High risk work licences

There are 2 classes of forklift work:

Forklift truck (LF)

This licence class allows you to operate a forklift truck, equipped with a mast and an elevating load carriage with a pair of fork arms or other attachment. This licence class is not for an order picking forklift truck.

Order-picking forklift truck (LO)

This licence class allows you to operate an order picking forklift truck where the operator's controls are incorporated and elevate with the load carriage/lifting media.

Telehandlers

If a telehandler is fitted with forks or a bucket, a high risk work licence is not required. However, the business (or employer or other person conducting a business or undertaking) has a duty of care to ensure workers have appropriate training to operate a telehandler.

Related information

Visit Safe Work Australia for information about:

• workplace traffic management
• industrial lift trucks.

There are 3 classes of hoist work:

Boom-type elevating work platform (WP)

This licence class allows you to operate a telescoping device, hinged device, or articulated device (or any combination of these) used to support a platform on which personnel, equipment and materials may be elevated to perform work and where the boom length is 11 metres or more.

The length of the boom can be measured in two ways. Use the longest meausurement of the following:

• vertical distance from the surface supporting the boom-type elevating work platform to the floor, with the platform extended to its maximum height
• horizontal distance from the centre point of the boom's rotation to the outer edge of the platform, with the platform extended to its maximum distance.

Telehandlers

A boom-type elevating work platform high risk work licence is required when operating a telehandler fitted with a personnel box with operating controls in the box and the boom length is 11 metres or more.

Materials hoist (HM)

With this licence class you are only allowed to hoist goods or materials. You cannot hoist personnel. The hoist’s car, bucket or platform is cantilevered from, and travels up and down externally to, a face of the support structure.

Personnel and material hoists (HP)

This licence class allows you to operate a hoist in which personnel, goods and/or materials may be hoisted, and which comprises a car, structure, machinery or other equipment associated with the hoist, and which may be either a cantilever hoist, a tower hoist, or a multiple winch operation.

Dogging (DG)

This licence class allows you to carry out work involving the application of slinging techniques to sling a load (including the selection and inspection of lifting gear) and/or the directing of a crane/hoist operator in the movement of a load when the load is out of the operator’s view.

You must hold the dogging class before you can progress to the rigging classes.

Rigging

Rigging work is the use of mechanical loadshifting equipment (and associated gear) to move, place or secure a load using plant, equipment or members of a building or structures to ensure the stability of those members, or the setting up or dismantling of cranes or hoists.

There are 3 classes of rigging work.

Basic rigging (RB)

This class includes dogging work and allows you to carry out rigging work involving:

• movement of plant and equipment
• structural steel erection
• hoists (including mast climbing hoists)
• precast concrete members of a structure
• safety nets and static lines
• perimeter safety screens and shutters
• cantilevered crane loading platforms

Excludes additional rigging work included under Intermediate and Advanced rigging.

Intermediate rigging (RI)

This class allows you to carry out all basic rigging work plus rigging involving:

• cranes, conveyors, dredges and excavators
• tilt slabs
• hoists with jibs and self-climbing hoists
• demolition of structures or plant
• dual lifts

Excludes rigging work involving equipment listed below under Advanced rigging.

Advanced rigging (RA)

This class allows you to carry out all intermediate rigging work plus rigging that involves:

• gin poles and shear legs
• flying foxes and cableways
• guyed derricks and structures
• suspended and fabricated hung scaffolds.

There are 12 crane classes and one reach stacker class. These classes allow you to carry out work involving:

• non slewing mobile cranes
• slewing mobile cranes
• vehicle loading cranes
• reach stackers
• derrick cranes
• portal boom cranes
• bridge and gantry cranes
• tower cranes
• self-erecting tower cranes
• concrete placing booms

See the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 for more detail on the different crane and reach stacker classes.

Non slewing mobile cranes

Non slewing mobile cranes greater than 3 t capacity (CN) and which incorporate a boom or jib that cannot be slewed.

They include:

• articulated type mobile cranes
• locomotive cranes
• non-slewing telehandlers (over three tonnes capacity, fitted with a boom and/or jib with a hoist rope and/or hook block).

Note: Does not include vehicle tow trucks.

Slewing mobile cranes

Slewing mobile cranes incorporate a boom or jib that is capable of being slewed.

