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Safe working practices around construction plant

Overview

The purpose of this standard is to give candidates who work in close proximity to mobile construction plant machinery an understanding of how to work safely around construction plant and machinery. This includes earthmoving and lifting appliances commonly found on construction sites and incorporates excavation awareness and traffic/vehicle movements within site activities.

CITB has developed this standard in discussion with industry

Duration

Minimum 2 days of 6 learning hours per day

Purpose/scope

The purpose of this standard is to give candidates who work in close proximity to mobile construction plant machinery an understanding of how to work safely around construction plant and machinery. This includes earthmoving and lifting appliances commonly found on construction sites and incorporates excavation awareness and traffic/vehicle movements within site activities. 

Scope:

  • Theoretical knowledge of excavator movements
  • Quick hitch best practice
  • Spoil characteristics
  • Underground and over-ground services
  • New roads and street works signing and guarding
  • Working at height near excavations
  • Safety signs and signals within vehicle movements
  • Banksman role and responsibilities
  • Codes of practice
  • Manufacturers’ instructions and technical guidance
  • Hazards – all common plant and plant machinery covered
  • Hazards – noise, environmental, biological, underground services 
  • Legislation, regulations and approved guidance.

Occupational relevance

Training delivered against this standard is relevant to the following occupational group(s):

  • Operative and craft
  • Supervision
  • Management and leadership.

Candidate prerequisites

There are no candidate pre-requisites as part of this standard.

Instruction/supervision

As a minimum, course instructors must be able to demonstrate that, in relation to this standard, they have:

  • A train the trainer or instructional techniques course certificate
  • Successfully completed training to this standard 
  • At least 5 years relevant industrial experience
  • A verifiable CV.

Delivery

Delivery may be in an on or off the job environment.

All materials and equipment must be of a suitable quality and quantity for candidates to achieve learning outcomes, and must comply with relevant legislation.

The class size and candidate/instructor ratio must allow training to be delivered in a safe manner and enable candidates to achieve the learning outcomes.

The following delivery methods may be used in the delivery of this standard:

  • Classroom.

This standard is considered to contain 51% or more theoretical learning

Assessment

For the successful completion of training, candidates must complete an end of course practical assessment or knowledge test that measures the learning outcomes and has a pass or fail criteria.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance against this standard will require initial approval of the training organisation and their content mapped to the standard. 

CITB will also conduct an approval intervention, either desk-based or centre visit, to ensure the training organisation can meet the requirements of the Training Standard. 

Approved training organisations (ATOs) will be required to present information on records of training and assessment upon request to CITB for desk-based analysis. They will also be visited annually by the CITB quality assurance team.

Renewal/refresher

There are no mandatory renewal or recommended refreshment requirements for this standard.

Approval date

November 2018

Review cycle

Either on request or in 3 years from approval date.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the training, the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following behaviours and/or practise what they have learnt.

Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes Additional guidance to support learning outcomes

Understand key responsibilities under legislation and official guidance relating to safe working practices

Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)

Including codes of practice, technical guidance, best practice and manufacturers’ instructions/recommendations

Describe close proximity hazards, including:
  • Machinery work areas
  • Safe banksman work operating zones
  • Operator blind spots
  • Operator safety devices.

All common plant machinery to be covered

Identify and describe hazards relating to:
  • Noise
  • Environmental
  • Biological
  • Underground services 
  • Buried structures and anomalies.
 
Identify and describe hazards relating to open excavations Including working at height, collapses, positioning equipment etc.
Describe how to control hazards relating to open excavations:
  • Working at height
  • Guarding
  • Safe access and egress.
 
Describe how standard permits to dig work in practice  

Describe spoil characteristics

Including angle of repose tolerance

Understand excavator movements and operations

 

Describe best practice in siting machines for excavating operations

Including specific lifting points that must be utilised
Describe excavator attachments, their mechanisms and best practice:
  • Quick hitch.
Using a range of attachments
Describe good and bad practices of lifting with excavators  
Understand the banksman role and responsibilities  
Understand safety signs and signals within vehicle movements Including signing and guarding
Load machinery onto trailers on public highway  
Describe emergency plans and procedures and how they are used  

Additional information about this standard

HSE guidance

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