Description

About the Course

Telehandlers are often fitted with a jib, hook or lifting attachment to lift and place suspended loads on site, from steel beams and trusses to pipes and bagged materials. Lifting a suspended load is a different job from lifting on forks: the machine’s capacity changes, the load can swing, and the operator has to work closely with a slinger/signaller. Getting it wrong can lead to dropped loads or an overturned machine. The NPORS N138 Telescopic Handler Suspended Loads course gives you the training, testing and recognised card you need to lift suspended loads with a telehandler safely and legally.

Whether you’re brand new to telehandlers or you’ve been lifting suspended loads for years, we have a route for you. You can choose a full 5-day novice course, a 2-day bolt-on course, a refresher course or an experienced worker test.

Key Course Information

• Accreditation: NPORS
• Duration:
  • Novice Course: 5 days
  • Bolt-on Course: 2 days
  • Experienced Worker Test: 1 day
• Refresher Course: Available upon request with proof of previous certification
• Card Validity:
  • NPORS Traditional: 5 years
  • NPORS Red Trained Operator: 2 years
• Location: Nationwide

Who Is This Course For?

This course is built for anyone who uses, or needs to use, a telehandler to lift and move suspended loads in construction, civil engineering, agriculture or industrial settings. It’s particularly well suited to:

• Telehandler operators who need to add suspended loads to their card
• Experienced operators who already lift suspended loads and need a recognised card for site compliance
• Steel erectors, groundworkers and site operatives who lift and place materials with a jib or hook
• Employers who need their operators certified to meet client or principal contractor requirements

Entry Requirements

• A good working understanding of spoken and written English
• For the NPORS Red Trained Operator Card with the CSCS logo only: the CITB Operatives Health, Safety & Environment (HS&E) Touchscreen Test, passed within the last 2 years. If you haven’t taken it yet, we can help you book it.
• For the 2-day bolt-on course: an existing NPORS N010 Telescopic Handler category on your card

What You Will Learn

The course covers everything from reading the lifting chart to placing suspended loads safely with a slinger/signaller, so you can operate confidently from the start of your shift to the end. By the end, you’ll be able to:

• Understand the risks of the industry and your responsibilities as an operator
• Follow the manufacturer’s technical data and the relevant regulations and legislation
• Identify the main components and controls, including steering, driving and braking, and explain what they do
• Carry out pre-use checks in line with manufacturer and legal requirements
• Mount and dismount safely, start and stop the engine, and move off and stop safely
• Travel and manoeuvre laden and unladen over varying terrain, rough ground and inclines, in open and confined areas
• Carry out safety checks at the work area
• Manoeuvre to the work area and set up the machine for lifting and load handling
• Read and explain safe working loads, the lifting capacity chart, lifting configurations and working ranges, including how the manufacturer may reduce capacity when moving a suspended load
• Identify different categories of lifting procedure and which tasks fall into each
• Identify centres of gravity and calculate the estimated weight of loads
• Identify overhead and proximity hazards
• Agree signal codes, hand signals, direction of movement and safe landing zones with the slinger/signaller
• Make sure the telehandler is in a safe condition and attachments are fitted correctly
• Check load integrity and security
• Lift and move loads to a set position in a safe, controlled way with minimal uncontrolled movement
• Understand the environmental considerations of lifting work
• Carry out out-of-service and securing procedures

How You’re Assessed

Novice route (5 days): Days 1–4 cover classroom theory and hands-on practical training on a telehandler configured for suspended loads. On day 5, you’ll sit the NPORS theory and practical tests. With a maximum of 3 candidates per instructor, you’ll get plenty of time on the machine.

Bolt-on route (2 days): This route is for operators who already hold a telehandler card and need to add suspended loads. Day 1 covers training focused on lifting suspended loads, and on day 2 you’ll sit the NPORS theory and practical tests. Groups are a maximum of 4 candidates per instructor.

Experienced worker route (1 day): This route is for operators with substantial, recent experience of lifting suspended loads with a telehandler. You’ll go straight to the NPORS theory and practical tests with no training element, so you’ll need to be confident operating without support.

What Card Will I Get?

Pass both tests and you’ll receive one of the following:

• NPORS Traditional Card: valid for 5 years. No HS&E touchscreen test needed.
• NPORS Red Trained Operator Card (CSCS logo): valid for 2 years. Only available if you’ve passed the CITB Operatives HS&E touchscreen test within the last 2 years.

Both cards cover the N138 Telescopic Handler Suspended Loads category.

Renewing and Upgrading Your Card

• Traditional Card: no NVQ is required. After 5 years, you’ll retake the test to renew or submit a renewal form to NPORS.
• Red Trained Operator Card: this card is valid for 2 years and can’t be renewed like-for-like. You’ll need to complete the Level 2 NVQ in Plant Operations – Telescopic Handler and hold an operatives touchscreen test passed within the last 2 years to upgrade to the Blue card, so it’s worth starting early.
• Blue Competent Operator Card: valid for 5 years. To renew, you’ll need to complete a logbook showing your operating experience, hold a valid operatives touchscreen test completed within the last 2 years and submit a renewal form every 5 years.

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