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NPORS Slinger Signaller Training (N402)
The slinger signaller is the person who puts the load on the hook and tells the crane where to take it. Two days for a novice covers accessory selection, sling angles, pre use checks, hand signals and radio, then a practical test on real loads. We run it on request, at your site or at a venue near you.
Why candidates choose Acadame
What makes our N402 Slinger Signaller different
About this course
The NPORS N402 Slinger Signaller is the category for the two jobs that sit either end of the hook. The slinger selects the accessories, works out the weight and the centre of gravity, attaches the load and makes sure it is balanced. The signaller controls the crane's movement, keeps the load and everyone near it safe and hands the operator information the cab cannot see. On most UK sites one person does both, which is why NPORS train them as one category.
Two days covers the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, LOLER and PUWER as they apply to lifting, then the practical trade: chain, wire rope, round and webbing slings and what each is for, shackles, eyebolts, lifting beams and spreaders, marking and certification, pre use inspection and the defects that take an accessory out of service. You work through sling angles and the load that a wide angle puts on each leg, tag lines, landing areas, exclusion zones, and the standard hand signals along with radio discipline and what to do when contact is lost.
The category is not tied to one crane. It is taught and tested against the machine you work with, whether that is a mobile crane, a crawler, a tower crane, an overhead travelling crane, a lorry loader, a side boom or an excavator lifting a suspended load. NPORS allow three candidates with one instructor and one machine on the novice course, and six on the experienced worker test.
- How to work out a load: weight, centre of gravity, lifting points and what to do when the paperwork and the load disagree
- Which accessory suits which load: chain, wire rope, round and webbing slings, shackles, eyebolts, beams and spreaders, and how to read the marking and the certificate
- Sling angles and the force they put through each leg, and why a wide angle can overload gear that looked more than strong enough
- Pre use inspection and the defects that take a sling, shackle or hook out of service on the spot
- The standard hand signals, radio discipline, what a blind lift needs, and what you do the moment communication is lost
- Landing areas, tag lines, exclusion zones and where to stand so the load can never reach you
How completing this course helps you
- The NPORS N402 Slinger Signaller category, registered with NPORS and recognised nationally
- An NPORS Red Trained Operator card, or a Blue Competent Operator card where you hold the relevant NVQ, carrying the CSCS logo while your CITB Health, Safety and Environment test is in date
- The competence a lift plan is relying on when it names a slinger and a signaller
- A route into the N405 Crane Lift Supervisor and then the N401 Appointed Person if you want to plan lifts rather than carry them out
Who should attend?
Groundworkers, steel erectors, scaffolders, riggers, plant operators, yard and warehouse staff, precast and modular crews, dock and port workers and anyone who attaches loads to a crane hook or directs a crane. It suits people who have been slinging for years without a card as much as people who have never done it, and there is a route for each. If you supervise the lift rather than sling it, look at the N405 instead.
Entry requirements. You should be at least eighteen, fit enough for site work including handling chains and slings, and have a working understanding of spoken and written English for the theory test and for signalling, though interpreters can be arranged on request. There is no prior card requirement. For the version of the card that carries the CSCS logo you need a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass taken within the last two years, which we book for you. Bring your date of birth and National Insurance number for the NPORS registration, and tell us at enquiry which crane type you work with so we test you on the right machine.
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Course content
What you will cover
Classroom on the law, the accessories and the signals, then the yard: rigging real loads, directing the crane and being tested on both.
The law, the gear and the signals
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, LOLER 1998 and PUWER 1998 as they apply to slinging and signalling
- The lifting team under BS 7121 and where the slinger signaller sits in it
- Load assessment: weight, centre of gravity, lifting points and information sources
- Types of lifting accessory and their safe working loads, marking, colour coding and certification
- Sling angles, mode factors and the forces created by the way a load is rigged
- Pre use inspection, thorough examination and the defects that condemn an accessory
- Standard hand signals, radio procedure, blind lifts and loss of communication
- Exclusion zones, landing areas, tag lines, proximity hazards and adverse weather
Slinging and directing real loads
- Selecting and inspecting the accessories for the load in front of you
- Attaching, balancing and securing loads of different shapes and weights
- Using tag lines to control a swinging or turning load
- Directing the crane by hand signal and by radio through lift, travel and land
- Preparing and protecting the landing area, and setting the exclusion zone
- Releasing the load, checking the accessories and returning them to store
Method of assessment
How the N402 slinger signaller test works
NPORS test the category on theory and in practice. Training and assessment run together across the course, then you sit a theory test and a practical test in which you rig and direct real loads.
