Telehandlers get recognition with new training qualification

A new qualification for operators of telescopic handlers (telehandlers) at Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) is set to fill a long awaited gap for staff and employers working on construction sites who, until now, have had nowhere to go, to get professional training.

Tai Poutini Polytechnic’s new Short Award in Telehandler Operations has been developed in conjunction with industry and the industry training body, Infratrain, to provide telehandler training in a construction context.

TPP lead tutor, Phillip Hawken, says telehandlers are a multipurpose four wheel drive machine and are used more and more on construction sites around New Zealand because of their versatility.

“Today’s announcement is a credit to industry and the training organisation who have worked together to deliver the new telehandler programme.”

A telehandler is a cross between a tractor and a forklift; it has a sliding telescopic boom which can have different attachments fitted to suit the task at hand. If fitted with a bucket it works like a loader, a jib turns it into a mini crane and a fork turns it into a forklift, Hawkins says. The telehandler can also be used as an elevated work platform.

Infratrain project manager, Mike Ruki, says it reviewed and improved the scope of the unit standard which in the past only provided training for telehandlers working in agriculture.

After hosting the first on site training programme, major South Island construction company Calder Stewart Limited has decided to put all its telehandler operators through the new programme. Following the success of the pilot occurrence, they have decided that any employee handling telehandler equipment should take part in the programme.

Calder Stewart health and safety manager Allan McDonald says, “We hadn’t been able to find anyone who provided training for telehandlers in a construction context so we were pleased to hear that Tai Poutini Polytechnic was working on providing telehandler training.”

The training which can be conducted nationwide, has a number of options which include: Wheels and Forks licence endorsements, a TPP issued OSH Forklift Operators Certificate, working with workplatforms, the use of safety harnesses and working with a range of different attachments required in the industry. A qualification in telehandler operations was a logical addition to the suite of training opportunities already provided by TPP for the Height Access Industry.

To enquire about training for your company please contact Tai Poutini Polytechnic, free phone 0800 800 411 or e-mail info@tpp.ac.nz

ENDS