It was gradually obvious that a third party verification of the competence of the personnel or companies working in the cathodic protection sector was necessary in order to contribute to quality.

 

In the USA, NACE introduced an “Accreditation Program” in Corrosion in 1971, then a “Corrosion Professional Recognition Program” specific to cathodic protection in 1987. The “NACE CP Training and Certification Program” system appeared in 2000. Since 2004, the system has 4 levels (1=CP Tester, 2=CP Technician, 3 = CP Technologist, 4=CP Specialist).

 

The oldest European system (1976) is the German one, for companies (DVGW).

 

In France, the CFPC was launched by the CEFRACOR in 1996 and was appointed by AFNOR in 1998. A standard about the certification of services was published in 2006.

 

Similar systems exist in Italy, Great Britain and in Netherlands.

 

The standard EN 15257 “Cathodic protection – Competence levels and certification of the cathodic protection personnel” published in December 2006 defined 3 competence levels and 4 application Sectors.

 

See the section « Certification – Conseil Français de la Protection Cathodique, CFPC » for further information about the French system.