SA001A - Overhead Safety Awareness

This accreditation SA001A covers three modules: 

▪ Ladder safety 

▪ Pole checking and climbing 

▪ Joint user poles 

It provides learners with the knowledge of hazards and potential risks involved in working safely on ladders and wooden poles in a telecommunications environment. It also helps learners’ awareness of compliance with health and safety legislation. The accreditation tests learners’ knowledge of dangers associated with these works and the safety precautions required while working on ladders and wooden poles. 

This accreditation ensures that supervisors and planners who require an awareness of ladders and poles safety are accredited to Industry and National Occupational Standard (NOS). This accreditation is aimed at supervisors and planners working in a telecommunications environment. This accreditation does not cover roof top working. The purpose of this accreditation guide is to also set out the quality assurance arrangements for the assessment and verification of Smart Awards telecommunications programmes and to provide centres with a consistent approach to assessment. 

There are no formal entry requirements and Smart Awards will not restrict access on the grounds of prior academic attainment, age, employment, geographic location, or any other grounds. There are no barriers that restrict access or progression, thereby promoting equality. It is expected however that learners will have a level of literacy adequate to cope with both the theory assessments. 

However, the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) requires at least one person on site to hold a Street Works card to work on the highway. This Smart Awards accreditation is based on a pre-requisite that any work on the highway requires appropriate Street Works accreditation to be held by an individual working on site, and that this individual is qualified to check that the planned provision of footways, traffic lanes and safety zones determined by the site survey meets with the requirements of the site location and approved procedures and practices required by the NRSWA 1991.