Report Requirements
Candidates taking the BOHS proficiency module P601(Commissioning and Thorough Examination and Testing of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems) who successfully pass the written exam, case studies and practical test during the course are required to submit two test reports to BOHS within 6 months of the course (there are a lot of hoops to jump through to achieve this qualification!). There have been a high level of failures at the report stage and to try to overcome this the Faculty have developed some guidance for candidates.
There are two guidance documents,
which can be accessed by clicking the hyperlinks above or by visiting the Proficiency Modules section of BOHS the website.
We always advise candidates to arrange to carry out the tests and submit the reports as soon as practicable after they have taken the course to ensure that they don’t forget what they have learned. “If you don’t use it you lose it” may be a cliché, but it is still true! It’s also sensible to select systems that are not too complicated to make it easier for both the candidate carrying out the test and the report assessor.
We’d also recommend that candidates refer to the model test report form made available by HSE on their website. This is very comprehensive and more complex than necessary for simper systems, but it can be cut down as necessary.
Examination Timing
In February, we raised with BOHS our concerns regarding the timing of the P601 written examination. At the beginning of January the time allowed for the Certificate Module exams (M series) was increased. These changes included increasing the time allocation for short answer questions from 2 minutes to 3 minutes. However, the time allowed to answer similar questions for the Proficiency modules was not changed – i.e. it remained at 2 minutes per question. Our view was that this was inconsistent and rather unfair, and we wrote to the Faculty pointing this out. I also discussed the issue with the Chief Examiner, who promised to consult other Proficiency Module providers about this.
BOHS have now announced that that from 1 July 2011 all short answer question (SAQ) examinations will be extended in length to allow for an average of three minutes per question. This means that the length of the P601 exam will now be 105 minutes. We feel that it is a positive development and are pleased that the Faculty have taken on board the views of course providers
Recognition, Evaluation, Control 