Operating plant

 The building and construction industry is the largest employer in the world, and it comes with a great number of inherent risks due to the nature of the work. As a site owner, you will only be too aware of the importance of health and the safety of your employees, especially when they are operating plant equipment.

Excavator health & safety

It is machinery such as excavators that act as the workhorses of your business to get the jobs done. However, it is imperative that you have competent operators at the controls to protect not only themselves and the machine, but also the health and safety of the site in general.


Equipment competence

Whether you are a site owner or a construction site worker, it may surprise you to read that there is actually no legal requirement to hold a certificate to drive an excavator on a construction site. But, in order to comply with health and safety, all excavator operators should be trained and competent to operate the equipment they are using and there are a number of different methods to achieve this. The most accepted route is to hold a Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) operator card.


Congratulations!

Once the CPCS card is awarded, your operator can then operate your 180 or 360-degree excavator! If you are looking to buy or sell quality plant equipment for your newly trained operators, you can find a wide range of machinery including used excavators to save on the costs of buying a new one.

CPCS operator card

CPCS provides the skills for plant operators. It is the most recognised plant safety scheme, with a card being a mandatory requirement on many UK sites. There are different CPCS categories that are directly related to the specific areas of building and construction activity including heavy equipment (including tractors and bulldozers and excavators), lifting equipment (forklift trucks and cranes) as well as elevated mobile work platforms (scissor lifts). So, for those wishing to operate an excavator, attending and passing a CPCS excavator training course comprising of practical as well as theory tests at a test centre that is accredited will be necessary. Candidates have to have passed the appropriate CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test in the two years prior to taking the technical tests.

CPCS licence and certification

Red trained operator

The red CPCS trained operator certification card will be awarded on successful completion of the course which is valid for two years and non-renewable.
Blue trained operator

It will then be necessary to show you are competent in the excavator category by way of undertaking the appropriate NVQ in the two year validity period. This is how you would achieve the Blue Competent Operator Card. The blue card is then valid for 5 years.

Excavator course details


CPCS A10 and A12 180-Degree Training and Testing (Excavator)

  • A10 – below 5 tonnes
  • A12 – above 5 tonnes
This course can be taken by both novice and experienced operators but is tailored to those with limited or no experience and usually lasts 10 days. If the course candidate has two or more constant and recent experience then an alternative 2 day Experienced Worker CPCS course may be more appropriate.


CPCS A58 and A59 360-Degree Training and Testing (Excavator)

  • A58 - below 10 tonnes
  • A59A - tracked above 10 tonnes
  • A59B – wheeled above 10 tonnes
Those who undertake and go on to pass an A59 digger training course for above 10 tonnes shall then have the qualification to drive both types of machines.

Course options are available at both Foundation and Experienced Worker levels, depending on the level of experience. All candidates must have completed the core CSCS Health and Safety Touch Screen Test, and passed in the last 2 years.