AIPR — authorisation to work near utility networks

Plant operators and groundworkers, site managers and works supervisors, clients, project managers, design offices, surveyors and local-authority technical departments — plus the training providers that prepare candidates for the multiple-choice test and, for some of them, administer it as an examination centre.

What this scheme covers

• C.1Three profiles defined by the order of 22 December 2015: the designer, who prepares the project and the works declarations; the supervisor, who oversees execution on site; the operator, who drives plant or carries out the works. A designer attestation also covers the supervisor and operator roles, and a supervisor attestation also covers the operator role.
• C.2A distinction that is often missed: the AIPR is signed by the employer on the basis of proof of competence. The examination centre never issues the AIPR itself, only a competence attestation. A Cerfa form (no. 15465) is offered by the administration, but no particular template is imposed.
• C.3An examination in multiple-choice form, sat on an official platform: 40 questions for the designer and supervisor profiles, 30 questions for the operator profile, within one hour. Scoring awards 2 points per correct answer, 0 for no answer, and deducts 1 point per wrong answer.
• C.4A pass mark set at 60 % of the total points: 48 out of 80 for the designer and supervisor profiles, and 36 out of 60 for the operator profile.
• C.5A five-year validity, whether for the competence attestation obtained by examination or for the accepted equivalents. Beyond that, the proof of competence lapses and the employer can no longer rely on it to maintain the authorisation.
• C.6Equivalents to the examination: a CACES® R482 “earthmoving plant” certificate bearing the statement that it allows an AIPR to be issued, or a qualification, diploma or professional qualification certificate from the construction and civil engineering sectors, less than five years old and covering the anti-damage reform. Sitting the test is therefore not the only route.
• C.7Examination-centre status is open to training providers, subject to conditions: proving registration of the training activity declaration under article R. 6351-6 of the Labour Code — except for public-sector and local-authority training bodies —, returning the commitment form set out in the order, and having at least one trainer holding a valid “designer” competence attestation.

The link with Qualiopi

The AIPR says nothing about a provider's teaching quality: it is an employer authorisation backed by proof of individual competence. The bridge with Qualiopi lies in two places. First on funding: preparing for the test is a training action like any other, and funding it through pooled or public funds requires the provider selling it to hold Qualiopi certification. Second on examination-centre status: recognition requires registration of the training activity declaration, the same administrative starting point as Qualiopi. A civil engineering firm preparing its own staff in-house, by contrast, needs neither.

The process, summarised

1. 1.List the roles concerned and the profile matching each: designer for project preparation and declarations, supervisor for running the site, operator for driving plant and carrying out the works. An employee may change profile over their career; the highest profile covers the others.
2. 2.First check the equivalents already held: a CACES® R482 certificate bearing the relevant statement, or a construction or civil engineering qualification, diploma or professional qualification certificate less than five years old, may be enough. That is one fewer examination to fund.
3. 3.For the others, register staff for the examination with a recognised centre. Preparatory training is not compulsory: a candidate must be able to sign up for the examination alone if their employer considers they already hold the required knowledge.
4. 4.Collect the competence attestation issued on success, then draw up and sign the AIPR for each employee concerned — Cerfa form no. 15465 may be used, but a company's own document is accepted.
5. 5.Keep the authorisations available on site and update them when roles, employers or work scopes change.
6. 6.Track the deadlines: five years after the examination or the equivalent qualification, the proof of competence lapses. Plan the retake rather than discovering the problem during an inspection.
7. 7.For a training provider wanting to go further: put together an examination-centre application — proof of registration of the training activity declaration, signed commitment form, a valid “designer” attestation for at least one trainer — and send it to the ministry following the procedure published on the one-stop portal. Preparation and examination must remain two distinct services, offered independently of one another.