Who Should Go on NRSWA (New Roads and Street Works Act) Courses?

The New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) is a law that establishes guidelines and procedures for road works and street maintenance. Its purpose is to ensure safety, efficiency and minimal disruption while working on public highways. The law applies to undertakers, including utility companies, and works for road purposes that must be coordinated by street authorities.

The NRSWA covers a range of topics, including:

Excavation
Reinstatement
Signing, lighting and guarding
Location and avoidance of underground apparatus
Compaction of backfill materials
Reinstatement of sub-base and roadbase in non-bituminous materials

Through Easybook Training, you can book NRSWA training courses for supervisors and operatives. These are a vital part of the training and certification required by anyone working in street works and maintenance.

The NRSWA courses are made up of 18 units, split into 9 topics. The units cover the same basic areas, but the supervisor-level courses focus on ensuring the team is completing the work to the required standard. For example, if you're not doing any of the actual excavating or reinstating yourself, but need to monitor or supervise the operatives, you will require the NRSWA Supervisor training.

Classroom NRSWA training courses available through Easybook Training

NRSWA Operatives Course

Essential for any employee working on or next to public highways to make sure they can effectively carry out work to the required standards. The following units are covered:

LA - Location & avoidance of underground services
Unit 01 - Signing, Lighting & Guarding
Unit 02 - Excavation in the highway. Specifications, techniques, road types, materials
Unit 03 - Reinstatement & compaction of backfill materials
Unit 04 - Reinstatement of non-bituminous sub-base & road-base materials
Unit 05 - Laying practices and reinstatement of cold lay bituminous materials. Specification & types of materials.
Unit 08 - Reinstatement of modular surfaces & concrete footways

NRSWA Operatives Course (including Hot Lay)

This courses covers all the above units as well as Unit 06 - Reinstatement of hot-lay bituminous materials.

The NRSWA Operatives Course must be renewed every 5 years, and before the existing accreditation expires. If the accreditation is out of date, it must be retaken in its entirety. The reassessment can be completed on the NRSWA Operatives Re-Assessment Course.

NRSWA Supervisor Course

This 5-day NRSWA course is for supervisors who monitor operatives when they’re performing excavation, backfill and reinstatement duties. These are the units covered:

Unit LA - Location and Avoidance of Underground Apparatus
Unit S1 - Monitoring Signing, Lighting and Guarding
Unit S2 - Monitoring Excavation in the Highway
Unit S3 - Monitoring Reinstatement and Compaction of Back Fill
Unit S4 - Monitoring Reinstatement of Sub-base and Road Base in Non- Bituminous Materials
Unit S5 - Monitoring Reinstatement in Bituminous Materials
Unit S7 - Monitoring Reinstatement of Modular Surfaces and Concrete Footways

As per the operatives course, supervisors need to renew their accreditation within 5 years and can do so on the NRSWA Supervisor Re-Assessment Course. Failure to meet this deadline means the original 5-day will need to be retaken.

NRSWA Unit 1 Signing, Lighting and Guarding

A course that covers the installation of temporary traffic management measures, such as signs, cones, barriers and lights. It also delves into the importance of communication with the public and safe working practices that prevent accidents and injuries.

NRSWA Unit S1 Signing, Lighting and Guarding

This course teaches how to supervise the setting out of traffic lights, signs, cones and barriers in compliance with the NRSW Act.

NRSWA courses are an essential way to develop skills in street works road works and maintenance. For more information on the NRSWA courses, which one to take and where to take them, please contact us at Easybook Training. Call us today on 01892 543000.