How many of your labourers are legally allowed to operate machinery?

It is imperative that the person allocated to use the vehicle has the relevant training, license, or certificate needed. This responsibility falls on to the farm manager, so you need to know exactly who can operate what. It is important to note that each category of machine may have different requirements and different types of licenses, an operator must hold the appropriate license for the type of machinery they are operating and renew the license on a regular basis to maintain its validity. 

Why are these needed? 

Safety 

The most important reason for requiring an operator’s license is to ensure that the operator has the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to operate the machinery safely. The safety of your team is your responsibility.  

Legal compliance 

Many types of agriculture machinery are covered by regulations that require operators to be properly trained and licensed. By obtaining an operator’s license, a worker is demonstrating that they meet the legal requirements for operating the machinery. 

Career advancement 

Having an operator’s license can open up new job opportunities and can help a worker advance in their career. Many employers prefer to hire workers who are licensed to operate specific types of machinery. 

Training 

Operator licenses requires a worker to go through a training and assessment process, which in turn ensures that they have necessary knowledge and skill to operate the machine in a safe and efficient manner. 

Keep Personal files and documentation up to date 

Keeping a personal file on each employee is a good way to keep track of their level of qualification, but it isn’t an infallible system. The best solution, is to add the information as and when it happens, so the software builds an employee document automatically. Which means if the worker doesn’t meet the requirements to do a certain job, they cannot be assigned to it. Giving you confidence that only qualified, appropriate people, are being assigned the right jobs. If the tractor needs to go on roads, the driver may need a specific type of license. Depending on the tonnage being carried, you will require a goods vehicle operator’s license, or a certain specific variation.