Earthmoving and Civil Construction Machine Operation (Core)

The perfect solution for workers using machinery for construction, earthmoving and more

Operators of machinery such as loaders, excavators, graders, road rollers and more usually have to learn on the job. This creates unnecessary risks. It's possible to gain much of the worksite knowledge required by beginning with this online course and augmenting it with one or more of the specialist machine courses before letting someone loose with the equipment.

This is the perfect course for:

• New operators who have never worked on a construction site or other place where heavy machinery is working
• Existing operators who need to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest safety advice
• Operators returning to this line of work who need a refresher
• Operators coming to your company from overseas where regulations and rules might be different
• Managers who need to understand hazard identification and risk management as effectively as possible

This course is the foundation course that accompanies the machine-specific courses. You must have access to this course in order to take the machine-specific courses such as Excavator Operation.

This course is delivered online.

• No more trying to schedule a half a day or even a day off-site for your operators as they can do the theory online on a computer or smartphone over a number of days, whenever is convenient
• Engaging video-based learning followed by questions
• Language and literacy support with translations to 108 languages plus audio recordings in English - your operators with English as a second language or poor reading skills don't need to be left behind
• Easy management and reporting

The course is divided into easy-to-follow modules that take just a few minutes each. Operators have access to this foundation course for a whole year so they can add machine-specific courses to improve their skills.

At the end of this course, you'll get a certificate to show that you have completed the theory. Then, if you take one of the separate machine-specific courses, such as Excavator, you can do that course and get an Operator's Certificate after the completion of the theory and a practical assessment.

It's an effective way of become a safe, diligent and skilled machine operator and a valuable team member on a site.

Testimonials

What do you get with the course?

• Operators get full access to all training materials for 12 months, giving plenty of time to also do the machine specific courses where access is for 6 months.

Are you managing other drivers/machine operators doing this course?

• The account holder can add managers at no extra cost
• Managers can download detailed reports, plus track and manage operators
• Managers can generate certificates on completion of the course
• The account holder receives a monthly email with forklift tips and tricks.

FAQs

Do I need any unit standards to operate heavy machinery like dump trucks, loaders, graders and excavators? No, there's nothing in any law that says you have to do this UNLESS you are driving them on NZTA's definition of a road. In this case it will be a wheels (W), tracks (T) or rollers (R) endorsement that is required.

Does this course comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015? The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 requires that you provide ongoing training, information, monitoring and supervision. This course covers training and information that is essential for machine operators and drivers to know.

Does the course material support people with learning challenges such as dyslexia or reading difficulties? Online learning is more in-depth, more inclusive with our translations and audio recordings, and can be repeated as many times as is necessary to gain understanding. 

My machine operators have a W, T or R endorsement. Is this course still needed? Yes. The endorsement courses cover only the basics of operating those machines on a road, not safe practices on a worksite.

I have a new driver who hasn't operated these machines before. Can they use this course to become qualified? They can use this course to learn the theory, but it is essential that they also have in-person practical training plus supervision. If they are driving on the road with any of these earthmoving machines, they may need the relevant endorsement on their driver licence, plus the correct type of licence for the weight of the vehicle.

What machines does this course cover? This foundation course covers generic information about operating a wide range of machines, but for specific information then you'll need to do the specific machine courses, such as Excavator or Loader.

How long is the certificate valid for? The course should be refreshed every 3 years, to align with guidelines for operating heavy plant.

How do you prove that a person has done the training when it's online? We recommend that your operators do the training at your premises (either on your computers or tablets or using their smartphone) so that you can ensure it is them doing the training and not another person. Our clients tend to schedule convenient, short sessions where an operator can use those facilities.

Requirements

• You will need one course licence per person taking the course - you can't use one licence for multiple operators
• You will need a computer, smartphone or tablet with internet access to take the theory training.

You get access to the course for a full 12 months which means your operator can take a couple of months to finish the modules and can come back to it as a refresher anytime until the course access expires - this is great if you need to do any remedial work with them. 

Set up is free whether you are purchasing one course licence or a hundred course licences.