November/December Issue 64 - Flipbook - Page 28
NEWS
WORKING WITH HYBRID & ELECTRIC VEHICLES
PARIS AGREEMENT
As a result of the Paris
Agreement the frequency of
anyone attending hybrid &
electric vehicles (H&EVs) by
the roadside or in a salvage
situation has increased over
the past few years.
First responders on the scene of a
roadside incident, such as Traffic
Officers, Emergency Services
Personnel
and
Roadside,
Recovery & Salvage Technicians
should all have EV & Hybrid
awareness training to help them
understand the dangers they
could encounter and the impact
these could have on their ability to
carry out work on the vehicle.
Many Traffic Officers from across
the UK have undertaken the
Network Training Partnership
(NTP) 1-day EV & HybridAWARE
module as part of their Institute of
the Motor Industry (IMI) accredited
foundation course.
Additionally, numerous vehicle
recovery operators, salvage and
large breakdown organisations,
such as Copart and the RAC, have
ensured their employees are fully
aware of the dangers by providing
them with the same standardised
and accredited awareness training
through NTP.
By providing approved and
accredited training, the fears
employees have working with
these H&EV technology can be
mitigated against and confidence
built leading to increased safety
and compliance and improved
efficiency by the roadside.
AWARENESS TRAINING
Anyone who comes into contact
with these a vehicle with any type
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of EV or Hybrid technology must
be able to undertake the following
actions and have this underpinned knowledge as a minimum:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conduct 360 auto check and
able to identify an H&EV
Identify and recall the highvoltage components and the
dangers they present
Identify
the
procedures
required to ensure the vehicle
is safe to work on
List the H&S requirements and
associated PPE
Explain the purposes of
disconnecting the 12v negative
terminal and importance of the
removal of the separation /
maintenance / emergency plug
(not to be attempted unless
qualified!)
Recognise and identify the
dangers leading to a thermal
runaway effect
Understand the term ‘Stranded
Energy’
Recall and demonstrate the
action and First Aid required in
the event of electric shock
Understand
the
storage
requirements for damaged
H&EVs
PRACTICAL TRAINING
In addition to completing the underpinned knowledge that awareness
training
provides
employees
should attend practical training,
wherever possible, to ensure they
have the practical experience to
work on the casualty vehicles in a
roadside situation.
INSTRUCTOR
QUALIFICATIONS
EV & Hybrid Awareness and
Practical training must only be
delivered by qualified experts in
the field, instructors who have
been trained in H&EV technologies
to minimum Level 2 standard for
awareness training and Level 3 for
more advanced courses.
Furthermore, it is essential that
the course has been externally
assessed and accredited by H&S
experts and a recognised Awarding
Body so that you can be certain it
meets current legislative and H&S
standards and compliance.
IDENTIFYING THE THREAT
The HSE has offered some
guidance on the level of training
required to work with H&EVs by
identified key areas of four areas
of activity and the minimum level
of training required for contact:
•
•
•
•
Level 1 - Valeting, sales & other
lower-risk activities categories
Level 2 - Incident response
including emergency services
& vehicle recovery
Level 3 - Maintenance & repair
of high voltage electrical
systems
Level 4 - Working on high
voltage electrical systems
Ultimately, if the integrity of the
casualty vehicle’s battery has
been compromised or there has
been damage to the high voltage
electrical systems then a qualified
technician to minimum IMI Level 2
or equivalent is required to isolate
the power supply by removing the
service/maintenance/emergency
plug before the vehicle can be
worked on.
IMI LEVEL 2 AWARD IN
ELECTRIC & HYBRID VEHICLE
HAZARD MANAGEMENT FOR
EMERGENCY & RECOVERY
PERSONNEL
NTP is an approved Institute of
the Motor Industry Training Centre
able to train to the IMI levels 2
