Do you need to do a truck loader crane refresher course?

Truck loader crane operators are recommended to have unit standards 16617 Use a truck loader crane to lift and place regular goods and 30072 Demonstrate and apply knowledge of slinging regular loads safely, but it’s not a legal requirement to have these unit standards. It is a requirement under the health and safety legislation, though, that truck loader crane operators have regular training on the equipment they use.

Refresher training for machinery such as truck loader cranes and forklifts is recommended to be carried out every three years or sooner. This ensures that:

• operators have not developed bad habits
• operators who lift goods infrequently and are likely to forget key safety and operation points have their knowledge refreshed
• operators who lift a narrow range of goods are exposed to a broader range of concepts that gives them better background knowledge about lifting
• operators are kept up-to-date with the latest best practices in crane operation and health and safety.

The three-yearly truck loader crane operator’s certificate course is part of your compliance under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. You must ensure that operators are trained and competent in machinery. The key part of the Act relates to the requirement for ongoing training, supervision, monitoring and information.

If the operator already has the unit standards, they don’t need to be done again; the operator can simply do the online course and then be assessed in their workplace following the guidelines supplied.

What does a truck loader crane course contain?

1. Crane pre-operational checks
2. Assessing a load
3. Reading the crane’s rating chart
4. Choosing the appropriate equipment for slinging/rigging the load
5. Slinging/rigging the load and attaching the hook
6. Ensuring a safe working zone
7. Crane setup
8. Crane controls
9. Lifting the load
10. Hand signals and communication

In addition to the course, supervisors should ensure that the operator is familiar with the specifics of the actual crane they will be using as controls can differ.

Other skills a truck loader crane operator requires

Pre-trip inspection: the crane is mounted to a truck, and the operator must do a pre-trip inspection on the truck which can be learned in this course.

Load security: once the load is on the truck, it must be properly restrained which can be learned in this course.