People search for an excavator licence, a dumper ticket or a telehandler licence. At work, the law asks for training and competence rather than a licence. This guide sets out what the regulations say, in their own words, and where an NPORS test fits.
The short answer
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require every employer to make sure that anyone who uses work equipment has had adequate training for health and safety.1 The regulations in this guide do not name a card, a scheme or a licence. An NPORS test is one way to have an operator tested on their machine by an accredited assessor from outside the business.
Licence, ticket or card?
On site, ‘licence’, ‘ticket’ and ‘card’ are used for the same thing: a record that someone passed a test for a category of machine. The duty in law sits with the employer, and it is about training. Driving on public roads is a separate matter under road traffic law, and this guide does not cover it.
What the law says
Training: PUWER regulation 9
‘Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken.’
PUWER 1998, regulation 9(1)1
The next paragraph of the same regulation places the same duty on training for anyone who supervises or manages the use of work equipment.1
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not define ‘adequate training’. It says the requirements vary with the job or activity, the existing competence of the workers, the circumstances of the work, such as how closely it is supervised, and the equipment itself.2
Driving a machine: HSE’s guidance on PUWER
HSE’s code of practice and guidance on PUWER sets a minimum for anyone who drives work equipment:
‘You should ensure that self-propelled work equipment, including any attachments or towed equipment, is only driven by workers who have received appropriate training in the safe driving of such work equipment.’
Quoted by HSE, Training and competence2
Giving someone the job: the Management Regulations
Regulation 13 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 says an employer must take an employee’s capabilities into account when giving them a task. It also requires health and safety training when someone joins, and again when they face new or increased risks, including when new work equipment arrives or the equipment in use changes.3
Construction projects: CDM 2015
On a construction project, a contractor must have the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the role they are appointed to. Whoever appoints a contractor must take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the contractor meets that condition.4
Who can provide the training
HSE’s guidance on training and competence makes four points that matter to employers and operators alike.2
- Outside providers. Industry-recognised training on the operation of construction plant is available from a wide range of organisations.
- In-house training. As long as it is provided competently and to the standard needed for health and safety, training can be given by competent in-house staff.
- Time and cost. Training should normally take place in working hours and at no cost to the employee.
- Keeping it current. Training may need refreshing at suitable intervals, and new or changed equipment may need further training.
Where an NPORS test fits
NPORS, the National Plant Operators Registration Scheme, was founded in 1992.5 Its training and testing follow published course objectives and learning outcomes drawn from the National Occupational Standards.6 NPORS is one of 37 card schemes in the CSCS alliance, and one of only two specific to plant.7
NPORS publishes learning outcomes that say what a test covers. They cover 12 of the 17 categories Ray tests. For those categories they run from safety law and the operator’s duties, through the manufacturer’s handbook, the controls and the checks before use, to the work itself and making the machine secure at the end.8 Each machine page on this site lists the subjects for that category.
Which NPORS card an operator receives depends on the scheme’s card rules. Ask Ray which one suits your work.
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 and on the customer’s own machines, anywhere in the UK. Before becoming an assessor he spent over 20 years operating plant in construction, groundworks, waste and recycling, scrap metal and general industry. How NPORS testing on site works.
Tests for the machines in this guide
Book an NPORS test on your site
Call Ray on 07984 357997 or email ray@walterstraining.com.
Sources
- The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 9. legislation.gov.uk
- Health and Safety Executive, Training and competence. hse.gov.uk
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 13. legislation.gov.uk
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 8. legislation.gov.uk
- NPORS, About us. npors.com
- NPORS, Plant operators. npors.com
- NPORS, Construction. npors.com
- NPORS, learning outcomes, June 2019. npors.com
Sources checked on 25 September 2026.