HSE Warning about Training Certificates

HSE issues reminder about training certificates and plant operator licences

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has today issued a warning about training certificates and plant operator licences.

The warning follows an HSE investigation in the South East which found evidence of malpractice by one individual plant trainer operating throughout the United Kingdom. As a result, Prohibition Notices have been served on David Harris and his company Future International Training Ltd.

These Notices require an immediate halt to the issue of training certificates, plant operators licences or any other indication that training and testing has been carried out unless a proper scheme has been followed. They also require a halt to the practice of claiming affiliation or accreditation to the Association of Industrial Truck Trainers (AITT)/Independent Training Standards Scheme & Register (ITSSAR) and other nationally recognised organisations such as the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Lantra and City & Guilds where no current accreditation exists. Mr Harris and his company did hold accreditation with AITT/ITSSAR until 21 April 2001. However, this accreditation was not renewed.

HSE takes this opportunity to remind employers, employees and the self-employed that in the wrong hands work equipment operated incorrectly can cause major injury or death of the user, other workers or members of the public.

Under health and safety legislation, employers and the self-employed must ensure that workers are properly trained to operate plant and work equipment. To help employers and the self-employed comply with their legal requirements several nationally recognised training providers have developed schemes to train and test plant and machinery operators. Once trained and assessed under these schemes plant operators are usually issued with a plant operators licence which is typically valid for five years. Renewal is by reassessment.

Other health and safety courses, such as the detailed registration scheme for streetworks operatives and supervisors or the more general "safety awareness training" are frequently completed with the issue of a training certificate and a credit card size identity card. Employers and the self-employed have come to rely on these as evidence of competence in particular categories of plant.

Employers and the self-employed must satisfy themselves that they have adequate arrangements for complying with training requirements imposed by health and safety legislation. Part of these arrangements should involve checks to ascertain the validity of training certificates or plant licences. If the authenticity is in doubt, the accreditation body whose name appears on the certificate or licence can be contacted.

Employers and the self-employed must not allow people to operate plant or equipment unless they are competent to do so. If people require advice and guidance on training or competence issues, they should contact their local office of the HSE.