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Do we really need a course to use a brushcutter? Its one of those things you can pick up quite quickly by just using one and save yourself a load of money!
Many commercial contracts will insist competency (although not legally required) is shown during Tendering and as part of RAMS (similar to pesticides, chainsaw etc).
So, it's not just a case of "save yourself a load of money' - it's maybe a requirement to service that contract.
For example, we're putting two guys on Asbestos Awareness courses in Jan for that very reasons (and I don't want them exposed while performing environmental cleaning on sites).
For some Tenders, you also have to provide Bio's of staff members identifying skill sets & qualifications.
Lantra brushcutter is fine, no need for more expensive nptc.
It's all a racket really with brushcutter, hedge cutter, pole saw etc as all you do is learn how to do very basic maintenance on a 2 stroke engine and very little tool time involved
Bit like a driving test then ?
Chainsaw & Pesticide tickets are the only ones required 'legally' for showing 'competence'. There is a move to require CPD or points based refresher training every year for pesticide tickets as the Sustainable Use Regulations (2012) require every Certified user to stay uptodate....
Other courses like the brushcutter are usually for govt./ LA authority contracts/ insurance to make sure everyone is of a standard. For those who have mown and used petrol equipment for years, we have a sixth sense when it comes to basic maintenance and sensible use, but not everyone who comes into this industry has done this before. Big companies or councils have often lost the the older workers who can train & monitor new recruits - very few can afford to learn by making mistakes on the job where the consequences can be terminal...
Hi, I'm a newby and just picked up on this thread. Your right about NPTC not expiring. You may look upon me with some disdain as I am just a mere stump grinder who has made a living specialising in that one activity for the last 20 years with just an NPTC, so I couldn't comment about LANTRA , CHAS, or the other multitude of authorities who issue accredited qualifications. I am really pissed off with the fragmented way in which this industry has developed, and yet any idiot can hire a stump grinder. I have been on the database of some large construction companies and a few have recently decided to insist on their sub-contractors to register with their respective choice of certifying authorities. I decided enough is enough. This whole damn thing is one great money making racket. I can get away with my piddly NPTC, but feel sorry for you guys who must renew many differing certifying authorities annually. What a rip off!
Welcome Mike. There's no reason anyone should look upon you with disdain. We all have specialisations ;)
What's worth clarifying is the difference between training/competency and accreditation.
Organisations such as NPTC, LANTRA etc provide specific training leading to a recognised qualification.These qualifications exist in their own right.
Organisations such as CHAS, CSCS, SafeContractor etc are Accreditation schemes that bring all the person's/businesses qualifications, working practices (RAMS), H&S, Insurances etc under one umbrella for a Client to be sure you are fit for purpose.
On the commercial side, clients are now insisting that before work is contracted out to a provider, 'we' can prove we are fit for purpose.
It does take an amount of work to achieve and maintain these accreditation and typically they use the same scheme in the same industry, but it's about risk liability, insurances etc so that everyone's backside is hopefully covered.
I'm not saying it could not be easier and I believe there will be rationalisation in the future. Simply, if you want to play with them you have to follow their rules - like it or not !
Hi Gary, Thanks for your response. I didn't expect any on what I thought was a dead thread. After serving a client base throughout Anglia ranging from Sandringham estate to humble council estates, I don't think I need to prove myself. I was probably the first to introduce stump grinding to the Anglia region 20 years ago. Apart from localised farmers with their tractor mounted stump grinding attachments, nobody then was offering a regional stump grinding service based on a sound business system. Yes, you have probably guessed I was part of a now well known franchise specialising in this activity, but have since set up on my own 10 years ago, and still offering the same high class of service without jumping on the back of this accreditation milch cow. As with H&S this accreditation industry is wayyy o.t.t. and has proven to be a wealth creator, but not necessarily for the end user. I don't have any hope of seeing these two industries rationalised. As an example of unnecessary complexity,duplication,and cost, one need not look any further that the fragmented police forces of the U.K.or the fragmented political, educational, and health care boundaries. H&S, and accreditation are necessary but there are probably better, more rational ways of achieving it rather than costly repetitiveness. I came from a military and industrial background where I "breathed" Quality Control, Zero Defects, Six Sigma,Right First Time,etc. etc.
The issue lies in the fact 'we' know how good we are, but a client (especially a remote commercial client) does not, and with many contractors to chose from there needs to be a way to select effectively when tendering.
If one has a 'full order book' and/or a v.long pipeline of business opportunities then it maybe an unnecessary overhead.
The Accreditation business may be over the top, but I believe it will rationalise/consolidate (it's happening as we speak).
In the meantime it is here now, in use by prospective clients. As I said, we either play by it and get business or we don't and someone else will ....