Earthmover Training & Certification Course

OSHA requires earthmover training for earthmover operators—on that, there is no question. Where confusion exists is how often operators need earthmover refresher training or recertification. Outside of the initial safety training class, OSHA requires earthmover operators to be re-evaluated every three years to determine if they are still competent enough to operate.

However, three years is the maximum time that is allowed to pass before an operator receives earthmover recertification. According to OSHA, there are several instances that will require additional earthmover safety training and observation before the three-year period is up:

Yes, you need to take an earthmover operator safety training course. No matter how long you’ve been on the job, OSHA requires earthmover safety training, an earthmover written exam, and a practical earthmover evaluation. There is no way around it. The extent of the classroom training can be adapted by the instructor according to student needs. The written exam proves mental competency and understanding of the safety principles taught. And the practical evaluation proves the earthmover operator not only understands but is capable of operating safely. Many of our customers believe the practical evaluation has the greatest overall value.

This is a common question, especially among laborers-for-hire who may sub out from job to job. Technically, it is your current employer who is responsible for saying whether or not you have been trained specifically for the type of earthmover and job. If you bring an earthmover certificate or earthmover license (wallet card) to your new employer, they do not have to accept it. It is their right to require you to take their own training class. This is because if there is an accident, they will likely be responsible and need to prove to OSHA that they trained you on earthmover operations.

This, above all, causes a lot of confusion. Bottom line, OSHA states that employers are responsible to train their employees. Generally speaking, there are three ways they can do this:

In terms of using a 3^rd party’s safety training materials (like our earthmover training kits on CD or our earthmover online training classes), OSHA does not recognize one company over another. They simply state that ‘training needs to occur’ and ‘here are the things a earthmover operator should be trained on.’

When we do live training or offer earthmover safety training online, people often assume we are the ones certifying the trainees. This is not true for any training company. We are simply assisting the employer by providing live earthmover safety training or the training materials needed to help them certify their own employees.

The online earthmover training class covers OSHA’s requirements for the classroom portion. Many employers prefer online training because they know exactly what type of earthmover training the operator will receive. In live classes, the training sometimes varies. A written exam is included at the end of our online training courses. After the earthmover class and exam are finished, you and your safety managers will have immediate access to a practical evaluation checklist. This can be printed off and used by your supervisor to help him or her evaluate how safely and competently you use your earth-moving machinery. When done, they can sign it and file it with your exam. This will satisfy OSHA’s requirements for earthmover certification.

No. OSHA states that the earthmover manufacturer must approve the use of a specific earthmover attachment. Too often, we see earthmover operators using personnel work platforms (man baskets) or other attachments that are made by different manufacturers. They assume that because their earthmover is equipped to use such an attachment, it is okay to use any brand. Not true. If you are operating a Caterpillar earthmover, then you must contact Caterpillar and get their written approval to use any attachment, especially if they are of another brand. New capacity plates must be issued with any addition. Your operator’s manual will tell you if your earthmover can handle certain kinds of attachments or not.

Contrary to popular belief, OSHA does not dictate what a passing score entails. That is ultimately up to the employer, who is also responsible for certifying (or authorizing) their employee to operate an earthmover. If an employer chooses to pass their employee at 80% on the earthmover safety exam, that’s fine. But what if a question or two among the 20% missed could lead to an accident or death? Is it worth it? Our recommendation is that you always go over any missed questions with your trainees—even if they just missed one. Once they understand the principle missed, have them write their initials by the correct answer. That way, you are protecting them and those around them from potential accidents in the future.