City and Guilds 0037-03 Thorough Examination of Arboricultural Equipment: what the handbook says

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, the City and Guilds 2026 fees list and the Lantra Awards specification. The award is for the person who carries out the thorough examination of climbing and rigging gear under the lifting equipment rules. The guide on gear inspection rules covers the rules themselves. This page covers the award.

At a glance

Item	What the official source says
Awarding body	City and Guilds, under the NPTC name
Title	Level 3 Certificate of Competence in Thorough Examination of Arboricultural Equipment
City and Guilds number	0037-03
Ofqual number	603/7883/9
Guided learning hours	24, with a total qualification time of 28 (handbook version 1.3, January 2026)
Age	16 or over
Grading	Pass only
Unit	301, Thorough examination of arboricultural equipment
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, and that it is designed for those who wish to be competent in thorough examination of arboricultural equipment. It lists twelve areas: legislation and guidance, lifting operations and equipment, Category 3 personal protective equipment, terms and standards, evidence of conformity, individual competency, checks, inspection and examination, personal fall protection systems, equipment types and storage, damage and defects, records and markings, and completing an examination. It says the Arboricultural Association took part in developing the award. It is not part of an apprenticeship framework.

Entry requirements

The handbook sets a minimum age of 16 and names no prior award. The at-a-glance box says centres must make sure any pre-requisites stated in the "Who is this qualification for?" section are met, and that section names none.

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 pass only. Its time constraints name no length for the assessment itself. 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

For the law, the handbook describes the lifting equipment regulations as aimed at making sure lifting operations are planned and lifting equipment is thoroughly examined at suitable intervals by a competent person. It describes the management of health and safety regulations as requiring a risk assessment of a lifting operation, the work equipment regulations as applying to all work equipment including lifting equipment, the personal protective equipment regulations, and the work at height regulations. It defines a lifting operation as lifting, lowering or suspending a load, and says a load may include a person. It says Category 3 protective equipment is intended to protect users from the risks of falling from height.

It defines the terms minimum breaking strength, working load limit, safety factor and safe working load, and says the safe working load may be lower than the working load limit. It lists three kinds of check: the pre-use check, the interim recorded inspection for items with high wear, and the thorough examination. The thorough examination, it says, should happen at least every 6 months for equipment used for lifting people or an accessory for lifting, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, in line with an examination scheme and after exceptional circumstances. Those it names are an accident or dangerous occurrence, a significant change in conditions of use, a long period out of service, modification or repair, excessive shock loading or impact, and contamination.

The equipment that needs thorough examination, in the handbook's list, is harnesses, ropes, connectors, pulleys, slings, lowering devices, ascenders and descenders, lanyards, friction savers, friction cord and chainsaw lanyards. It gives karabiner shapes (oval, D, offset D, and pear shaped) and sling strength ratings from the sling standard: a basket hitch at 0 degrees between the legs doubles the working load limit, at 90 degrees it is 1.4 times, and a choker is 0.8 times. Damage lists run separately for metal items (corrosion, loss of cross section, abrasion, cracks, burrs, faulty moving parts, deformation) and textile items (cuts, abrasion, heat damage, age, overloading, chemicals, deformation).

For records, the handbook lists purchase information, the maker's instructions, evidence of conformity, interim inspection records and the examination record. The handbook says the examination report must carry the competent person's name, address, qualifications and employment status, the date of the previous examination, the date of this one, the latest date for the next, the date of the report and the maker's dates. It must also carry a description and unique identifier of the item, its date of manufacture where known, minimum breaking strength, safe working load, details of any defect or remedial action, the justification for the decision and any calculations, and a statement of whether the item is safe for use.

The Lantra Awards thorough examination award

Lantra Awards has its own Level 3 Award in Thorough Examination of Arboricultural Lifting Equipment, Ofqual number 610/6136/0. Its specification gives 23 guided learning hours and a total qualification time of 25, with one mandatory unit. The operational start date is September 1, 2025. It sets no formal entry requirement, says it is not appropriate for learners under 16, and is graded pass or fail. Its stated aim is that the learner has what is needed to act as the competent person for the thorough examination of arboricultural lifting equipment.