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Hire equipment service technician (HEST) - small plant

We have doubled the grant rates for short course tiers 1 – 3. To address rising costs, you can now receive higher rates on course achievements from 1st April 2023

Grant Tier

Achievement date before 1 April 2023

Achievement date on or after 1 April 2023

Grant Tier 1

Grant Tier 1 Refresher

£30

£15

£60

£30

Grant Tier 2

Grant Tier 2 Refresher

£70

£35

£140

£70

Grant Tier 3

Grant Tier 3 Refresher

£120

£60

£240

£120

Overview

The purpose of this standard is to give the Hire Service technician the required skills and knowledge to safely complete inspections and conduct service and routine repairs on small plant - micro excavators and dumpers.

Duration

Minimum 1 day of 6 learning hours

Purpose/scope

The purpose of this standard is to give the Hire Service technician the required skills and knowledge to safely complete inspections and conduct service and routine repairs on small plant - micro excavators and dumpers.

Section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work Act - hire companies have broad responsibilities for the safety of the products they hire out. This includes (so far as reasonably practicable) pre-hire testing and inspection to ensure continued safety, and the provision of information.

Scope:

  • Nomenclature - names of different components of diggers and dumpers
  • Pre-use Checks - Will understand all controls and be able to conduct basic checks before equipment is operated; will understand risk assessments; identify correct PPE for task and create a safe working area / zone off operating area
  • Plant operation - will know safe start up and operation procedures for moving excavators and dumpers into wash-bay / workshop and be able to operate machines on a set course in a safe manner - both dumper and digger
  • Inspection - Following clean-down, be able to identify components to be inspected according to manufacturer schedules and carry out visual inspections, recording using correct terminology items which may require attention.
  • Basic servicing - knowledge training will cover all aspects of lubrication, cooling and filters and the technician will be able to conduct safe oil change procedures, level checking and top-ups and dispose of oils, rags and used filters according to employer environmental waste disposal procedures
  • Fault diagnosis - will have sufficient knowledge to successfully diagnose common faults and be able to fault find on actual machinery including fuel and ignition faults. Will use of ISO schematics and symbols to identify components – e.g. track motors, rotary coupling etc.
  • Repairs - be able to review risk assessments and describe hazards and controls to be used for conducting repairs including safe jump start procedures and carry out complete track removal, idler / recoil inspection and track refitting.
  • Record keeping - know what records need to be completed, how and when and then complete records for practical repair work carried out above. Section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work Act - companies have broad responsibilities for the safety of the products they hire out. This includes (so far as reasonably practicable) pre-hire testing and inspection to ensure continued safety, and the provision of information.

Occupational relevance

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

  • operative and craft
  • supervision.

Candidate pre-requisites

There are no candidate pre-requisites as part of this standard. However some plant mechanic experience and a basic knowledge of terminology and techniques would be beneficial.

Instruction/supervision

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

  • a qualified trainer
  • be a qualified plant mechanic (VQ level 2)
  • a verifiable CV.

Delivery

Delivery will be in an off the job environment.

All materials and equipment must be of a suitable quality and quantity for candidates to achieve learning outcomes and must comply with relevant legislation.

The class size and candidate/instructor ratio must allow training to be delivered in a safe manner and enable candidates to achieve the learning outcomes.

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

  • a blend of classroom and e-learning.

This standard is considered to contain 51% or more practical learning.

This standard is considered to be set at an intermediate level.

Assessment

Methods of assessment considered appropriate for training delivered against this standard are:

For the successful completion of training, the trainer must be satisfied that the candidate has achieved all of the learning outcomes.

All learners to be individually assessed / observed – excavator and dumper.

Quality assurance

Assured

Quality assurance against this standard will require initial approval of the training organisation and their content mapped to the standard.

CITB will also conduct an approval intervention, either desk-based or centre visit, to ensure the training organisation can meet the requirements of the training standard.

Approved training organisations (ATOs) will be required to present information on records of training and assessment upon request to CITB for desk based analysis. They will also be visited annually by the CITB quality assurance team.

Renewal

Non-mandatory refresher every 3 years

Approval date

March 2020

Review cycle

Either on request or 3 years from approval date

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

The candidate will be able to: 

Additional guidance to support learning outcome  

 

Pre-use Checks 

Understand and use manufacturer guidelines and employer standards 

Understand risk assessments;  

Understand machine controls - various types  

Plant operation 

Know what and how to create a safe working area / zone off operating area 

Move small plant into wash-bay / workshop and operate machines on a set course in a safe manner - both excavators and dumpers 

Useful guidance on starting/stopping machine available in HAE Safety Guidance notes - i.e. 1903 Mini Excavator 

Inspection 

Clean down equipment 

Examine equipment for damage and faults plus use manufacturer schedules 

Record, using correct terminology, results  

Basic servicing 

Carry out servicing (level checks, top up or change) of lubrication, cooling and filtration systems to Manufacturer schedules; check lists and technical specifications - across range of mini excavators; tracked dumpers and forward tipping dumpers 

Dispose of waste materials (rags;used filters; oils) according to employer environmental waste disposal procedures 

Fault diagnosis 

Examine machines and components for damage, faults and leaks 

Fully diagnose using ISO schematics and symbols to identify faulty/damaged components 

Record on inspection paperwork using correct nomenclature  

Repairs  

Understand risk assessments 

Describe hazards and controls to be used for conducting repair; safe removal and fitting of components 

Select appropriate equipment and safely conduct routine repairs on small plant, utilising fault diagnosis information 

Complete repair records for each piece of equipment worked upon 

Record keeping 

Explain purpose and employer record & documentation requirements - warranty/ legal/routine servicing 

Legislation 

Describe employer’s duty under Section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work Act