Certificates - Are they required?

[Stuarty]

Are certificates for such things like mini diggers, abraisive wheels, chainsaws, knapsacks etc required by law, or are they just part of that jobs specification?

I ask just because of a couple of incidents of me being chucked off jobs due to not having tickets. If it is required by law to hold these while using said equipment, is there anything that i am accountable to?

[seanandruby]

log on to citb. they may answer your questions and if you want training for certs, you may be entitled to a grant.
certificates are all in the interests of health and safety and are mandatory on site.

[dig dug dan]

Well I can say this for definate. It is Illegal for anyone in the profession to use a chainsaw without a chainsaw certificate. It carries a £5000 fine if you get caught without it, and you cannot buy a top handled saw without it either. If any dealer sells you a top handled saw without it, they are breaking the law also.
Same goes for knapsack spraying, anywhere. You only need a mini digger certificate on a building site, not for a small domestic job.
What is stupid about this is that any tom dick and harry can go to their local tool hire shop and hire the above without any knowledge whatsoever. yet us poor buggers have to stick to the rules...!



Edited By dig dug dan on 1153687953

[Stuarty]

Thanks for the advice guys. Its always good to know where you stand when you cant really trust whats being said to you. Neither I or the other 2 guys i work with on the grounds maintainance have knapsack tickets, let alone the ticket for the sprayer on the back of the quad bike we were using.