Training & Development
All employees must receive adequate training for all work equipment, whether there is a legal requirement for certification or not
A
ll businesses need to invest - in buildings and facilities, and in plant and machinery. Such investments are easy for accountants and finance people
to understand as they add tangible assets to a business. Company Directors can see the new machinery and facilities, so it’s clearly visible for everyone to see how this type of investment adds value to the business; it’s quite obvious where the money has gone.
On the other hand, the training of a company’s most important asset, its staff, is often translucent at best and opaque at worst. Training must be considered as an investment in any business, as it’s impossible to operate successfully without good and properly trained people. Your transparent investments in machinery and plant can soon be undone by failing to train your staff to use and maintain it correctly.
Compliance
In our industry sector, you must have a certificate to operate a chainsaw at work. You must have a sprayer qualification to operate a sprayer. The regulations are clear and easy to understand, but there is more to it than that. All employees must receive adequate training for all work equipment, whether there is a legal requirement for certification or not. So a mower operator must be give adequate training before he is allowed to use either a pedestrian or a ride- on machine.
defenders, debris could be thrown onto the passing cars below and, if he slips, he will fall at least two metres into the path of the traffic!
There are so many things wrong in this image - the operator is not wearing face protection or ear
However, what is not clear is the definition of ‘adequate training’. In the event of a serious accident, and in worse-case scenarios this may be decided by a judge in a court of law, not being able to prove that the operator had received adequate training could be a real issue. External training providers will issue a certificate to prove that an operator has
undergone training and will also detail what the training programme covered, to ensure that the employer has a record to refer back to. Certificated training supported by National Awards Bodies (such as LANTRA and NPTC) will be easily recognised by any auditor.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with internal staff training, and learning from experienced, competent staff is a key factor in passing on and gaining experience. However, there is often no paperwork to determine what information or advice has been given, and the major drawback here is that it’s impossible to prove the quality of the training at a later date.
Safety
Accidents can, do and will happen; even the most experienced staff will have accidents, but they have less mishaps than operators who have not been trained. Thankfully, most accidents result in damaged machinery, not damaged operators, but these are still expensive events. Machinery repairs cost money and the downtime caused can be very expensive. Any accident which causes damage to third party property not only causes yet more additional cost, but damages the reputation of the business.
In our sector, trained operators should know how to correctly set and adjust their machinery. Simple adjustments to the weight transfer system, the operation of traction controls systems, or adjustments to the mowing deck, can make a big difference to the performance of the machine, particularly during a tough growing season like this one. Thick, wet, lush grass can be a real issue for mowers, so good training can make a real difference.
Adjusting cutting cylinders and removing debris from cutting units can be particularly
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