This awareness-level qualification introduces learners to:

• The particular hazards of lifting operations in the offshore environment
• The legal framework, including the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and PUWER 1998
• The application of offshore installations legislation and HSE guidance
• The types of lifting equipment and lifting accessories used offshore
• The roles and responsibilities within a lift, including the appointed person, banksman and slinger
• The principles of planning a safe lifting operation
• The importance of thorough examination, inspection and certification of lifting equipment
• Safe working loads, load integrity and the prevention of dropped objects
• Safe slinging, signalling and communication during lifting operations
• The reporting of defects, incidents and dangerous occurrences

• Dropped objects are a defining offshore hazard. A small item falling from height on a manned installation can be fatal, which is why secondary retention, dropped object surveys and exclusion zones exist.
• The environment adds hazards that onshore lifting does not have. Vessel motion, sea state, wind, restricted deck space, night operations and blind lifts all change the risk profile of an otherwise routine lift.
• Most people harmed by a lift are not performing it. Personnel walking through a lift zone, working beneath a load path or standing near a snagged sling are frequently the casualties, which is why awareness matters beyond the lifting team.
• Certification and inspection are legal requirements, not paperwork. LOLER sets out thorough examination duties, and using equipment that is uncertified, out of date, damaged or unmarked is a straightforward breach.
• Offshore lifts often cannot simply be redone. Weather windows, vessel availability and logistics create pressure to proceed, and personnel need the confidence to stop a lift regardless.
• Loads originate onshore. Poorly packed baskets, unsecured contents and incorrectly certified containers create offshore hazards that were built in at the supply base.

• Foundation-level (Level 1) awareness qualification for personnel working in and around offshore lifting operations
• Minimum of 4 hours’ instructional contact time, designed for flexible short-course delivery
• Delivered entirely online through the Britsafe learning management system (LMS) no physical classroom attendance is required
• Course materials are provided digitally (soft copy) via the LMS
• Assessed via an online examination through the Britsafe Examination Management System (EMS), with a minimum pass mark of 70%
• Certification issued with an anti-counterfeit hologram security seal, available both as a physical copy and as a soft (digital) copy
• Grounded in LOLER and PUWER as applied offshore, alongside the offshore safety case regime
• Covers dropped object prevention, exclusion zones and the offshore-specific factors that change lift risk
• Clearly positioned as awareness training that complements, and does not replace, OPITO-approved competence training
• Available fully online to learners in the UK and internationally

Knowledge developed:

• The offshore legal and regulatory framework, including LOLER, PUWER and the safety case regime
• Lifting equipment types, marking, certification and thorough examination requirements
• The role structure of a lifting operation and where authority sits
• Offshore-specific risk factors: motion, weather, restricted space, blind lifts and night working
• Dropped object prevention principles and exclusion zone discipline

Skills developed:

• Recognising damaged, uncertified or out-of-date lifting equipment
• Identifying when a load, container or basket has been prepared unsafely
• Staying clear of load paths and respecting exclusion zones
• Recognising when conditions have changed enough to warrant stopping a lift
• Raising concerns and exercising stop work authority appropriately
• Reporting dropped objects, near misses and equipment defects promptly

This Award is designed for personnel working in or around offshore lifting operations, including:

• Offshore production, maintenance and support personnel
• Deck crew support and stores personnel
• Onshore logistics, supply base and quayside staff preparing offshore cargo
• Warehouse and packing staff loading baskets and cargo carrying units
• Contractors and vendor personnel mobilising offshore
• New entrants to the offshore energy sector
• Offshore wind, decommissioning and marine renewables personnel
• Scaffolders, painters, insulators and other trades working near lifting operations
• Supervisors and team leaders responsible for personnel around lift zones
• HSE advisers and coordinators supporting offshore operations
• Onshore planners and logistics coordinators who influence how loads are prepared

No prior lifting qualification is required — this Award is intended as an accessible entry point into the subject.

There are no formal academic prerequisites for this Level 1 Award. It is open to learners aged 16 and above with a reasonable standard of spoken and written English, sufficient to engage with course materials and complete the assessment. No prior offshore or lifting experience is assumed.

