RCD Awareness Course
The latest RCD legislation explained
The Recreational Craft Directive Awareness
Course has proved to be an invaluable aid for BMF members with
responsibility for the design and construction of recreational
craft. As new standards and codes of practice are introduced, the
course allows those involved with boat building to get both an
overview of the RCD and know exactly what the situation is with
regard to developments in current legislation. The training course
also gives members the opportunity to raise any RCD issues which
they are unclear about - from boat design to exhaust or sound
emissions.
Phil James is a senior research and development engineer at EP
Barrus, a company which distributes inboard and outboard engines
throughout the leisure, commercial and military sector of the
marine industry. Phil already has a working knowledge of the RCD
but wanted to ensure his company was fully compliant with the
relevant RCD standards. He recently attended one of the courses and
comments: "I found it to be a very worthwhile exercise. It is
essential for companies such as ours to keep up with the
legislation."
However the course is not just for marine engineers who already
have some knowledge of the RCD. Phil attended with a colleague from
EP Barrus who was not familiar with the Directive and had never
been on a course like this before. "It was very useful for him
because he got a good introduction to the legislation," says Phil,
who adds he was impressed with the course presentation as well as
the content. "Nigel Saw, the course tutor from the BMF, was very
knowledgeable, very informative, very helpful and put the whole
thing over very well. He didn't just spout legislation but gave
good working examples of where problems could occur and how they
could be resolved."
This is a popular course and when Phil went it was well attended
with members from relevant sectors across the industry. These
included boat builders, engine manufacturers and suppliers, boat
yard owners and those operating hire boat fleets. Depending on the
type of business, members had specific areas of concern and the
course was able to address these. Phil says he went along with a
list of questions which he was able to get answered, and as the day
progressed other issues were raised and dealt with as they came up.
Those attending also went away with an information pack detailing
where they could go for further information if required in the
future. This was useful because Phil found there were indeed parts
of the Directive which he wanted to research in more depth. The
course has also helped him handle the questions he gets from boat
builders and suppliers.
Lastly, and by no means least going on the course also served
another vital purpose. It allowed Phil to take some time out of the
workplace to focus specifically on the RCD. "When you're at work
there is always something else and legislation isn't always the
most exciting of subjects," Phil admits. "But going on the course
gets you away for a day so you can concentrate on it. You can sit
down and have it all well explained to you by someone who really
knows their subject and knows how to put that subject over. The
course made clear what the benefits are for the marine industry by
complying with the legislation and the importance of it."
For more information on this course and others run by the BMF
contact the Training Department on 01784 223631.