Posted By Marcus74 Hi I am looking for some opinions regarding Lathe use, competency and training. I work in a Department where most of the employees are qualified Engineers. Although the job is Engineering orientated there is very little practical engineering carried out and as such with the exception of an Angle Grinder and Pillar Drill, there are is no other Engineering Equipment in our workshop and our Engineers seldom use any from other areas of the factory. I have been informed that the Dep't are intending to purchase a small lathe and therefore am starting to look at who would be deemed "Competent" to either use, or train people internally to use it. Whilst there are a few Engineers within the Dept who have been trained in the use of lathes, in all instances this training was carried out many years ago and with the nature of our business they also will not have used a Lathe for some years (not regularly, if at all). Based on the above, and my understanding of competency, my opinion is that from a Health & Safety viewpoint, none of the Engineers would be deemed as competent based on the fact that they are no longer regularly using a lathe and there training and experience is quite dated. Lathe technology may have changed in the years that they have been absent from use and there skills would not be as sharp as someone working on the equipment regularly. My suggestions are that either: The Engineers with "previous" experience undertake some form of refresher training to bring them up to date. or One Engineer undertakes the refresher training and then roles this out internally to the other engineers who have "previous" experience. I could then put a Safe System of Work in place to ensure that only these people had access to the lathe and that also their training was kept up to date with maybe 3 yearly refreshers. Do you agree with any of the above or do you think that their "previous" Experience, Training, Knowledge is enough to deem them Competent ? Thanks in advance.

Posted By Mitch Marcus, Speak to the supplier they should be able to provide basic training and familiarisation of equipment, then don't forget your PUWER Reg's etc. Mitch