NEN 3140 & NEN 3840 Designations for Foreign Companies Working in the Netherlands

I have the following question on behalf of a trade association in xxxxx. A number of companies regularly bid on projects in the Netherlands and are often asked about NEN 3140 and NEN 3840 certification. Could you indicate what a practical way for us to comply with these certifications is? Because some clients prescribe which training we must follow, while others leave this open. Since this question occurs frequently, we want to arrange this structurally now.

Answer

EN 50110-1 is the European standard and therefore also applies in your country, but in the Netherlands we have two additions, namely NEN 3140 for low voltage (LV) and NEN 3840 for high voltage (HV).

All persons working on or in the vicinity of such installations must receive an instruction and a designation as Installation / Work Supervisor, Skilled Person or Instructed Person, and then for HV, LV, or both. The designation they receive depends on the work activities; for instance, an LV electrician should receive a designation as a Skilled Person based on NEN 3140, while a non-electrical person (HV) must receive a designation as an Instructed Person NEN 3840. Before issuing a designation, they must first complete an instruction or training. Subsequently, you issue them a designation in which the limitations are preferably described.

NEN 3140 and NEN 3840 do not contain requirements regarding these instructions/traning. You may organize these yourselves, but they can also be purchased from a training institute. However, ensure that the content of the instruction aligns with the work they will be performing. We always develop a customized course to match their work activities; we often make these training courses available online so that the target group can access them 24/7. This is concluded with a test, after which the certificate is issued. We could also develop something similar for your companies.

Subsequently, the persons must be designated, and the company in your country is permitted to issue these designations itself. In larger projects in the Netherlands, I often see that the designations regarding the duration of the project are issued by the main contractor. However, it is a significant advantage if they have already completed training in NEN 3140/NEN 3840 and already hold a designation, as this makes it easier for the main contractor to issue an designation regarding the duration of the project based on the designation and training they allready have.

I hope this is clear; otherwise, please let us know.

Drs. Richard Winter