Excavator 180° above 5 tonnes – Lifting Operations (novice)

Last updated: 18 June 2025
Grant rate/tier: £550 (Plant tier 1 novice)
Grant code: GET3502

Overview

The purpose and scope of this standard is to provide the delegate with the skills and knowledge to support the operation of Excavator 180° above 5 tonnes – Lifting Operations (novice)

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Duration

Minimum

21 hours including assessment time

1 learner. 1 trainer. 1 machine

35 hours including assessment time

2 learners. 1 trainer 1 machine

49 hours including assessment time

3 learners.1 trainer. 1 machine

The maximum number of learners is three per group, with a maximum number of one machine per group, all learning outcomes must be covered by each learner.

Trainers must ensure all learners get equal and sufficient practical engagement time.

The duration stated in the training standard equals the minimum length of time the course and assessments should take to be completed based on the ratios above. How this is organised is at the discretion of the training provider.

Delegates pre-requisites

The delegate will hold a current industry recognised card bearing the host machine category, with experience of working on site with the machine being beneficial to the undertaking of this standard

Purpose/scope

The purpose and scope of this standard is to provide the delegate with the skills and knowledge to undertake the following:

operation of a 180° excavator to lift, move and place a variety of suspended loads in set configurations.
interpret and comply with legislative certification, specifications, risk assessments and manufacturer’s machine manuals related to the equipment’s ability to undertake lifting operations
identify and explain the serviceability, suitability, and application of a range of lifting accessories
site the machine correctly and safely for lifting operations
carry out checks, adjust, and prepare the machine for lifting operations
follow given signals and instructions
understand the capabilities, purposes, and limitations of using the 180° excavator for lifting operations
comply with all regulative and safety requirements

Occupational relevance

Training delivered against this standard would be relevant to the following occupational group(s):

operative

Instruction/supervision

As a minimum, course trainers must be able to demonstrate that, in relation to this standard, they have:

Essential:

either

a current card issued by one of the CSCS partner plant schemes at instructor/trainer/assessor level bearing the category of excavator 180

a current card issued by one of the CSCS partner plant schemes at operator level bearing the category of excavator 180

Level 3 Award in Education and Training or equivalent qualification listed in Appendix 3 of the Requirements for Approved Training Organisations
health and safety qualification at or equivalent to construction site management level, examples of which can be found in Appendix 6 of the Requirements for Approved Training Organisations
in addition to the required qualifications, the trainer must be able to demonstrate occupational experience of operating the excavator 180 relating to the training they are delivering. This can be demonstrated with a valid and in date blue card from a ‘Recognised Organisation’ and a minimum of 1 year site experience

Desirable:

S/NVQ Level 2 Plant Operations in the specific category being trained
Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement

Delivery

Training and assessment may be delivered in an on or off-site environment.

Where training and assessment takes place within a working construction site environment, training must be segregated from productive work within a prescribed training area, which has been risk assessed and has appropriate control measures in place as required by current legislation and regulations.

All equipment required for the training must be set aside specifically for the training session and be available for the entire training duration. Equipment is not to be shared with the working construction site. The equipment used for training and assessment must be an excavator 180 of more than 5 tonnes.

Welfare facilities must be provided wherever training and assessment takes place, and this should meet relevant legislation.

All materials and equipment must be of a suitable quality and quantity for learners to achieve learning outcomes delivery and assessment criteria, and must comply with relevant legislation, regulations and industry agreed requirements.

The class size and learner/trainer ratio must allow training to be delivered in a safe manner and enable learners to achieve the learning outcomes.

Practical engagement can include seat time, any associated practical checks of the machine e.g pre-start checks, and observation time.

Irrespective of the number of learners, effective learning must be maintained for all learners. Equal and sufficient practical engagement needs to be considered.

The following training delivery methods may be used in the delivery of this standard:

face to face learning environment (such as a classroom/workshop/site office) for theoretical learning & assessment
on or off the job site environment for practical learning and assessment
simulator for practical training

note – if a simulator is used, it can only comprise of a total of 20% of overall practical training and not used in any assessment.

Assessment

For the successful completion of training, delegates must complete an end of course practical assessment and knowledge test that has a clear pass or fail criteria as set out by the card scheme. The marking criteria must effectively measure every aspect of each learning outcome and additional guidance for training and assessment.

Assessment must adhere to all points on the CITB Requirements for Approved Training Organisations including Appendix 6 which provides further guidance for assessment.

Quality assurance

Recognised standard

CITB will gain assurance through the Recognised Organisations’ quality arrangements.

Approved Training Organisations’ will be required to supply confirmation of approval (centre approval and scheme approval) with the related Recognised Organisations’ awarding organisation or body. In most cases this will be an approval certificate provided by the Recognised Organisations’ awarding organisation or body, listing the routes, qualifications, and categories they are approved to deliver. In addition, a copy of the most recent external quality assurance monitoring report will be required, relating to the standard that you wish to be approved for.

This information will be reviewed by CITB’s quality assurance team. Approval will be subject to the required Recognised Organisations’ documentation being supplied by you. As part of the quality assurance checks, CITB may confirm the accuracy of documentation with the issuing organisation.

Please refer to the Requirements for Approved Training Organisations Appendix 6 for further guidance on quality assurance.