Monitoring Staff Qualifications via Software

On this page you will find information on the following topics:

• Specialised IT Solution for Monitoring Employee Qualifications
• Technical Security Management (TSM)
• TSM – Also an Important Topic in Switzerland
• Employee Qualifications Are Crucial

Specialised IT Solution for Monitoring Employee Qualifications

In gas and water supply, the skills and qualifications of the employees working in the companies are essential for smooth operations. The staff must be adequately trained and qualified, as prescribed by various guidelines, such as SVGW guideline G21 or the Drinking, Bathing and Showering Water Ordinance (TBDV).

In the following, we will show how today all safety-relevant training and qualifications of skilled personnel can be effectively managed by means of suitable inventory software, thereby reducing the liability risk in the company.

Quality management systems such as ISO and the Technical Safety Management (TSM) developed by the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW) are drivers of the professionalisation of personnel management and the training process at water and energy utilities in Germany.

The latter quality management system in particular is currently being actively propagated by the DVGW. This is a set of rules explicitly tailored to the target group of gas and water suppliers.

Technical Safety Management (TSM)

“TSM is a set of rules […] with requirements for the qualification and organisation of the technical area with the aim of ensuring an orderly and proper supply. TSM is thus an industry-specific procedure for the self-audit of companies with regard to their organisational structure and compliance with legal and technical regulations and is intended to help systematically identify and eliminate possible deficits in the organisation.”

DVGW (dvgw.de)

As can be seen from the definition, the qualification of employees is one of the focal points of technical safety management.

TSM – Also an Important Topic in Switzerland

In Switzerland, a lot of emphasis is also placed on the education and training of specialists. Suppliers must adhere to guidelines such as G21 “Requirements for the qualification and organisation of the technical area of gas network operators under cantonal supervision” of the Swiss Gas and Water Association (SVGW). This states, among other things, in section 6 – Personnel, paragraph 6.1 on personnel qualifications, that tasks may only be assigned to sufficiently qualified employees.

They must have the necessary training and skills. In addition, the company must ensure that these requirements actually apply before a task is assigned to the employees. Furthermore, this guideline states that, especially in the area of occupational safety and environmental protection, employees must be informed about internal company instructions and should have access to the relevant documents or records at all times.

Last but not least, staff are obliged to undergo further professional training in their own area of responsibility. With regard to documentation, it is also stated that employees’ further training measures must be recorded and kept. These are important requirements for companies in the gas supply sector.

But what is the simplest and most efficient way to ensure that these requirements are met? Using digital solutions that specialise primarily in the area of occupational safety and employee qualifications, effective liability risks can be reduced and the requirements formulated in Directive G21 or in the TBDV can be met.