True safety

The Training and Research Centre is a leader in training courses aimed at operators of the Italian Civil Defence.

When extraordinary events occur, and health, the heritage and the environment need to be protected from the damage caused by natural disasters, the Italian Civil Defence is supposed to be in the front line, providing staff and equipment. The expertise and the enthusiasm of the thousands of volunteers who are part of Civil Defence are of paramount importance to handle these missions effectively. These men and women are totally aware of how important it is to intervene promptly and work well; this is why adequate training and high-class qualifications make a difference between success and failure. When the Civil Defence department for Friuli Venezia Giulia received its first telescopic handler, a Panoramic P 72.10, we immediately organised a theoretical and hands-on training course for machine operators at the Training and Research Centre of the Merlo Group, so that they could master machine operation. The Centre was chosen for the variety of teaching tools available, as well as for its comprehensive training offer, which is the first to be organised in Italy in association with ISPESL (Higher Institute for Prevention and Safety in the Workplace). It was a “full immersion” course, in which the different operating conditions experienced in everyday life were reproduced on the test track.