How BETA keeps its standards
These are the rules behind every BETA card: how tests are marked, how centres are checked, and what happens when something goes wrong.
How tests are marked
- Theory
- 25 multiple-choice questions. Five are mandatory safety questions and all five must be right. Of the other 20, at least 16 must be right.
- Practical
- Faults carry penalty points. Up to 40 points is a pass. 41 or more is a fail.
- Immediate disqualification
- Operating without the seatbelt or restraint, travelling with an unstable or raised load, a collision, or dangerous driving ends the test at once.
- Both parts count
- A candidate must pass the theory and the practical. A strong result in one does not make up for the other.
The centre records the scores. BETA's system works out the result from them, and a BETA reviewer approves it before any card is issued. If the result written on the signed test sheet differs from the calculated one, the reviewer is shown the difference.
How centres are checked
Every submission is checked against the standard for the machine: how long the course ran, how many trainees the instructor had, and whether the instructor is approved for that machine.
Centres tell BETA about each test before it happens. That lets an auditor arrive unannounced and watch. Every centre is also visited at least once a year, and a centre with open findings is visited more often. The centres that hold a current approval are on the list of approved centres.
Nobody at BETA audits a centre they work for, own or are paid by. Where someone at BETA has an interest in a centre, people with no connection to it handle its approval and audits.
When something goes wrong
BETA investigates every report of malpractice, whether it comes from an audit, a complaint or a whistleblower. The sanction depends on how serious it is. Late paperwork leads to an action plan. Selling cards or falsifying a test leads to the centre losing its approval and the cards being revoked.
Where there is a risk to safety, BETA can suspend a centre, an instructor or a card while it investigates. A suspended card shows as Suspended on the very next check.
Complaints and appeals
A candidate can appeal a test result. A centre or instructor can appeal an approval decision or a sanction. Appeals are free and cannot be held against the person who makes one.
Send your appeal to BETA
Write within 20 working days of the decision, say why you think it was wrong, and attach any evidence.
Stage 1: review of the record
A BETA reviewer who had no part in the decision checks the marking sheet, the calculated result and the course record.
Stage 2: appeal panel
If you are not satisfied, a panel looks at it again. It includes an independent plant training specialist who does not work for BETA, and nobody who dealt with the case earlier.
The law the scheme is built around
In Great Britain, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require employers to make sure people who use work equipment are adequately trained. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) add duties for lifting equipment, including thorough examination. For lift trucks, the HSE's approved code of practice L117 sets out what operator training should cover.
BETA's standards are written with those duties in mind. A BETA card is evidence of training and testing. The legal duty to train and authorise operators stays with the employer.