An In-Depth Look at the EUSR

The Energy & Utility Skills Register (EUSR) is the online register of training and skills for the energy and utilities sectors. Individuals that have undertaken training and/or assessment on EUSR schemes or programmes have these recorded against their EUSR registration as an endorsement. The EUSR sometimes records qualifications and authorisations in addition.

An individual’s EUSR registration may hold more than one endorsement and each one may have differing expiry dates. Individuals are issued with a unique EUSR ID number as well as a photo ID card – which also displays the current endorsements and expiry dates. The register currently holds over 250,000 registrations, and approximately 2,000 are added every week.

The EUSR is in partnership with the CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) in respect of the EUSR Safety, Health, and Environmental Awareness (SHEA) schemes. All SHEA EUSR ID Cards carry the CSCS logo, giving the individual access to operational sites.

The Safety, Health and Environment Awareness portfolio of schemes have been developed in conjunction with industry to provide a uniform approach to health, safety, and environmental awareness training across the utilities sector, in line with Health and Safety Executive guidelines.

SHEA schemes include: SHEA Core, SHEA Cross-Country Pipelines, SHEA Gas, SHEA Power, SHEA Telecommunications, SHEA Waste & Resource Management, and SHEA Water. All of the SHEA schemes have a one-day training programme which is designed for all individuals requiring access to operational sites, including supervisors and managers. All of the schemes are CSCS partner schemes which means that there is no need for an individual to carry any extra cards for access to CSCS sites. Successful completion of a scheme results in a three year registration for the individual concerned, with the exception of the SHEA gas scheme which lasts for five years.

The SHEA Core scheme has six modules which are generic to all health and safety aspects. The six modules are as follows:

Module 1: Understanding the workplace responsibilities.

Module 2: Understanding the effects of work on the working environment.

Module 3: Identifying and controlling risks.

Module 4: Common hazards in the workplace.

Module 5: Occupational health hazards.

Module 6: Responding to emergencies.

The EUSR accepts that some organisations may have their own training programmes, parts of which overlap with the EUSR schemes. If this should be the case, a company can get their own training programme approved by the EUSR which would then mean that any individual completing that particular programme in addition to the EUSR Energy and Utility Skills assessment, which is mandatory, would be eligible for SHEA registration with EUSR for three or five years depending on the particular scheme. In order for this to occur, the company would have to be an approved provider and be able to show that its' training programme corresponded to the EUSR standards.

Each of the other SHEA schemes include the core scheme together with industry-specific additional modules. So the SHEA power scheme has additional modules on power generation and power industry hazards. The water scheme includes highway working and excavations, sewerage network, and process operations. The gas scheme has been developed for the gas industry with specialist modules on highway working and excavations, safety in premises, and pressure regulating installations. The telecoms one includes additional modules on highway working and excavations.

The SHEA Waste and Resource Management scheme has been developed for the Waste Management and Resource industry, and the programme includes core modules as well as additional modules contextualised to the industry. There is also an additional module on waste collection.

The cross-country pipelines scheme is also for the gas industry and includes specialist modules on traffic management, welding, non-destructive testing, and the environment.

In addition to the above, there is the SHEA SWITCH scheme which has been developed in collaboration with Scottish Waste Industry Training, Competence, Health & Safety.

Several UK companies provide training in EUSR cable avoidance and EUSR CAT and Genny training. These are courses which are recognised by the EUSR and upon successful completion of which an individual is entitled to an EUSR card which carries the CSCS logo and thus entitles the holder to access operational sites which require such registration.

Sygma Solutions is the leading provider of EUSR CAT and Genny training in the UK and has courses which are approved by the EUSR and also by The Survey Association.

The company is an approved ProQual Centre and can provide Cat and Genny training to the Level 2 Award in Utility Location and Avoidance.