Learners should note that working offshore in the UK sector separately requires valid offshore survival and safety training and a medical certificate, none of which this qualification provides.

Course content is structured around progressive learning blocks covering the offshore lifting risk picture; the legal and regulatory framework; lifting equipment and accessories; marking, certification, thorough examination and inspection; roles, responsibilities and competence; lift categorisation and planning; environmental factors offshore; dropped object prevention; exclusion zones and load paths; communication, signalling and blind lifts; offshore containers and cargo preparation; and stop work authority, reporting and incident learning.

Assessment is conducted through an online examination via the Britsafe Examination Management System (EMS). Learners must achieve a minimum score of 70% to pass.

On successful completion, learners receive a certificate, available both as a physical copy and as a soft (digital) copy. Results and certificates are typically issued promptly following successful completion.

While this Level 1 Award is a foundation awareness qualification rather than a competence credential, it provides relevant grounding for personnel in roles including:

• Offshore Support or Stores Operative
• Onshore Logistics, Supply Base or Quayside Operative
• Warehouse and Cargo Preparation Assistant
• Offshore Trades Assistant working near lifting operations
• HSE Assistant or Coordinator in offshore operations
• A foundation for those intending to pursue OPITO-approved banksman, slinger, rigger or crane operator training

• Offshore oil and gas production and drilling
• Offshore wind and marine renewables
• Offshore decommissioning and platform removal
• Subsea services and diving support operations
• Marine logistics, supply vessels and offshore support vessels
• Supply bases, quaysides and offshore logistics hubs
• Onshore terminals, refineries and gas processing facilities
• Heavy lifting and specialist rigging contractors
• Engineering, procurement and construction contractors serving offshore projects
• Inspection, maintenance and repair service providers

• Supports compliance with LOLER and PUWER as they apply to offshore operations
• Raises baseline awareness among personnel who work near lifts but do not perform them, a group frequently overlooked in lifting training
• Reduces dropped object incidents through better understanding of secondary retention and exclusion zones
• Improves the quality of loads and cargo carrying units prepared onshore, where many offshore lifting hazards originate
• Reinforces stop work authority as a practical expectation rather than a slogan
• Provides documented evidence of awareness training to support safety case and audit requirements
• Offers a fast induction route for contractors and vendor personnel mobilising to offshore assets

• A recognised, portable credential relevant across the offshore energy sector
• Understanding of a hazard that affects everyone on an installation, not only the lifting team
• A flexible short-course format (minimum 4 hours) suited to rotation and mobilisation schedules
• Confidence to challenge an unsafe lift and to use stop work authority
• A useful foundation before undertaking OPITO-approved competence training

Learners can apply this qualification directly to:

• Checking lifting accessories for damage, missing markings or expired certification before use is attempted
• Recognising an unsafely packed basket or cargo carrying unit and raising it before it ships
• Respecting exclusion zones and never crossing beneath a suspended load or load path
• Securing tools and small items at height to prevent dropped objects
• Recognising when wind, sea state or visibility has changed enough to pause a lift
• Following radio and hand signal protocols and understanding blind lift arrangements
• Reporting dropped objects, near misses and defective equipment through the correct channel
• Exercising stop work authority without hesitation when something looks wrong

This Award is best positioned as an awareness foundation ahead of competence-based training. Learners commonly progress into:

• OPITO-approved Banksman and Slinger training at the appropriate stage
• OPITO-approved Rigger and Crane Operator training
• Lifting equipment inspection and competent person training
• Appointed Person for lifting operations training
• Dropped object prevention and inspection programmes
• Working at height, confined space and permit to work training
• Broader occupational health and safety qualifications for supervisory roles

• OPITO-approved competence pathways for lifting roles in the offshore sector
• Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in lifting operations and mechanical handling
• Lifting equipment inspection and thorough examination competence routes
• Offshore HSE adviser and safety coordinator development pathways
• Broader occupational health and safety qualifications for those moving into management

Britsafe Qualifications UK Limited delivers this qualification fully online, making it accessible to learners across the UK and internationally without the need to attend a physical training centre.

