What training should a PSA plant supplier provide?

Training at commissioning

UNDP (REQ-OXY-001, effective 1 January 2025) asks for comprehensive training on site during commissioning, covering equipment operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and safety procedures, given by certified trainers from the manufacturer with all training materials, manuals and standard operating procedures. The trainees are the facility's operators, maintenance personnel and technical support teams, and the content covers operational theory, safety protocols, maintenance, troubleshooting and system monitoring. Operators should take part in commissioning, and UNDP's warranty requirement includes refresher training for users and technicians.

Minimum content

Global Fund commissioning guidance (28 August 2024) asks the supplier for basic training of the hospital's technical staff, with proof of training, covering at least:

• basic operation and the technical theory of the plant and all its components;
• how to contact the supplier and service provider to schedule preventive maintenance or report problems;
• actions that would void the warranty;
• detailed instructions for the service and maintenance tasks left to hospital staff, such as cleaning, daily checklist activities and drain cleaning.

The 2020 WHO interim specification (superseded by WHO's technical specifications of 31 December 2024) asked manufacturers to set out the maintenance routines matched to the facility's staff: cleaning with electrical safety precautions, cleaning of reusable filters, testing of alarms, operating pressures and oxygen concentration, the frequency of each routine, safety precautions for oxygen, and the advanced tasks that must be done by a technician authorised by the manufacturer. It also listed on-site training for installation, use and maintenance as preferable, with remote support.

Beyond the supplier's course

A Global Fund briefing note on staffing (11 April 2025) says a lack of training can lead to improper operation or non-functional plants and that training should be repeated at times of transition. It lists operator training, management training for hospital administrators, training of trainers, refresher training when time has passed or new operators are hired, and training when service agreements end, since the responsibilities of operators and supervising engineers then increase. Global Fund sustainability guidance (22 August 2024) asks for the required competencies to be defined before the manufacturer's training and for capacity building to supplement it. The Build Health International courses for the Global Fund include a five-day maintenance course, recommended immediately after installation and commissioning, and a two-day management course, recommended early in procurement.

Training and the warranty

Global Fund warranty guidelines (20 May 2024) say the warranty should identify who may operate and maintain the plant, typically hospital staff trained by the supplier, and whether they may train others. The same guidelines list maintenance by hospital staff or others not trained by the manufacturer among the conditions that void the warranty.

Ultra Controlo

On large ULTRAOX plants, installation, start-up and staff training are supervised by Ultra Controlo factory technicians (ULTRAOX SC and ST datasheets, p. 3), and the company runs medical gas training for hospital clinical and technical teams. Through UltraCare, Ultra Controlo selects and trains technicians in each country.