Plant operator training and key responsibilities

Plant operators drive, operate and maintain large construction machines and equipment on construction sites, such as excavators, dumpers and cranes. Plant machinery is also heavily used at quarries, road maintenance sites and other industrial sites. Here we explore how to train to become a plant operator, their key responsibilities and some of the machines they work on.

What is a construction plant?

Plant refers to any of the heavy vehicle machinery on a construction site that moves material at scale – the equipment needed to clear, landscape or prepare a site, for example. These are the ‘big beasts’ of any building site – the diggers, dumpers and loaders that require a driver and plenty of training to be able to handle with control.

The different types of plant

There are many types of plant machinery, and plant operators tend to specialise in just one of them – let’s take a look at some of the machinery you could be operating.

Excavators

Excavators are versatile heavy-duty machines that dig and move materials such as earth, rock and stone. Featuring a 360-degree rotating cab and digging arms, excavators can also be equipped with buckets, shears and breakers to perform a variety of tasks, including:

• Creating trenches
• Moving material around a site
• Demolition
• Landscaping
• Mining
• Driving piles and shafts into the ground
• Snow removal

Dumpers

Dumpers are used solely for transportation, carrying large loads of materials across construction sites. Featuring a large skip sitting in front of the cabin, the material can be loaded and dumped in full or partial loads to the designated area. The dumper most commonly used in construction include:

• High-tip skip dumpers
• Swivel skip dumpers
• Heavy-duty front-tip dumpers
• Tracked dumpers and carriers

Telehandlers

Telehandlers feature a large extendable arm – or boom – to lift, move and place materials at height. Telehandlers can be multi-functional, with attachments such as forks, winches and buckets allowing them to complete a wide range of jobs on site. They are commonly used to:

• Stage initial materials
• Lift and move pallets
• Transport suspended loads
• Clean up a site at the end of a job

Backhoes                   

Backhoes are capable of both digging and loading materials. A general-purpose machine, they are found on most construction sites, often taking the place of excavators and wheeled loaders. They feature a front-end loader that lifts materials, as well as a back end loader which digs and moves materials from the same cab. They are typically used for:

• Small-scale demolitions
• Transportation of lightweight building materials
• Excavation and digging
• Landscaping
• Breaking up materials

Skills required to become a plant operator

Plant operators are in charge of huge machinery, so it is a highly skilled and well-paid job. There are other plant careers available too:

• Plant Inspector
• Plant Manager
• Plant Mechanic

Operating & maintaining heavy plant machinery

Plant operators usually specialise in one kind of machinery, such as excavators or bulldozers, so good driving skills and spatial awareness are necessary.

Construction machines have multiple gears, pedals and knobs – while operating all these parts simultaneously, you also need to keep your eyes on the worksite and your fellow workers. Knowing your machine like the back of your hand will help you work effectively and safely, and this will improve as you gain experience.

To operate plant machinery, you will need a CPCS card.

Working well as part of a team

Plant operators have to work closely with other colleagues on construction sites. They may have to communicate with slinger signallers, who are at ground level and tell the plant operator about movements they need to make with their machinery. This happens via radio or using hand signals, so excellent teamwork is key.

Plant operators work in all kinds of construction environments – they must be able to communicate clearly in order to work safely.

Good work ethic

Plant operators should have a very strong work ethic. Working around large construction machinery can be physically demanding, so being able to cope with hard manual labour is a key requirement for any plant operator.

Key responsibilities

Plant operators have an important job – they have a range of responsibilities relating to heavy machinery, and their knowledge of health and safety needs to be of a high standard. Find out more about the key responsibilities and daily duties of plant operators.

Repair and maintenance of machinery

As well as operating machinery, plant operators are responsible for repair and maintenance. This starts with basic safety checks, changing buckets and any other attachments they are using when necessary. This is usually carried out on a daily basic, so a basic knowledge of vehicle mechanics is required.

Preventative maintenance is also required, from cleaning and greasing machinery to verifying the condition of air brakes and carrying out emergency adjustments. Logs are usually kept to keep track of the equipment’s condition, so plant operators must be well-versed in operational and safety procedures.

Use of computers and software

There’s a lot of computing power behind the massive machinery which construct impressive structures. Plant operators can use handheld devices or an onboard computer, which are used to locate underground pipes and wires, follow plans, control mechanisms and attachments and more.

Plant operators can also be required to use specialised software in their role – training is always provided for this, but a basic knowledge of how to work your way around a computer is essential.

Loading and moving materials

Key to a plant operator’s role is using heavy machinery and equipment to load, move or spread different materials or to help erect or demolish structures.

This ranges from helping with the excavation or demolition on building sites to assembling equipment and lifting building materials. This is often done in conjunction with other machinery, with the operators of cranes, compactors, excavators and diggers working closely with each other.

Plant operator training courses

Now we know some of the key skills required, daily responsibilities and a small selection of the machinery you could be working on – how do you train to become a plant operator?

NCC Courses

The National Construction College (NCC), run by CITB, has three sites across the UK which offer a wide range of plant operator training courses.

The training centres deliver first-class training in real-life construction environments administered by professionals. They offer courses which specialise in plant maintenance as well as plant operations and plant management. The training is renowned and very highly regarded within the industry, and is an excellent option for becoming an expert plant operator.

Some of the courses available include:

• CPCS Crane Supervisor A62
• CPCS Crawler Crane A02
• CPCS Forward Tipping Dumpers A09
• CPCS Mini Excavator A58
• CPCS Telescopic Handler A17
• Test and inspection of plant machinery
• Management of lifting operations in construction

The CITB Grants Scheme may cover the cost of training courses like this. Find out more.