Introduction
Becoming proficient in operating this equipment is an essential skill for everyone required to operate a hand or powered winch.
Overview in brief
This course will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to operate a winch safely, protecting both you and those around you.
The course offers the following range of certificate options:
- General winching theory and practice (mandatory)
- + Aquaculture (optional)
The finer details
This training course has been developed to help you understand how to operate a winch safely.
The amount of instruction you will require will depend largely upon your previous experience and sessions will be adapted to meet your needs. Course duration will depend on experience and will be from one to four days.
The training course will consist of theory and practical sessions, followed by assessment. Course sessions include:
- Winching Safety and the Law
- Controlling the Operation
- Winch Types
- Winch Cables/Ropes
- Winching Accessories
- Basic Winching Systems
- Mechanical Advantage
- Winching Systems - Additional Points to Consider
- Concluding the Task
- Practical Assessment
If successful in meeting the required standards assessed, you will be awarded a certificate of competence and a Lantra skills ID card for your chosen certificate option(s).
Who should attend?
This course is for you if you need to become proficient in safely operating a winch.
As you'll appreciate, this course contains some practical activity that will require a minimum level of fitness. If you have any concerns, please speak to the Provider.
What will be covered?
At the end of this course, you will confidently be able to:
- Recognise a range of tasks for which winches can be used
- Identify the health and safety requirements for winch operation and be able to carry out a risk assessment – including emergency procedures
- Understand the legislative requirements of winching operations
- Recognise the different types of winches and their inspection, maintenance and potential uses
- Recognise and understand safe working practices for winching
- Understand working signals and be able to control an operation
- Be aware of a range of different winch cables, ropes and accessories and their inspection, maintenance and uses
- Understand load rating terminology and how different configurations can affect the ratings
- Recognise when to remove equipment from service
- Plan and set up basic winching systems for a range of winches
- Recognise the safety zones/procedures for different winching operations
- Understand the basics of mechanical advantage (use of pulleys) and how this can be used to facilitate a winching operation
- Understand how different factors can affect the winching operation
- Demonstrate different winching operations: straight line; offset and double-line pulls applicable to the type of winch being used
- Understand how to conclude the operation and make the site safe.