Safe Off Road and Desert Driving

This Product is for any person who is required to drive a vehicle (heavy or light) on graded roads, off road and/or in desert conditions, on company business, is employed as a driver (in the plant or on public roads), or is a local hire driver under company responsibility.

This Product aims to ensure that all personnel required to drive a vehicle off road and / in desert conditions, can do so safely and in line with relevant driving related laws/regulations.

The objectives of this training are that learners will be able to:

1) Identify and gain an understanding of local driving laws/ regulations, off road and desert driving hazards, vehicle familiarisation and safety features, journey planning, and safety/preventive measures when driving on graded roads, off-road, and in desert conditions.

2) Demonstrate driving a vehicle safely on graded roads, off-road and in desert conditions, using the right techniques and following road appropriate procedures.

Note: For certain specialist vehicles additional training may be required (Regional variations may apply). In such instances, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure appropriate training and assessments are undertaken by drivers.

Learners must hold:

A valid driver’s license for the type of vehicle intended to be used and which is valid in the location where training is to be conducted.

And

A valid initial training certificate for the safe operation of the vehicle category (heavy or light) which they will be operating off road and/or in desert conditions.

Medical entry requirements

Training activities contained within this Product may include physically demanding and potentially stressful elements. All personnel who participate in such activities must be capable of participating fully.

Therefore, OPITO-approved training centres are required, as a minimum, to ensure that prior to participating in practical exercises the learner is declared fit, in that they:

a)Possess an employing company approved medical certificate equivalent to an offshore medical certificate.

OR

b)Undergo medical screening by completing an appropriate medical screening form provided by the OPITO-approved Centre

The OPITO-approved Centre shall keep a record of the learners’ declaration(s) of fitness in accordance with their document control policy(s) or procedures. This information, along with summary details of the type of physical activities the learner will be asked to perform, will be given to learners by the OPITO approved Centre and, if applicable, to their sponsoring company as part of the joining instructions. The responsibility for declaring any current or pre-existing medical conditions that could have adverse effects to the individual’s state of health while undertaking the training and/or assessment activities lies with the learner and/or company sponsoring the learner. Where doubt exists regarding the fitness of any learner, the OPITO-approved Centre must direct the individual to consult a medical officer familiar with the nature and extent of the training.

Note: Practical exercises must be designed and delivered solely to meet this Product and must not place on the learners any demands other than those required to meet the Product.

To achieve the Safe Off Road and Desert Driving Training the learner will need to complete the 5 mandatory units.

The optimum guided learning hours for this training programme is 16 hours.

Following successful completion of the OPITO Safe Off Road and Desert Driving Training Programme, the Learner can undertake related driving operations as determined by their employers training and competence requirements.

Please note: If the expiry date on the learners previous certificate is within 3 months prior of the course enrolment date then the date of the new certificate should correspond with the expiry date of the existing/previous certificate unless stated otherwise by the Duty Holder or Asset Owner or Operator.