Page 49 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 5/2017

seems to be one area of business TRAINING
growth, related almost entirely For many practitioners, the
to the loss of the skills base else- most urgent issue is the loss of
where, and the reliance on sup- the skill base. There is no course
plier and contractor information in Australia, for example, where as the Institute of Refractories
and services. Most would, per- refractories engineering is taught Engineers, which has offered
haps, agree that money is more comprehensively. The number of technical and QA assistance to
effective when spent on sound people entering the industry is so the training boards.
technical advice, rather than on low, that no institution can jus-
the legal profession. tify a dedicated course, at either THE FUTURE
Appropriate use of the con- trade or professional level. For the future, we see the
sultant can avoid major adverse Many ad-hoc 1- or 2-day main role of the consultant mov-
incidents often leading to time courses are offered, and these ing away from the traditional
consuming litigation, invariably are normally good value, but areas, although his skills will still
avoidable by timely action during a complete program of train- be needed here. There is a wider
the project planning and pro- ing and progression, which is role for him to play to help
curement stages. transferrable between companies maintain the industry’s necessary
and/or countries, is rare. Even skills base, by sharing his experi-
HEALTH AND an interstate transfer can cause ence with others through general
SAFETY ISSUES severe problems for tradesmen. and specific training courses, and
OH&S is of particular impor- This is not a problem confined to mentoring of young engineers.
tance. Refractories do not pose Australia, but here the problem On the trade side, he can help
a general threat, where normal seems to have been missed or coordinate the required train-
precautions are taken, but there ignored, to the point where it will ing courses with the registered
are exceptions. Years ago, as soon reach crisis levels. authorities and training boards,
an example, asbestos millboards On a professional level, there while on a more academic level,
were widely used. Their use was is some attempt to teach the he must lay the foundations of
(and still is) considered a seri- rudiments at degree level, but course modules available to engi-
ous problem. Then along came this is often lost, or ignored, as neering students, either on cam-
ceramic fibers as the answer to an elective, in a general ceram- pus or via correspondence.
all these problems. But no! They ics/materials engineering course.
are also problematic, especially The trade situation is just as CONCLUSIONS
on removal, as they cause skin bad. The only formal training The role of the consultant is
irritation, and crystalline silica is a small part of the bricklay- changing. While the traditional
can be formed in service. ers’ apprenticeship. Most refrac- tasks will still be required of
The same can be said for tory tradesmen are initially taken him, he must turn his attention
Chromic oxide containing from the role of domestic brick- to areas from whence skills have
bricks. These are not a prob- layers, and have no useful train- been lost by industry, namely
lem on installation, but in many ing until they are employed by OH&S and training. O
applications hexavalent Chrome a refractory installer, or a user
compounds are formed in ser- company. Here they invariably
vice. The problem is then one of pick up the bad habits of their
satisfactory disposal. These toxic supervisors. In terms of training
compounds do not form in every in the installation of gunning and
application, but many users and ramming materials, again this
suppliers have decided not to tends to occur 'on the job'.
risk association with these mate- There have been some REFRACTORY &
rials on moral or legal/liability attempts to rectify these issues METALLURGICAL
grounds. in a formal way by the vari-
While suppliers and profes- ous training boards, but refrac- SERVICES
sional installers are generally tory skills traverse the industry Office: 42 Hotham St, E. St Kilda,
aware of these issues, the law based format of these bodies, Victoria 3183 - Australia
says it is the user’s responsibil- and only now are they attempting Mobiles: +61-4-0856 5086, 4-0919 4319
Fax: +61-3-9527 5118
ity, and here he may need expert to coordinate their efforts. This E-mail: refmet@iprimus.com.au
advice which is no longer avail- has been prompted by the action
www.refmet.net
able in-house. relevant industry bodies, such

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