On-site NPORS testing from Northampton, UK wide
NPORS is an independent UK plant operator training and card scheme and this page explains what an NPORS assessment is and what happens on the day. Ray works from Northampton and assesses at your premises on your own machines, anywhere in the UK, covering experienced worker tests and novice courses across 17 NPORS categories.
NPORS assessor
Ray Walters is an NPORS plant machinery assessor.
Tested on your machines
The assessment runs in your own work area, on the machines your operators use every day.
Two routes
An experienced worker test for operators with real machine time, or a novice course for someone starting out.
What NPORS is, and what an assessment involves
NPORS is a UK plant operator training and card scheme, and an NPORS assessment checks both knowledge and practical operation for the category taken.
NPORS describes itself as an independent scheme, founded in 1992, with ISOQAR accreditation. NPORS is one of 37 CSCS alliance card schemes, and one of only two specific to plant.
NPORS training and testing follow course objectives drawn from the National Occupational Standards. In plain terms, the assessment includes questions and practical operation on the machine for the category being taken.
NPORS says training and assessment can be delivered on site using an organisation’s own machinery or at a training centre, and that on-site delivery reduces the risk of transferring skills between different machines. Ray works that way: he comes to your premises and assesses on the machines your operators use.
NPORS and CPCS are different schemes and are not interchangeable. Ray carries out NPORS assessments. If your site or principal contractor asks for a particular card, check which scheme they require before you book.
Experienced worker test or novice course, and how to tell which you need
If the operator already works on this machine type in real work conditions, the experienced worker test is usually the right route. If they are starting out, it is usually a novice course, and Ray will confirm which fits when you call.
Experienced worker test
This route is for an operator who already has real experience on that type of machine. NPORS treats ‘novice’ and ‘experienced’ as separate classifications, and NPORS says the experienced route still includes training before the test.
Novice course
This route is for someone without the necessary previous experience, covering training on the machine and then the test for that category. It suits an operator who needs proper time on the controls before being assessed.
What the assessment covers on the day
Before the day
Have the machine available in a suitable work area for the practical assessment and make sure the operator has the right PPE for your site. Ray confirms what is needed when you speak.
The knowledge side
The NPORS learning outcomes, June 2019, set what a test covers. This part includes safety law and the operator’s duties, the manufacturer’s handbook, the main parts and controls, PPE, checks of the work area and loading and unloading for transport.
The practical side
This part includes pre-use and running checks and reporting defects, getting on and off, starting, stopping and travelling, carrying out the work itself, then shutting down and making the machine secure.
What differs by machine
The detail changes by category. For example excavators (checks before digging, placing spoil, loading lorries), dumpers (haul routes, carrying capacity, tipping on slopes), loading shovel (loading vehicles, working with a banksman), quick hitch (checking the attachment is locked on and how it affects reach and safe working load), excavation marshal (buried cables and pipes), marshals (hand signals, exclusion zones) and road roller (direction of compaction, working near edges). The published NPORS outcomes cover 12 of the 17 categories Ray tests, so for the rest he will confirm on the phone what the assessment covers.
After the test, and the card you end up with
Which card an operator ends up with depends on their qualification and the sector they work in, and NPORS says the CSCS cards need the NPORS or CITB health, safety and environment touch screen test passed within the previous two years and that it does not award NVQs and points people to CITB.
CSCS red trained operator card (NPORS)
NPORS says the red card is for construction operators who do not yet hold the NVQ or SVQ for the machine. It lasts two years from application and the operator is expected to register for and achieve the qualification in that time. It can be extended once for 12 months if the operator is already registered with an NVQ awarding body.
CSCS blue competent operator card (NPORS)
NPORS says the blue card is for operators who hold the NVQ or SVQ. It lasts five years and comes with a CPD record and a logbook for workplace hours.
Traditional NPORS card
NPORS says the traditional card carries no CSCS logo and suits sectors outside construction such as warehousing, ports, agriculture, utilities and offshore wind. It lasts three or five years as agreed with the training provider, and the operator can have a card, a certificate or both.
The tests asked for most often
Who it is for, and every category covered
The categories Ray tests are listed below, and if you are not sure which code fits your machine and the work, call and Ray will confirm it, including whether N132 plant mover is the right fit because NPORS says it covers non operational duties and is not an operator’s ticket.
Who carries out the assessment
Walters Training is run by one person, Ray Walters, so the person you speak to is the person who assesses your operators.
Ray Walters is an NPORS plant machinery assessor, based in Northampton, on the M1 in the middle of England.
Before becoming an assessor he spent over 20 years operating plant in construction, groundworks, waste and recycling, scrap metal and general industry.
What Ray's clients say
“I couldn’t have had a better instructor than Ray.”
Candidate
Novice forward tipping dumper course
“Ray explained health and safety and pre-start checks in a professional way. He was very knowledgeable.”
Candidate
Novice loading shovel course
“Ray was very friendly and helped me calm down. He was amazing.”
Candidate
Novice loading shovel course
Book an NPORS test on your site
When you call, have the category or machine, how many operators and the site postcode to hand.