1. Enquiry and group
Tell us how many people, where, and which crane they work with. Three candidates sit the novice course with one instructor and one machine; six can sit the experienced worker test. We quote per group.
2. Pre course check
We work out who is a novice, who is an experienced worker and who is due a refresher, check whether the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test is in date for the CSCS logo version of the card, and take the details NPORS need.
3. Training
Classroom on the law, the accessories and the signals, then straight into the yard. Most of the time is hands on, rigging different loads and directing the crane.
4. Theory test
The NPORS theory test covering legislation, accessory selection and inspection, sling angles, signals and site safety.
5. Practical test
You select and check the accessories, rig the load, direct the crane through the lift, control the load and land it, then release and put the gear away. Assessed against the NPORS test specification.
6. Registration and card
We register the pass with NPORS and apply for your card. With a valid CITB Health, Safety and Environment test it carries the CSCS logo, as a Red Trained Operator card or a Blue Competent Operator card if you hold the relevant NVQ.
After the course
Where the slinger fits, and where you go next
A lift plan names a slinger and a signaller, and the site will ask to see their cards before the crane turns a wheel. That is why employers rarely book this course on its own. The N401 Appointed Person writes the plan, the N405 Crane Lift Supervisor runs it on the day and the N403 Vehicle Marshal keeps the deliveries and the crane movements apart. We can put a whole crew through in one visit and sequence the courses around your work.
If you want to go further, the N405 Crane Lift Supervisor is the usual next step for a slinger who is already running the job in practice, and the N401 Appointed Person follows for people who want to plan lifts rather than carry them out. On the card, the NPORS category is the qualification and the CSCS logo is separate: the logo version needs a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass taken within the last two years. Without an NVQ the card is a Red Trained Operator card, and with the relevant NVQ it becomes a Blue Competent Operator card.
- N405 Crane Lift Supervisor, the usual next step for an experienced slinger
- N401 Appointed Person for planning lifts rather than carrying them out
- CITB Health, Safety and Environment test booked with us for the CSCS logo version of the card
- Refresher at one day when the card comes up for renewal
Build your course
Who is coming, and how many
We do not run these to a timetable. The course is built around your people: how experienced they are and how many of them there are, which is what sets the length and the cost. Pick the mix and we will come back with a date and a price.
The course builder needs JavaScript. Without it, tell us how many people and what experience they have and we will price it up.
N402 Slinger Signaller FAQs
The slinger works out the load, picks the accessories and attaches it to the hook. The signaller directs the crane, keeps the area clear and gives the operator the information the cab cannot see. On most UK sites the same person does both, and NPORS train and test them as one category.
Two days for a novice. If you already sling and signal day to day, the experienced worker route is a test focused day. The refresher for an existing card is also a day. We work out which route suits each person at enquiry.
NPORS allow three candidates with one instructor and one machine on the novice course and on the refresher. The experienced worker test allows six, which is why it often makes sense for a crew already doing the work.
The N402 category covers slinging and signalling generally, and training is delivered against the crane types you work with, including wheeled mobile, crawler, tower, overhead travelling, lorry loader, side boom and excavators lifting suspended loads. Tell us which machine you work next to and we test you on it.
The NPORS N402 category. Without an NVQ that is a Red Trained Operator card; with the relevant NVQ it is a Blue Competent Operator card. Either carries the CSCS logo only while you hold a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass taken within the last two years. A traditional NPORS card without the logo suits work outside construction.
Only for the version of the card that carries the CSCS logo, and it must have been passed within the last two years. We book the test for you alongside the course, so nothing holds the card application up.
No. The experienced worker route exists for exactly that, and is a test focused day rather than a taught course. We will ask what you lift and how often, and be straight with you if the two days would serve you better.
Yes, and it is usually the better option because you are tested on your own crane, your own gear and your own loads. If the plant cannot be spared we arrange a venue near you instead. Either way there is no timetable to fit round: the course runs when it suits your work.
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.
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