PHW
PHW · Earthmoving

360 excavator

Construction firms, groundworks and civils contractors, plant hire yards and agriculture.

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Scope

Up to 12 tonnes (tracked or wheeled)

What is assessed

Theory and practical assessment, carried out on the employer's own machine, on their site.

  1. Roles and Responsibilities of the Excavator Operator; Use of the Operator's Manual
  2. Names, Components and Functions of the Excavator
  3. Correctly Mount and Dismount the Excavator
  4. Dangers of Underground Services, Overhead Cables and Other Site Hazards
  5. Pre-use Checks, Functional Checks and Correct Shutdown Procedures
  6. Locate and Identify the Controls and Their Function; Prepare for Site and Road Travel
  7. Configure and Travel the Excavator Across Various Terrains in Open and Confined Spaces
  8. Carry Out All Necessary Safety Checks in the Work Area
  9. Set the Excavator Up in Readiness for Excavating Tasks
  10. Carry Out Various Excavating Tasks
  11. Backfilling Excavations, Spreading and Grading Ground
  12. Loading Materials into Transport Vehicles
  13. Changing Buckets and Attachments for Specific Activities (Including Quick Hitches)

What the operator and the employer receive

  1. Award certificate
  2. Unit credit certificate, covering the units listed above
  3. Theory test record
  4. Practical assessment record
  5. Site evidence statement for site management
  6. Live verification page
  7. QR code on the certificate, resolving straight to that page

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The legal position

No UK government body issues a licence to operate a 360 excavator, and no statute requires one.

The duty to train and assess competence sits with the employer, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 section 2(2)(c) and PUWER 1998 regulation 9.

PUWER 1998 is supported by the Approved Code of Practice L22, safe use of work equipment, which sets out the training regulation 9 requires; HSE guidance HSG47 applies to underground services before digging starts.

Where the excavator is used for lifting, LOLER 1998 applies, with thorough examination of the lifting accessories and a planned lift.

Employer duty

The employer still authorises each operator in writing under PUWER 1998 regulation 9; the certificate, unit credit, records and site evidence statement are the evidence the employer relies on for that decision, not a substitute for it.

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