City and Guilds 0039-27 Felling Utility Poles: what the handbook says
Number, Ofqual reference, hours, entry award, assessment time and unit content for the Level 2 Certificate of Competence in Felling Utility Poles.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The pages used are the City and Guilds NPTC handbook for the award, the NPTC scheme page and the City and Guilds 2026 fees list. The award covers felling utility poles. The guide on chainsaw and tree work tickets by country gives the short summary. This page adds the handbook detail.
At a glance
| Item | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| Awarding body | City and Guilds, under the NPTC name |
| Title | Level 2 Certificate of Competence in Felling Utility Poles |
| City and Guilds number | 0039-27 |
| Ofqual number | 603/7884/0 |
| Guided learning hours | 8, with a total qualification time of 10 (handbook version 1.5, May 2025) |
| Age | 16 or over |
| Grading | Met or not met |
| Unit | 208, Utility pole felling |
| Status in the 2026 list | Open to certification, registration expiry December 31, 2027, certification expiry December 31, 2030 |
What the handbook says it covers
The handbook says the award is for people who operate around utility services as part of their work in arboriculture, forestry or other industries. Its cover list runs: hazards, risks, controls and emergency procedures, factors to consider when felling utility poles, and felling utility poles. It says successful candidates could go on to develop other skills within the utility arboriculture suite of qualifications. It is not part of an apprenticeship framework.
Entry requirements
The handbook says candidates must have achieved 0039-20, the Level 2 Certificate of Competence in Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross-Cutting, or an equivalent version, and sets a minimum age of 16. It lists no felling award as an entry requirement.
Assessment
The handbook describes one assessment type: a one to one practical assessment with oral questioning by an approved City and Guilds NPTC assessor. Grading is met or not met. It says assessments should take no longer than 1.5 to 3 hours. Candidates have to finish within 24 months of the date of initial registration, and registration is valid for two years. The unit text says assessors must hold a current First Aid at Work certificate.
What the unit text lists
The unit has one learning outcome with three criteria: hazards, risks, controls and emergency procedures; factors to consider when felling utility poles; and felling utility poles. The planning list in the handbook begins with confirming the geographical and electrical location and identifying the poles to be removed. It then lists site conditions, a safe working distance of at least two pole lengths from anyone not involved, no one directly below on steep slopes, a whistle for every operator on site, accurate identification of underground and overhead wayleaves, and warning signs set up under the street works and road works rules. It adds extra measures, such as a banksman, if anyone could enter the two pole length exclusion zone.
On the pole itself the handbook lists confirming that cables and conductors have been disconnected and removed by the utility company, taking metalwork off to working height, identifying any adjacent live electrical apparatus, and the risk from a metal collar at the base and from nails and screws, which could damage a chainsaw or cause kickback. It says a pole may be heavily impregnated with creosote or preservative, and lists a COSHH assessment, protective equipment and dust and fume inhalation among the factors for disposing of a contaminated pole.
For pulling equipment the handbook lists pole size, system loading, configuration and compatibility of components and safe working load. For attaching a rope or winch it lists reaching the working position by climbing or by mobile elevating work platform, with a suitable ladder if used in line with good practice, and attachment points installed at a minimum of 2.2m above the felling height. It says offset pulling should be used when the two pole length distance cannot be kept, on sloping ground, to move an operator to a safer position, or to divert pulling directions. The dangers it names once the cuts are done are stay wires or cables still attached and holding the pole, a pole that does not move even with a hinge formed, a pole that bounces up or back off obstacles, and a pole that slides or rolls on a slope. For a pole that has sat back against the intended direction it lists a felling lever, a wedge in the felling cut, a small cut into the back of the pole with a lever or wedge, new felling cuts in the direction of lean if the site allows, and a rope or winch assisting system.
The assessed felling covers inspecting the pole for rot or decay, choosing the method and safe working zones, selecting escape routes, a sink of the right dimensions, a hinge of adequate size, using escape routes as soon as the pole begins to fall, and checking the site once it has fallen. The pole is left in a safe, stable condition.