What Is ICATS?
ICATS is a comprehensive structured training scheme for the registration, training and certification of industrial surface preparation and coating operatives. The scheme contains ICA, Industrial Coating Applicator, Specialist Sprayer and Specialist Blaster modules.
ICA
This module contains 12 chapters, plus other important information for trainers.
The chapters contain:
Introduction
Health and safety in painting
Corrosion protection
Standards and normative documents
Working processes
Adhesion and paint service
Paint application
Access options
Tools and equipment maintenance
Specific industries
Environment (aspects and impacts)
Painting Inspection
Blaster Specialist
This module contains 3 chapters, including information for trainers.
The chapters contain:
Health and safety in painting/blasting
Corrosion and corrosion types
Abrasives selection
Standards
Equipment maintenance
Sprayer Specialist
This module contains 3 chapters, including information for trainers. The chapters contain:
Health and safety in spray paint application
Corrosion and corrosion types
Paint selection and faults
Standards
Equipment maintenance
Certification is awarded to candidates when they have successfully completed each individual course. Companies wishing to have a workforce certificated under ICATS must first register with Correx. Upon acceptance, registered companies are expected to initiate training of their workforce within 12 months.
Workplace training is carried out by ICATS certificated trainers who are qualified to train and assess operatives. Training is carried out inhouse and may be undertaken by a certificated trainer employed by an ICATS registered training organisation. However it is more usual for registered companies to nominate experienced employees to ICATS for prior approval as company trainers. Subject to meeting the acceptance criteria, nominees attend a 2 day ICATS Company Trainer course held at various locations in the UK.
Successful completion of the ICATS course by operatives leads to certification by Correx. Trainers and operatives will require re-certification after 3 years and renewal after 9 years.
Benefits to Owners
Over the past 20 years advances in industrial paints and the associated preparation standards make the application of systems today a skilled operation. Using unskilled, unqualified operatives drastically increases the risk of a costly coating failure.
Industry has never had a structured training scheme for industrial coating operatives to eliminate this risk. Having identified this skills shortage the Institute of Corrosion under its commercial arm Correx Ltd in conjunction with major asset owners and industry experts set up a task group to solve the problem. The key focus of the scheme is on safe working practices, surface preparation and application techniques working to recognised industry standards
Benefits to Contractors
The risk of using unskilled, unqualified operatives can be extremely costly for a coating applicator having to rework and repair applications that do not conform to the specification. One of the major coating applicators in the UK adopted the ICATS training programme 10 years ago and have reduced their “returns to site” by over 75%. They have calculated the net saving to their organisation is around £500,000 per year. This is achieved through better morale as applicators feel they have a worth and through improved competency in the workplace.
Today ICATS is delivering to industry the skills required through 4 specific modules; Industrial Coating Applicator Module, Specialist Abrasive Blasting Module, Specialist Paint Sprayer Module and the Supervisor Module. The scheme is mandated by the Highways Agency, Network Rail, MOD and many of the oil companies and is the minimum requirement for any operative to carry out industrial coating application at any of their sites.
FAQS
Here is our quick guide to everything you need to know about ICATS and out training schemes.