Course providers partnership
The course is provided by the BSS
The course cost
Free
Course aims and objectives
The course aim is that Examiners will be able to apply the new BSS CO Alarm Requirements from 1 April in a consistent manner and to report (in writing) non-compliances (to a customer) in a correct and consistent manner.
Underpinning this aim, the learning objectives of this course are that Examiners should:
a) Have a good understanding of why the new CO BSS Requirements are being introduced;
b) Have a good understanding of why three of the four new CO related ECP Checks will be mandatory Requirements for all classes of vessel, whereas one will be an Advice Check for privately owned and managed vessels;
c) Have a good understanding of the overall safety objectives of the new CO BSS Requirements, and of how the individual Checks help to control the risks;
d) Understand that accommodation space is an ECP Glossary term, and understand its meaning;
e) Understand that damage or deterioration is an ECP Glossary term, and understand its meaning;
f) Have a good understanding of the CO alarm manufacturing standards, and accredited third-party certification, and understand how these relate to the BSS Requirements;
g) For each of the four new CO Checks:
- Have a good understanding of the Checking actions and the Requirements,
- Have a good understanding of any ‘Applicabilities’ and Guidance for owners (including being able to point boat owners or their representatives to the relevant published BSS guidance at Check 6.4.1),
h) Understand how to format written reports to customers;
i) Understand that CO alarms can also detect hydrogen gas.
The course requires self-learning
The course has been developed as a self-learning course whereby Examiners familiarise themselves with Learning Document prior to taking an online Knowledge Assessment.
Further learning validation will take place at the planned LPG Update Course later in the spring or early summer.
The Learning Document
Before taking the Knowledge Assessment please read through the 16-page Learning Document at least twice. Print off the document if that makes reading easier.
Frankly, there are images and diagrams that will make viewing the Learning Document on a 8” or smaller screen difficult.
 It may aid your learning if you read through the Learning Document a few times on different days.
Becoming familiar with the Learning Document material before completing the online Knowledge Assessment will make answering the questions a lot easier and reduce any temptation to guess at the answers.
This will save you time in the end as initially you only have one attempt to achieve the pass mark. If you don’t pass, you’ll have to wait for a new link to be sent in order that you can try again to pass. (see below)
When do I need to take the assessment by?
You should finish your self-learning and complete the online Knowledge Assessment as soon as possible. The assessment must be completed and passed before 1 April 2019, or before you undertake your first examination after 1 April 2019.
 How long will the course take to complete?
Please set aside 2-4 hours to read the material and complete the Knowledge Assessment.
The Knowledge Assessment
After you have familiarised yourself with the Learning Document you will need to complete and pass the online Knowledge Assessment by answering correctly a series of 50 multiple-choice questions and by inserting free text into text boxes online.
Make sure you set aside enough time to complete all the questions in one session as you can’t save the session and come back to it. It is suggested you allow one and a half hours to carefully go through the assessment.
 You must complete all the questions in one go as you cannot save the session.
Note that every question must be attempted before you can move on to the next.
At the start of the assessment you will need to add your name and PIN.
Hot Tip: look out for questions where more than one answer is needed.
Questions with circular tick-boxes need only one correct answer, whereas for questions with squares tick-boxes there are multiple (two or more) correct answers.
What pass-mark do I need to achieve?
As all the answers are contained in the Learning Document, you will need to achieve a 90% pass mark to successfully complete the Knowledge Assessment.
You will only have one attempt to reach the pass mark, on that link. If you get less than 90%, you will to wait for a new link to be sent. (see below)
Will I know any questions I get wrong?
Yes, once you have provided your name and PIN click ‘Next’.
After reading the screen that loads, click ‘Next’ again and your score will be displayed, and all the multiple-choice questions will be listed complete with your right and wrong answers.
If you have not reached the 90% or even if you have passed but got less than 100%, you are recommended to scroll down the list and note down the number of any questions you got wrong as well as noting down the incorrect answer you gave.
This will help your understanding of the Checks and will aid any resubmission required if you did not pass.
Note that by pressing ‘Done’ at the end of the displayed page, you will leave the survey and will not be able to return to your results or answers.
What if the assessment is not passed?
Our expectation is that that you will get all the questions right and right first time, because you’ll have the answers in front of you.
If you do not reach the pass mark, you will be provided with a separate link later, usually within 24 hours. You will need to read through the material again before re-doing the assessment.
If the pass mark is still not achieved, further knowledge improvement and assessment measures will be considered.
If it becomes apparent that the improvement measures have not been effective, the BSS office reserves the right to take appropriate action if the Checks will not be applied in a consistent manner.
What happens when I pass?
You’ll receive an email confirming your achievement. Attached to the email will be a ‘certificate’ from the BSS Office outlining the course title and pass status.
You’ll be invited to respond to a very short survey of your thoughts about the course material and its effectiveness. It is very important to us that you contribute your views.
Will I be qualified to apply the CO alarm Checks?
Yes, from 1 April (or whatever date you pass) you will be qualified to undertake examinations, including new BSS Requirements 6.4.1-6.4.4.
Is that all?
Not quite. At the planned LPG Update course, the application of the CO alarm Checks will be discussed and there is an opportunity to raise any matters of clarity.
You’ll also learn of any potential issues we gleaned from reviewing the results of the Knowledge Assessment.
The associated documents are as follows:
BSS Examiner CO Alarm Requirements Training Course Learning Document [LINK]
BSS Examiner Training terms and conditions [LINK] |
