EDITOR’S CHOICE
BOILER HOUSE KNOWLEDGE
SPIRAX
Steam systems expert ‘boas’ts prestigious training accreditation
Steam systems expert and trainer at Spirax
Sarco’s UK Steam Technology Centre
(UKSTC) Mike Maslanka is only one of 20
people in the UK to be awarded the highly
regarded Boiler Operation Accreditation
Scheme (BOAS) Trainer Certification by the
Combustion Engineering Association (CEA).
The BOAS is a nationally recognised
certification for boiler operators and helps
employers demonstrate that they have
provided suitable and appropriate training
to boiler operators and boiler house
managers in line with BG01 (Guidance on
Safe Operation of Steam Boilers). Spirax
Sarco is one of the few organisations in
the UK to have been delivering the BOAS
courses since the scheme’s inception in
2005.
Training employees to operate boilers
and work in the boilerhouse safely and
efficiently to BOAS standards can save
companies thousands of pounds through
lower fuel costs and a reduced need for
both repair work and water treatment
chemicals. The accreditation process for
the BOAS Trainer Certification is highly
robust due to the critical nature of boiler
operations and therefore involves a number
of intensive interview processes.
With 4750 professionals BOAS-accredited
in the UK, and a requirement to be renewed
every five years, there is a consistently
high demand for BOAS-certified trainers to
carry out the scheme’s courses. This latest
BOAS Trainer Certification, awarded to
Mike Maslanka, means Spirax Sarco now
has further in-house capacity and expertise
to continue delivering and innovating
its market-leading training programme,
allowing the training centre to provide an
even wider variety of engaging course
content.
Mike has excelled in his capacity as a
trainer at Spirax Sarco’s state-of-the-art
training facility in Cheltenham, providing
high-quality instruction to customers,
designers, installers and users and
maintainers of steam and condensate
systems. Prior to joining the steam solutions
provider in 2017, he spent 30 years in the
There is a consistently
high demand for BOAS-
certified trainers to carry
out the scheme’s courses.
Royal Air Force with his final 10 years spent
working on delivering highly technical
content to leadership teams.
The CEA’s Director David Kilpatrick offers
congratulations on Mike becoming an
accredited CEA BOAS Trainer, using his
engaging skills and high-quality training
materials. “Through the formal accreditation
process, Mike demonstrated the level of
boiler house knowledge that will ensure
high standards of best practice across the
industry, true to the standards of the CEA
and its accredited schemes.”
Mike adds: “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it
was tough but I took the training really
seriously and made sure I knew the
systems inside out. I suppose I’ve always
had a natural willingness to learn which
has also meant I’ve also really enjoyed the
process. Working at the Spirax Sarco Steam
Technology Centre is really rewarding so I
look forward to getting my teeth stuck into
the upcoming BOAS courses.”
To find out more about the programme, visit: www.spiraxsarco.com/global/en-GB/training/boas
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PECM Issue 44