NPORS Abrasive Wheels Hand Held Cut Off Saw Training (N017)

N017 covers the hand held petrol driven cut off saw specifically, and N301 is the general abrasive wheels category aimed at angle grinders, bench and pedestal grinders and wheel changing. The underlying theory about blade speeds, mounting and guarding is shared, but the machines handle completely differently and they are assessed separately. Gangs that use both need both.

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. N017 shows a novice course and a refresher, each with a maximum of six tests, and no experienced worker figure. Experienced users take the course or the refresher rather than a test only route.

Not on concrete, stone, kerb, block or paving. Those materials release respirable crystalline silica, which causes silicosis and lung cancer, and the water feed is the control. If water genuinely cannot be provided, the job needs a different method or a saw with effective on tool extraction, and that has to be planned before the gang arrives.

Yes. Both are in scope, and choosing between them for the material, checking the blade's maximum operating speed against the machine and inspecting for damage are all part of the day. Tell us what your gangs run so the practical matches.

Contact at the upper front quadrant of the blade, or the blade binding in a closing cut. The saw comes up and back towards the operator, and it happens faster than anybody can react. The defence is stance, grip, cutting position and supporting the material so the cut opens.

Six, with one instructor, which is usually a full gang. Running it at your own site means the crew is only off the job for the day and the practical uses your saws and your material.

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.