Where are you based?

We are headquartered in Exeter, Devon, but we have a network of instructors located around the UK and are able to give a local service to our customers regardless of their size and number of depots/sites.

This can benefit customers by having a single training provider to call, simple supplier invoice structure and centralised training record keeping.

What is a forklift licence?

Currently there in no such thing as a 'licence' for operating plant and equipment and is a frequent miss-used term.

The law references the legal requirement for training and competency. By using qualified instructors / examiners and working with tried and tested syllabuses it enables companies to comply with the regulations and their responsibilities under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, PUWER 1998 etc and also ensure compliance with insurance.

By having operators demonstrate their ability to pass the Basic Operators Skills Test should give the company peace of mind that the standards are being met. Not forgetting that constant supervision by the company is still a requirement to ensure rules are being followed post training.

What is the duration of your courses?

Course duration will vary depending of the type of equipment, experience levels, quantity of trainees, environment and work type. This could be from a half day course up to a full 5 days.

Please contact us for more information with regards to specific courses.

Will I receive a certificate on completion of the course?

Yes, you will receive a certificate if you successfully pass the course. These are sent on to the company shortly after, and not given out on the day of training.

You will also receive a credit card style operator ID for most of our courses on offer, which can be kept on your person much easier than carrying the certificate. This is ideal if you transfer between or work on multiple sites and need to show evidence of competency.

I've lost my training certificate. Can I get a replacement?

Yes. If you contact us with your name, company details and operator ID number (if known) and we can arrange for a replacement certifcate and or ID card to sent out to you.

There is a small charge for this service to cover admin and postage costs. Please get in touch for more info.

Is a Refresher course a legal requirement?

The need for Refresher training is covered within PUWER and in the L117 Lift Truck ACOP. The L117 states:

Regular refresher training will ensure operators:

  • maintain good driving habits;

  • learn new skills where appropriate;

  • reassess their abilities.

Refresher training or retesting might also be appropriate where operators:

  • have not used trucks for some time;

  • are occasional users;

  • appear to have developed unsafe working practices;

  • have had an accident or near miss;

  • have changed their working practices or environment.

What if i'm a Manager or Supervisor of plant and equipment operators?

This is covered within PUWER. Regulation 9 section 2 states:

  • Every employer shall ensure that any of his employees who supervises or manages the use of work equipment has received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken.’

The L117 Lift Truck ACOP also states:

84 The HSW Act requires you to provide adequate supervision. It is essential that supervisors have enough training and knowledge to recognise safe and unsafe practices. This does not mean they need full operator training, but they do need to understand the risks involved, and how to avoid or prevent them. Some organisations offer training courses for supervisors and managers of lift-truck operations.

85 Supervisors should be able to:

■ carry out an effective observation and know what to look for;

■ communicate effectively with operators and line managers;

■ recognise unsafe practice and behaviour;

■ maintain and promote health and safety standards.

Whats the maximum number of trainees on each course?

This can vary between course types. Generally, for most courses involving plant and equipment, there is a limit of up to 3 trainees per course. This is usually shown as a ratio of 3:1:1. 3 trainees to 1 instructor and 1 piece of equipment.

For some MEWP courses this can be increased to 4:1:1.

For courses like Manual Handling and Abrasive Wheels, theoretically the numbers could be unlimited. But in order to ensure full participation of all and enable practical elements to be carried out, we tend limit these to around 6 to 12.

Please contact us with you requirements and number of trainees and we can work to find the most efficient and cost effective approach for your company.