PLASA
Investing in the Industry

Employer and Venue Endorsement to the National Rigging Certificate (NRC)

Help us drive health and safety in rigging and recognise the skills and knowledge of those who currently work in rigging.

The National Rigging Certificate has been live since September 2007. The first candidates have already completed the qualification, with a further 200 individuals currently registered to undertake their assessments. The following document has been prepared to explain why you, as a venue or employer of riggers, should help support the NRC. We are asking you to sign up to an endorsement that by September 2010 you will make a commitment to only use those who are formally registered to the scheme, with the aim to only employ qualified NRC Riggers from January 2012. This timeline gives plenty of opportunity for those currently working in the industry as riggers to take their assessment.

Make
the
Endorsement

• Background
• What is the NRC?
• Why is it important to you as a venue or employer?
• What is the Endorsement?

Background

Four years ago with the advent of the Work at Height Regulations (2005), it became apparent to a number of individuals in the entertainment and event rigging industry that there was a need to develop a way of measuring competence in rigging. These individuals approached PLASA to act as a neutral body and to administer the scheme, and together they formed the National Rigging Advisory Group.

One of the first activities the group undertook was to define rigging and the role of a rigger in their sector:

Rigging

• The installation, removal, or other activity using lifting, or suspension equipment, or accessories used in tension for lifting or supporting display, production, performance, or event technical requirements.

Rigger

• A competent person employed to carry out rigging.

The NRAG then set about informing the content of a set of standards that outlined the minimum core requirements of someone working as a rigger. These standards were later adopted by the Sector Skills Council and became National Occupational Standards. The National Rigging Certificate (NRC) and ID Skills Card were created from these standards.

What is the NRC?

• The NRC is the only qualification that assesses the competence of riggers carrying out rigging as defined within the entertainment and events industry. It is not a training scheme.
• The NRC uses standards set by the rigging industry and endorsed by Government to measure the competency of an individual.
• On achievement of the assessment, the individual attains a certificate and an industry ID Skills Card that states the level and qualification achieved.
• The NRC provides a recognised route for employers and venues to know an individual is competent to rig through the mechanism of the Industry ID Skills Card.
• The NRC works to recognised Government qualification frameworks.
• The NRC only uses assessors who are both subject experts and qualified to be an assessor to the national required standards.
• The NRC assesses the competency of an individual's skill and knowledge of health & safety, communication, risk and supervision, as well as rigging techniques and working at height.
• The NRC measures the minimum core requirements of someone working at a particular level and role.
• The NRC allows for future additional specialisms to be assessed and bolted onto the main qualification - such as automation, flying people.

Why is it important to you?

The employment of rigging companies and individuals who have successfully achieved the various levels in the NRC scheme will enable employers and venue management to discharge their duty towards Health & Safety and the welfare of persons employed to carry out rigging operations.

Why does the NRC need your support?

Your endorsement is vital to provide impetus to those working in the rigging industry to understand the benefits of getting qualified for the work that they do. This will ultimately help promote and maintain Health & Safety standards, raise awareness and support a mechanism that acknowledges individual skills.

What is the Endorsement to the NRC?

Example of the NRC ID Skills Card

We would ask you to commit to the following statement:

'Our Venue / Company is committed to adopting the National Rigging Certificate (NRC). From September 2010 we will only appoint contractors/suppliers carrying out rigging work who have either registered with PLASA to take their assessment, or who have qualified as a Rigger holding the NRC ID Skills Card for Level 2 Rigger or Level 3 Rigging Supervisor.

From January 2012 we will require that all rigging work be carried out by contractors/suppliers that hold the NRC ID Skills Card for Level 2 Rigger or Level 3 Rigging Supervisor. Trainees will be working in conjunction with someone holding the NRC Card at Level 2 or above.

We believe that this will support a culture of health and safety awareness and maintain best practice'

Make the Endorsement

Enter your details for your endorsement to the NRC - you will be sent an acknowledgement. You will also be sent a certificate that states your endorsement.

In order to promote your commitment and as part of the drive to raise awareness of the NRC, the PLASA Website will be listing companies and venues who have endorsed the scheme - providing we have had your permission to do so. As such we would ask if you would please take a few minutes to upload an image of your company logo (300dpi CMYK jpeg format with a maximum size of 120mm wide). You can do this prior to submitting your endorsement at the end of this page.

The uploading of your logo may take a few minutes so please be patient.

Your Name:
Job Title:
Company or Venue Name:
Address :
Email:
Telephone:

Data Protection: PLASA fully complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. The information supplied will be used for the purposes for which it was provided and we will only disclose relevant information to appropriate organisations essential to the delivery of our services.

We agree for PLASA to use our company/venue name and Logo on the PLASA website and other materials used solely in the promotion of the NRC.

Logo:

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