HSC recognition of accrediting bodies
Recognised accrediting bodies
HSC recognition of accrediting bodies is intended to promote professional, consistent training standards and to help employers select good quality training. Although accreditation by recognised accrediting bodies is voluntary, the use by an employer of an ATP provides some assurance that the training provided will be at least to the standard described in the ACoP and guidance. Each recognised accrediting body is required to provide details of appropriately qualified and experienced ATPs to enquirers who seek advice about lift truck training. They should also provide a description of their assessment criteria. The schemes operated by the recognised bodies differ in detail, but the principles are the same.
The accrediting bodies accredit organisations or individuals - 'accredited training providers' (ATPs) - who are deemed competent to provide (or, in the case of individuals, to be) the instructors who carry out the training.
There are 6 recognised accrediting bodies:
- Construction Industry Training Board
- LANTRA National Training Organisation.
- The Independent Training Standards Scheme and Register (ITSSAR)
- National Plant Operators Registration Scheme
- RTITB
- AITT
Contact details can be found in the FAQs page.
Accredited training providers
An ATP may be an organisation, individual or an in-house training scheme. HSC recognises only the accrediting bodies, not ATPs.
The main conditions of accreditation are that ATPs use qualified and experienced instructors only, that they follow course syllabuses approved by the accrediting body and that they be subjected to regular monitoring visits by the accrediting body. The training must also be carried out in suitable premises, which may be a dedicated training centre or an area set aside for the purpose at an employer's premises.
To become accredited, a training provider applies to one (or more) of the recognised accrediting bodies. If the training is to be carried out at a training centre, the accrediting body will inspect that facility. If training is to be carried out at employers' premises, then the applicant is asked to demonstrate that they have all the necessary equipment and documentation, and to arrange to conduct a training course at which an assessor from the accrediting body would be present.
Instructors
There are 2 levels of instructor associated with accrediting bodies: accredited and registered. Both are trained as instructors, and assessed as being competent, on a course approved for the purpose by an accrediting body.
An accredited instructor (AI) will additionally have been inspected by the accrediting body as described in para 9 above, be subject to regular monitoring and have to use a course syllabus approved by the accrediting body. AI registration is valid for 5 years, after which the instructor is reassessed and reaccredited. HSC recognises only the accrediting bodies, not AIs.
A registered instructor (RI) is trained and tested to the same standard as an AI. Registration is for a 5 year period after which the instructor is reassessed and re-registered. However, an RI is not inspected, monitored or subject to control over their course syllabus by the accrediting body. This does not mean that the standard of training provided by an RI is necessarily lower, nor that they do not follow a syllabus produced by an accrediting body. However, being outside the accredited system, the training may not be as uniform as that provided by an AI, nor is it subject to the same control. Some in-house training schemes are provided by an RI, and the employer may not consider it necessary to apply for accreditation because they monitor their own standards.
Certificates of training
Certificates issued by an ATP (or AI/RI) will quote their accreditation number, the name of the accrediting body, and the name and registration number of the instructor who conducted the training. Certificates should always provide sufficient information to allow the training to be traced back to course content. If training has been limited (eg lifting to (say) 3 metres), then the certificate should identify this limitation to ensure that operators only undertake work for which they have been trained. Note that there is no legal requirement for certificates, which are often confused with licences, but ATPs will always issue them and HSE encourages their use as a good way of demonstrating that training has been provided.
Training courses
Duration
There are many factors that can affect how long a training course should be. It is not possible to set out hard and fast rules, but the following information is given as a general guide. It should be noted that there are training providers other than those accredited by a recognised body, but their courses should be of similar duration to those of an ATP.
A course of basic training for novices with a trainee:instructor ratio of 2 or 3:1 is likely to last 5 days. This will allow time for training. Where the instructor has only one trainee, the training is not meant to cover the full range of lift truck work, or trainees are not complete novices, then courses may be shorter.
The length of a refresher training course is dictated by the amount of training required to bring operators back up to the required standard of competence. The content and length of the course will be set by assessment of the operators to identify shortcomings and any unsafe habits which need correction. It is not, therefore, possible to advise on the length of refresher training. However, it is unlikely that refresher courses of less than one day will be effective. The quality of the original basic training may be a factor, but the primary indicator is the assessment of training needs by a competent person. As with basic training, the trainee:instructor ratio will influence course duration.
Frequency of refresher training
There is no set frequency for refresher training in legislation, neither is there any logical basis for saying that refresher training should be provided at set intervals. Employers should continuously monitor the performance of operators to ascertain whether they might need refresher training (indicators might be near misses, accidents or simply consistently unsafe working practices). Although employers are free to set refresher training intervals, they should not then ignore operators for the intervening period.
Supervisor training
For monitoring to be successful, it is essential that people responsible for supervising lift truck operators are also adequately trained. Supervisors need sufficient training to be able to understand the risks involved and to recognise safe and unsafe practices. They do not need full operator training. Accrediting bodies are able to advise on supervisor training.
Use of trucks by non-employees
Use of lift trucks by people other than employees is increasingly common. Typically this is done by visiting lorry drivers and service engineers. Employers and site controllers should cooperate to ensure that only adequately trained people operate lift trucks.
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