NPORS Cartridge Tool Training (N710)

The NPORS test sheet gives a one day novice duration with six candidates and one instructor, and the same maximum of six on a refresher. We confirm the length when we quote.

Not on the NPORS test sheet we work from. N710 shows a novice course and a refresher, each with a maximum of six tests, and no experienced worker figure.

Yes, and we prefer to. Loading, firing, clearing and the misfire procedure vary between makes and models, so training on a generic tool and then handing somebody a different one is not much use. Tell us the make and model at enquiry.

There is a procedure and the course drills it. The tool is kept pointed at the work surface, the operator waits the period the manufacturer specifies, the tool is then cleared carefully and the failed cartridge is disposed of safely rather than thrown in a bin or left in a pocket. Improvising at this point is how people get hurt.

No. Base material suitability, thickness, edge distance and fixing spacing all matter, and there are materials that must never be fired into because they shatter or deflect the fixing. Just as important is knowing what is on the far side, because a fixing that goes through does not stop.

Securely, accounted for, and in line with the manufacturer's instructions and your own site rules. They are an explosive product, they should be issued to named trained users and unused ones should come back. The course covers the practical arrangements, and your organisation should confirm what storage rules apply to the quantities you hold.

Anybody who has not been trained and authorised. Cartridge tools are restricted tools and the card is a simple way of showing who is on the authorised list. The occasional user who borrows one for an afternoon is exactly the person the injury figures are made of.

An NPORS Red Trained Operator card, or a Blue Competent Operator card where the holder has the relevant NVQ. Either carries the CSCS logo while a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass is in date.

NPORS courses are priced per course, not per person. What you are paying for is the instructor, the registered tester and the machine time, so the figure turns on four things: the category, which route your operators need (novice, experienced, conversion or refresher), how many people are coming, and whether we run it on your site or at one of ours. It is also why a squad works out considerably cheaper per head than sending operators out one at a time. Use the course builder on this page: tell it who is coming and it works out how many days the course takes and how many times it has to run, which is what the price is built from. Then ask us and you will get a figure for that exact group rather than a list price with conditions attached.

We run NPORS courses across the UK rather than out of one fixed centre, and for most categories the better answer is that we come to you: your operators are assessed on the machine they will be using anyway, nobody loses a day travelling, and for a group it costs less. If you would rather come to us, we have centres at Trent House in Stoke, Pride Park in Derby, Europa House in Manchester and Kingsway House in Liverpool. Tell us where the work is and we will say honestly which way round makes more sense.

There is no fixed timetable to wait for. NPORS courses here are run to order, which means the dates are built around your programme rather than ours, and a single operator or a full squad can normally be booked in within a couple of weeks. If you have a card about to expire or a start date to hit, say so when you enquire and we will work to it.