector.
In addition to Lloyd's and ABS, SSPC training and certification programs have been recognized by other agencies such as The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Source: http://www.sspc.org/