Banksman, banksperson, marshal, signaller: the names overlap, and HSE’s own pages use them more loosely than people do on site. This guide sets out what each word means, which NPORS category carries which name, and what the published NPORS learning outcomes say each one covers.
The short answer
On site, the two words mean different jobs. A banksman watches an excavation: for signs of collapse, and for the people working in it. A marshal directs vehicles or plant as they move. That is how Ray uses them, and it fits the NPORS category names, where only the excavation category carries the word banksperson. HSE’s own pages use ‘banksman’ more widely, for anyone trained to direct vehicle movement.1 Ray tests three NPORS marshal categories: N133 Plant Machinery Marshal, N403 Vehicle Marshal and N027 Excavation Marshal and Banksperson. If you are not sure which fits the work, ask Ray.
What the words mean on site
- Banksman or banksperson. Watches an excavation for signs of collapse and keeps an eye on the people working in it.
- Marshal. Directs vehicles (N403) or plant (N133) as they move around the site.
- Signaller. Directs a crane driver during a lift.
How HSE uses the words
HSE’s construction pages call a banksman an operative trained to direct vehicle movement on or around site, often called a traffic marshal, and a signaller an operative trained to direct crane drivers during lifting operations.1 Its page on traffic management uses ‘signallers’ for people who direct vehicle movements, and says they must be trained and authorised to do so.2 So the names blur in official guidance too. On site, go by what the person is watching or directing rather than what they are called.
Why HSE sets rules for this job
HSE’s traffic management guidance says that every year people die in the construction industry as a result of being struck by vehicles on site, and that reversing is a major cause of fatal accidents.2
HSE puts separating people from vehicles first. Its answer on whether banksmen can still be used for reversing vehicles is yes, but only if they are trained and authorised, and only where other control measures are not possible.1 Where plant and vehicle marshallers are appointed to control manoeuvres, HSE describes them as trained in the task.2
For signallers, HSE lists four ways to keep them safe:1
- make sure they are trained and competent
- give them distinctive high-visibility clothing so they can be picked out
- tell drivers to stop at once if they cannot see the signaller
- agree on standard signals, which are set out in the Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996
The three NPORS marshal categories
NPORS’s learning outcomes, published in 2019, list the subjects each category covers.34
| Category | Subjects in the NPORS learning outcomes |
|---|---|
| N133 Plant Machinery Marshal | Hand signals, setting up an exclusion zone, guiding machines forwards and in reverse |
| N403 Vehicle Marshal | Hand signals, setting up an exclusion zone, guiding machines forwards and in reverse |
| N027 Excavation Marshal and Banksperson | The risks from excavations, finding and avoiding buried cables and pipes, the danger of electric shock |
N133 and N403 cover the same published subjects. The difference is in the name: one is for plant machinery, the other for vehicles.
N027 and buried services
N027, the excavation banksperson category, is the only one of the three whose published subjects include excavations and buried services. HSE’s guidance shows why that matters.
HSE says damage to underground electrical cables can cause fatal or severe injury, and that the law requires precautions to avoid danger. It sets out a safe system of work built on planning, cable plans, cable locating devices and safe digging practices, and says all four should be used when working near buried cables.5 HSE’s guidance book on underground services, HSG47, describes the three basic parts of a safe system of work during excavation: planning the work, locating and identifying buried services, and safe excavation.6
Slinger signaller is a separate category
N402 Slinger Signaller is a fourth category with signalling in its name. It is not in the learning outcomes NPORS published in 2019, so Ray will confirm what its test covers.
Testing on your own site
Ray Walters is an NPORS assessor based in Northampton. He carries out NPORS tests on site, at the customer’s own premises, anywhere in the UK. How NPORS testing on site works.
Not sure which marshal category you need?
Call Ray on 07984 357997 or email ray@walterstraining.com.
Sources
- Health and Safety Executive, Banksmen and signallers. hse.gov.uk
- Health and Safety Executive, Traffic management on site. hse.gov.uk
- NPORS, learning outcomes for miscellaneous equipment and health and safety related courses (N133 and N403), 2019. npors.com
- NPORS, learning outcomes for earthmoving machinery and transportation (N027), June 2019. npors.com
- Health and Safety Executive, Electricity: underground cables. hse.gov.uk
- Health and Safety Executive, Avoiding danger from underground services (HSG47). hse.gov.uk
Sources checked on 25 September 2026.