Training

[Stubota86]

Hi all

Long story short but our operator tragically passed away last year. He had a ticket for the 360 and would be on the machines as much as poss.

So far I’ve not found anyone that could take his place cos while not on the machines he would jump on doing anything else and helping anyone out.

I’ve done the groundwork myself since he passed as I’ve been driving machines since I was in my teens and I get by ok. The thing is I don’t have a ticket.

The bulk of our work nowadays is domestic extensions.

Can anyone point me in the direction of what training I need to comply and safeguard myself were bad something to happen?

Cheers
Stuart

 

[doobin]

For domestic extensions etc I wouldn’t bother. Your years of experience should suffice. Don’t feed the ticket monster.

 

[Shovelhands]

If you are competent and insured then that’s all you need. As Doobin says, don’t feed the ticket monster! It’s a racket, simply an money making exercise.

 

[Grahams]

My understanding is tickets are only for the sloping shoulder type to cover their arse. If you are competent to operate your machine there is no legal requirement to have a ticket from CITB etc. You can even produce your own tickets if you document testing your guys to your required standard.
If you don’t feel competent to operate your machine, then that is a different question and you should undoubtedly get training. Who you get that training from is up to you.
Graham

 

[Lynchy]

Get your self cpcs card for relevant machine,it's a touch screen test,£21,and if your confident on machine just book test,used to be able to fo experienced worker assessment straight to blue card gives you evidence of training,concentrate on making sure things don't 'go wrong'

 

[fred]

we did have Health and Safety turn up on site (house build) 2 years ago, I was on the telehandler at the time he asked to see my card for it. Told him I dont have cards. This caused him a big problem. I did ask him to show me in law where it says I have to have a card to drive it, he said it doesn't say that but the operator must be competent. I told him i considered myself competent, could he show otherwise ?

His parting shot was 'if anything happened I could be in trouble with insurance as I couldn't prove I was competent'.

Bear in mind Health and Safety inspections are self funded now, it costs them £900 to do a visit apparently so they have to give fines of at least that to break even. He did me for some paperwork 'defects' to the tune of £1400 = I hadnt done a paperwork risk assessment before lifting a tub of muck onto the scaff loading bay, supposedly you have to keep this paperwork on site and fill it in every day.

 

[Lynchy]

Sounds like a failed 'attitude'test as much as anything?