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FRom one conTinenT To anoTHeR
The News N° 25 - February 2015
EUROPE - FRANCE
The French National Water Training Center
IOWater
organizes qualification training
courses for personnel conducting operations
in confined spaces, as is the case of many
drinkingwater supply and sanitation facilities.
In 2013, IOWaterwas the first organiza-
tion approved by the French National
Institute for Research and Security
(INRS) toprovide training toprepare for
the Certificate of Competence for Wor-
king in Confined Spaces (CATEC® in
French).
Originally imposed to private companies spe-
cializing in water, these measures are now
being adopted by communities which chose
IOWater-FNWTC
to train their staffs.
In a starting phase of the new system, enter-
prises and communities, wishing to train a
largenumber of staffs, choose the in-company
formula on their own site.
The peculiarity of FNWTC is also tooffer
inter-company training sessions in its
training unit at La Souterraine:
a true
simulator of the real situations encoun-
tered.
Recognizing the competence and remarkable
equipment used by
FNWTC
for training in
confined spaces,
construction companies,
metallurgy industry, realizing themain-
tenance of pressure pipe-lines, have
relied on IOWater to train their staff,
or
also to participate in the development of their
response procedures in the absence of any
specific reference frame.
IOWater-FNWTC also runs training ses-
sions for executives and prevention spe-
cialists to organize interventions and
raise thepeople’s awarenessof their res-
ponsibilities.
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”CATEC®” training
For decades, urban floods have multiplied
during heavy rainfall events. The conse-
quences of these phenomena on goods and
people can be dramatic or at least generating
material damage and inconvenience for the
population and urban activity.
Increasing soil sealing, due to urbanization
growth, is themain causeof these events: the
classic design of stormwater drainage is com-
promised.
Today, it is necessary to promote the
integrationofwater intourbanplanning
whendesigningdevelopment projects.
The challenge now is to limit soil sealing,
favor infiltration, reduce discharges into the
natural environment and develop alternative
techniques to direct-to-sewer drainage by
managing stormwater at the earliest possible
stage.
To raiseelectedofficialsandprime contractors’
awareness of integrated stormwater manage-
ment,
the International Office for Water,
in partnership with the Loire-Brittany
andAdour-GaronneWater Agencies and
Greater Limoges:
l
Publisheda ”Technical Booklet N° 20”
on Stormwater in 2014;
l
Built in Limoges,
a ”showroom” plat-
form for presenting various alterna-
tive techniques
(gutters, ditches,
trenches, draining pavements, flood-prone
areas, etc.).
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A new key topic:
Stormwater Management
The ”show-room” platform
© IOWater - C.Runel
Certificate of Competence
for Working in Confined Spaces
