Rules, certificates and what you are allowed to work with

You work with heat, pressure, chemistry and machines that can cause damage if handled incorrectly. Therefore the trade is surrounded by rules – both for what you must be able to document and for how the work must be carried out safely. It is important to know the framework so you know when you can act yourself and when a task requires special instruction or equipment.

§The journeyman's certificate is your professional key

Your formal proof that you master the trade is your journeyman certificate. It is issued when you have passed the final examination and completed your training, and it documents that you have the competences appropriate to your level and specialty – such as setting up a machine, commissioning it, ensuring quality and troubleshooting when something drifts from the correct standard.

§Not an authorisation trade

Unlike trades such as electrician or plumber, plastic maker is not a regulated authorization trade. So there is no personal authorization certificate you need to practice the trade. On the other hand, the work itself is strictly regulated through occupational health legislation and machinery safety – and some tasks require you to have specific courses or certificates before you can perform them.

§Statutory safety certificates

Through education and on the work site you typically must complete a number of courses before you can perform specific tasks. It varies from company to company, but some recur.

• 01First aid
• 02Basic fire fighting.
• 03Truck or forklift certificate if you are to move material and goods
• 04Instruction on safe use of the specific machines you need to operate
• 05Handling of chemicals according to the safety datasheets belonging to the materials

§Machine safety and regulations in the workshop

The machines you work with are covered by machine safety requirements and CE marking. This means safety functions like emergency stop guards and doors that stop the machine when opened must work as they should. You must never disable a safety function to speed up a task — it is one of the most serious mistakes you can make in production.

§Chemistry, labeling and data sheets

Plastic is made of granules additives and auxiliary chemicals and some of it should be handled with care. Each material comes with a safety data sheet that tells you how to store it what to do if it spills and what protective equipment you should use. Being able to read and follow a datasheet is part of the trade — not a piece of paper in a folder.

§Environment and waste

Plastic production with casting and processing.