Who this course is for
- Operators who lift with a mobile crane on construction, mining or industrial sites
- Crews carrying out planned lifts of plant, steel, precast and equipment
- Plant hire operators moving between crane sizes and configurations
- Supervisors who have to appoint competent crane operators for a lift plan
What you will be able to do after this course
- Inspect the crane, ropes, hooks and lifting gear before a lift
- Assess ground conditions and set up on outriggers correctly
- Read the load chart and work within rated capacity at a given radius and boom length
- Lift, slew and land a load accurately while working with a rigger or banksman
What the course covers
The course works through the Occupational Health and Safety Act Driven Machinery Regulations as they apply to lifting machinery, then through the crane and the planning that has to happen before the hook is loaded.
Learners cover crane components and controls, pre-use inspections, ground bearing pressure and outrigger set-up, load charts, radius, boom length and rated capacity, the effect of wind and side loading, lifting, slewing and landing, working with a rigger or banksman, hand and radio signals, working near overhead power lines, and shutting down and securing the crane. The lifting work is assessed practically.
How you are assessed and what you receive
Assessment covers a written knowledge test and a practical lift, where the learner inspects the crane, sets up, interprets the load chart and completes a supervised lift with a banksman. On successful completion the learner is certificated against SAQA unit standard 116254, and the certificate can be downloaded from the Fundza portal as well as issued directly.
What this certificate is worth
Crane operation is one of the most tightly controlled competencies on any site, because a failed lift puts everyone in the radius at risk. This certificate is what the Driven Machinery Regulations require and what a client or site safety officer asks for before a crane is signed onto site. Learners can download it from the Fundza portal at any time.
Duration, dates and fees
| Option | Duration | Fee | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full course | 5 Days | R6,010 | First-time certification |
| Refresher | 1 Day | R1,204 | Already certified, renewing |
On-site delivery at your own operation is available and is usually the better option for a crew, because load charts and ground conditions differ by machine and site. For group bookings, tell us how many people need certifying and where they are based.
Where and how the training runs
Training runs at the Fundza Training Institute centre in Mokopane, and on site at your own operation. On-site delivery is generally better for a lifting crew, since the operator, rigger and banksman can be trained together on the machine they work with. For a group booking, tell us how many people need certifying and where they are based, and we will come back with dates and a quotation.
Mobile crane and heavy crane: how they differ
| Mobile crane (this course) | Heavy crane | |
|---|---|---|
| What it certifies | Mobile crane operation | Heavy lifting machinery operation |
| Unit standard | SAQA 116254 | SAQA 242982 |
| Typical work | Planned lifts on construction and industrial sites | Larger capacity lifting on industrial and mining plant |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
Both cover lifting machinery under the same regulations. Which one a site asks for depends on the class of crane the operator will be appointed on.
Where this course can take you
Mobile crane operation sits at the top of the lifting stack at Fundza. Crews normally pair it with Sling and Communicate during Crane Operation and Slings Load, so the rigger and banksman working with the operator are certificated too. Browse the full range of lifting machinery training.
Enquire about this course
Tell us how many people need certifying and where they are based, and we will come back with dates and a quotation.