NPORS Order Picker Training (N005)

On a truck where the operator is lifted with the platform, a full body harness with a lanyard adjusted short enough to keep the operator on the platform is standard practice, and the anchor point is part of the pre use check. The detail depends on the machine and your risk assessment, so we work to what your manufacturer specifies and train operators on the equipment they will actually wear.

At least every six months. Under LOLER, lifting equipment used for lifting persons is examined at least every six months, while other lifting equipment is examined at least every twelve. A lot of warehouses have their order pickers on the twelve month cycle with the rest of the fleet, which is the wrong interval.

Three days for a novice on the NPORS test sheet, one day for a refresher, and around a day for an experienced worker test, confirmed once we know what each operator has done. Three candidates are allowed on the training routes and four on the experienced worker test.

No. They are separate NPORS categories. The order picker takes the operator up with the load, which introduces work at height risks the other categories never assess. An operator with another truck ticket usually needs less time, but they still need the N005.

Only where the operator works on construction sites. That version needs a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass taken within the last two years. For distribution and warehouse work the traditional NPORS card covers the same category to the same standard.

There needs to be a rescue arrangement that does not rely on calling the fire service and hoping. The course covers the emergency lowering controls on the machine, who is trained to use them, and how an operator raises the alarm. If you do not have an arrangement written down, we will say so.

There is no legal interval. HSE say operators need reassessing from time to time rather than at a set period, and three to five years is common practice. In a pick operation we would reassess sooner after a fall related near miss, a racking strike, a change of truck or a long absence.

Yes. We work around your operation, including evenings and weekends, and can use a quieter run of racking rather than shutting the pick face. We need a truck with a current thorough examination, harness equipment in date, and enough space to assess properly.

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.