HISTORY OF VEHICLE MOUNTED POST DRIVER COURSE

Back in 2010 AJ’s training was contacted by two companies that look after Vehicle Restraint System maintenance on different HighwaysAgency areas as there being 2 RIDDORS, these both happened around the same time and the initial investigations both reported the operatives of the plant had not received any approved training, it then became clear that whilst the industry was using a wide range of equipment there was no approved courses in this industry nor the fencing industry in general.

AJ’s training was then contacted as we already complete training and assessment for the fencing industry to see if we could help.

We then completed a trip around the UK to inspect as many machines as possible to ensure the course we eventually created was fit for purpose, however it soon became clear the range of machines being used which included Trolley rigs, Lorry mounted systems, Crawlers, Tractor mounted, Dumper mounted and excavator mounted it would be IMPOSSIBLE to create a course that would cover all of these in a manner that we could walk away and be happy that if we trained anoperative they would then be able to also use other plant safely.

Under Health and safety law operators should be training and competent and be familiar with the equipment they are using; Post drivers are not like dumpers or excavators that in principle are all the same just made by different manufacturers so how could we move forward?

During our initial investigations we found Orteco Crawlers being used in the UK and noted that unlike any other machines being used they also had other functions such as Post Extraction and the ability to have Hydraulic tools including Augers and Corers attached, this raised another question on how we can also cover the attachments correctly.

We then contacted Orteco in Italy and explained what we were doing for industry, and we were invited to their factory to spend some time learning more about their range of products which includes crawlers and lorry mounted systems with optional radio controls.

After a while we decided the only way we could create a generic basic course and to link it directlyto each product via a separate certificate for familiarisation and not have a one course fits all approach, so we then developed the Generic Vehicle Mounted Post Driver course that is currently registered with Lantra Awards as a customised provision, and we launched this back in 2011 and I believe we have completed more than 2000 candidates to date, this course is set around working safely with post Drivers and is not linked to any particular model and then for AJ’s training to also issue a separate certificate forfamiliarisation linked to the model we trained and assessed on.

AJ’S TRAINING CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH ORTECO AND CONTINUE TO HAVE THEIR SUPPORT

AJ’s training are also very proud to be the only Orteco Approved training provider in the UK, this requires continued training of our instructors and assessors with each having a speciality due to the range of products and attachments they have , yes we even scrutinise our own trainers and only allow them to train machines they have been trained on and are comfortable training due to the complex designs regarding lorry mounted systems, especially where remote controls and turntables are being used.

Recently we stopped issuing a separate certificate for familiarisation and are now supplying a new Vehicle post Driver Operative Card which includes familiarisation to the piece of the plant they were trained and assessed on whilst also showing the generic training that we complete via Lantra Awards, this card scheme is also approved by Palfinger UK as the UK Orteco sales reps with their details also attached

We are continually supporting the industry in many ways, and if any other manufacturers would like us to come on board and support them in producing training linked to their machines, we are more than happy to help.

www.ajstraining.co.uk