Offshore lifting practice is highly internationalised, and the principles taught here — certification and inspection discipline, dropped object prevention, exclusion zone control and structured lift planning — align closely with recognised international offshore lifting and hoisting good practice.

This gives the qualification particular value for personnel working across multiple regions and for contractors mobilising internationally.

1. What does this qualification cover?
It covers offshore lifting at awareness level: the legal framework, lifting equipment and accessories, marking and certification, thorough examination and inspection, lifting roles and competence, lift planning, offshore environmental factors, dropped object prevention, exclusion zones, communication and signalling, cargo and container preparation, and stop work authority.

2. Does this qualify me to work as a banksman, slinger, rigger or crane operator?
No. This is critical to understand before purchasing. Those are competence-assessed roles requiring practical training and assessment, and the UK offshore sector recruits to OPITO-approved standards. This Award is awareness training for people who work around lifting operations. It will not be accepted in place of an OPITO-approved certificate, and no employer should treat it as such.

3. Does this qualification let me work offshore?
No. Working offshore in the UK sector requires valid offshore survival and safety training, an offshore medical certificate and employer-specific requirements. This Award is a subject qualification and does not provide any part of that access framework.

4. How is offshore lifting different from onshore lifting?
The deck may be moving, wind and sea state change constantly, space is confined, lifts are often carried out at night or with no direct line of sight, and anything dropped falls onto a manned installation or into the sea. Those factors change how lifts are planned, when they are stopped, and how strictly exclusion zones are enforced.

5. What is LOLER and does it apply offshore?
LOLER is the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, covering the strength, marking, positioning, planning, supervision and thorough examination of lifting equipment. It applies to offshore installations through the legislation extending health and safety law beyond Great Britain, alongside the offshore safety case regime.

6. Why does the course cover dropped objects in a lifting qualification?
Because they are inseparable offshore. Lifting operations generate a large share of dropped object incidents, and on a manned installation a falling item causes serious injury or death. Secondary retention, tool tethering, exclusion zones and dropped object surveys are treated as part of lifting safety rather than a separate topic.

7. I work onshore at a supply base. Is this relevant to me?
Yes, and arguably more than people assume. Baskets and cargo carrying units are packed, secured and certified onshore, and problems built in at that stage become offshore hazards. The course covers cargo preparation for that reason.

8. Who is this qualification aimed at?
Offshore support and trades personnel, stores and deck support staff, onshore logistics and supply base staff, contractors mobilising offshore, new entrants, and supervisors responsible for people working near lift zones.

9. Are there any entry requirements?
No formal prerequisites are required. Learners should have a reasonable standard of English and be aged 16 or above.

10. How long does the course take to complete?
The qualification has a minimum instructional contact time of 4 hours, making it a compact, focused course suitable for induction or mobilisation delivery.

11. How is the qualification assessed?
Through an online examination via the Britsafe Examination Management System, with a minimum pass mark of 70%.

12. Does it teach me to inspect or certify lifting equipment?
No. It teaches learners to recognise obvious defects, missing markings and expired certification so that equipment is taken out of use and reported. Formal inspection and thorough examination are competent person activities governed by LOLER and sit well above Level 1.

13. Is it relevant to offshore wind as well as oil and gas?
Yes. Lifting hazards, dropped objects and the effects of weather and vessel motion apply across offshore wind, decommissioning and marine renewables as much as to oil and gas, and examples are drawn from across the sector.

14. What materials are provided with the course?
Learners receive digital (soft copy) course materials via the Britsafe learning management system. The course is delivered entirely online; there is no physical classroom attendance or physical course material.

15. What happens after I pass the exam?
Successful learners receive a certificate from Britsafe Qualifications UK Limited, featuring an anti-counterfeit hologram seal for authenticity. The certificate is available both as a physical copy and as a soft (digital) copy.

16. Is this qualification recognised internationally?
Yes. Britsafe Qualifications UK Limited delivers this qualification fully online to learners across the UK and internationally.

17. Can this qualification lead to further study?
Yes. It provides a useful foundation before undertaking OPITO-approved lifting competence training and supports progression into higher-level lifting and health and safety qualifications.