Coaching and tests for contractors employees
Elia coaching sessions ensure that all contractors’ employees working on or near Elia facilities receive the proper, necessary safety information.
Why do contractors’ employees need to be certified?
We aim to make sure that all contractor's employees (be they operators or work leaders) working on or in our facilities can carry out their activities safely. This is why it is essential for operators and work leaders to be certified.
To this end, we offer a range of training and test sessions for contractors' and subcontractors' employees in a bid to make them aware of the risks they may encounter when working on or near our facilities and give them all the tools they need to keep themselves safe.
Once a contractor's and/or subcontractor's employee (worker or work leader) has successfully completed all stages in their training programme, Elia will issue them a safety certificate. This certificate is mandatory for anyone wishing to access Elia's facilities and carry out work on or near them.
Once a contractor's and/or subcontractor's employee (worker or work leader) has successfully completed all stages in their training programme, Elia will issue them a safety certificate. This certificate is mandatory for anyone wishing to access Elia's facilities and carry out work on or near them.
Operator or work leader?
There are several training paths, depending on the employee's level of responsibility and the work to be carried out, as well as the potential risks of working on or in Elia's facilities:
- The worker: a person working on or near an Elia facility and who is supervised by a work leader. They must be capable of accurately assessing the risks associated with their work and their work environment and taking the appropriate personal safety measures. As such, they will need to obtain certification as a worker.
- The work leader: the person who receives the permits to work and safety documents, so they must also be able to cross-check safety measures. The work leader acts as Elia's contact person within the contractor's and subcontractor's organisation regarding the performance of the work and is responsible for ensuring that the work is carried out safely, as described in the permit to work. They are also responsible for the personal safety of their team members and of any subcontractors. Their responsibilities and duties are also set out in the GSHER and the necessary language skills are detailed in Section 6.7.4.
There are three different training paths, depending on the level of risk posed by the activities supervised by the work leader:
Full profile: work requiring the disconnection of a grid component and involving a high risk of electrical hazard.
Light profile: work where it is not necessary to disconnect a grid component and posing a low risk of electrical hazard.
Full + Lines profile: work taking place in the electrical zones of overhead lines, where the risks associated with electrical and height hazards are high.
To define the type of profile required by your work leader, please select your activity from the list:
Registration requirements
The registration processes are detailed below.
| Types of certificate | Worker | WL – Full | WL – Light | WL – Full + Lines | |||
| Training format | In-person test based on the ‘Worker' course material |
One-day in-person training course based on the corresponding WL course material |
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| Available languages | Dutch, French, English, German, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Polish, Italian, Spanish |
French or Dutch (or English upon request for Full + Lines) |
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| Maximum period of validity of the certificate | Two years (depending on the validity of the BA4/BA5 and proof of identity). The certificate will always have the shortest period of validity. |
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| Prerequisites | Minimum BA4 declaration of competence |
BA5 declaration of competence + basic SCC (equivalent) |
Minimum BA4 declaration of competence |
BA5 declaration of competence + basic VCA (equivalent) Must have successfully passed the WL – Full profile Both training sessions can take place on the same day. |
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| Pass criteria | 8/10 |
24/30 with 6/6 for elimination questions |
Same as WL – Full for the Full section and 16/20 for the Lines section |
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| Retake criteria | Must retake the test if unsuccessful during a new session |
Must repeat the training course |
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Information about the price and format of training courses and/or tests is available here.
If you have any questions, take a look at our FAQs.