Note: Does not include front end loaders, backhoes, excavators and other earthmoving equipment when configured for crane operation.

There are four classes of slewing mobile cranes, each with a different capacity:

• up to 20 t (C2) - incorporating CN and CV classes
• up to 60 t (C6) - incorporating C2, CN and CV classes
• up to 100 t (C1) - incorporating C6, C2, CN and CV classes
• over 100 t (C0) - incorporating C1, C6, C2, CN and CV classes

Telehandler

If a slewing telehandler is fitted with a boom and/or jib with a hoist rope and/or hook block, a C2, C6, C1 or C0 high risk work licence is required, dependent on the telehandler's rated capacity.

Vehicle loading cranes

Vehicle loading cranes with a capacity of 10 mt or more (CV) are mounted on a vehicle to move a load onto or from the vehicle, including the application of load estimation and slinging techniques to move a load.

A CV licence holder can operate a vehicle loading crane and conduct the full range of slewing operations without holding a slewing mobile crane licence, so long as the:

• equipment is suitable for the task
• equipment is used within its operating parameters
• operator has been adequately trained.

Reach stackers

Reach stackers greater than 3 t capacity (RS) are mobile stackers that incorporate an attachment for lifting, moving and travelling with a shipping container, but does not include a portainer crane.

Derrick cranes (CD)

Derrick cranes (CD) are slewing strut-boom cranes, with their booms pivoted at the base of a mast, which are:

• either guyed (guy-derrick) or held by backstays (stiff-legged derrick), and
• capable of luffing under load.

Portal boom cranes (CP)

Portal boom cranes (CP) are boom or jib cranes mounted on a portal frame that is supported on runways along which the crane travels.

Bridge and gantry cranes (CB)

Bridge and gantry cranes (CB) are a bridge crane or gantry crane that is:

• controlled from a permanent cabin or control station on the crane, or
• remote controlled with more than three powered operations (hoist, raise and lower equals one operation), and
• including the application of load estimation and slinging techniques to move a load.

Tower cranes (CT)

Tower cranes (CT) are a jib or boom crane mounted on a tower structure, demountable or permanent, including both horizontal and luffing jib types.

Self-erecting tower cranes (CS)

Self-erecting tower cranes (CS) are where:

• the tower structure and boom/jib elements are not disassembled into component sections
• they can be transported between sites as a complete unit, with the erection and dismantling processes an inherent part of the crane's function.

Concrete-placing booms (PB)

Concrete-placing booms (PB) are knuckle type articulated booms, capable of power operated slewing and luffing to place concrete by pumping it through a pipeline attached to or forming part of the boom of the crane. Includes both vehicle and satellite mounted units.

Scaffolding work is the erection, alteration or dismantling of a temporary structure erected to support a platform from which a person or object could fall more than 4 metres from the platform or the structure.

There are 3 classes of scaffolding work:

Basic scaffolding (SB)

This licence class allows you to carry out scaffolding work involving:

• modular or prefabricated scaffolds
• cantilevered materials hoists with a maximum working load of 500 kg
• ropes and gin wheels
• safety nets and static lines, and
• bracket scaffolds (tank and formwork)

Excludes additional scaffolding work included under Intermediate and Advanced scaffolding.

Intermediate scaffolding (SI)

This licence class allows you to carry out all basic scaffolding work plus scaffolding work involving:

• cantilevered crane loading platforms
• cantilevered and spurred scaffolds
• barrow ramps and sloping platforms
• perimeter safety screens and shutters
• mast climbers
• tube and coupler scaffolds (including tube and coupler covered ways and gantries)

Excludes additional scaffolding work included under Advanced scaffolding.

Advanced scaffolding (SA)

This licence class allows you to carry out all intermediate scaffolding work plus scaffolding involving:

• cantilevered hoists
• hung scaffolds, including scaffolds hanging from tubes, wire ropes or chains
• suspended scaffolds

There are 4 classes of work involving pressure equipment:

Reciprocating steam engine (ES)

This licence class allows you to operate and use a reciprocating steam engine containing a piston of 250 mm or more in diameter, including expanding (steam) reciprocating engines.

Turbine operation (TO)

This licence class allows you to operate and use a steam turbine that has an output of 500 kW or more, and:

• is multi-wheeled, or
• is capable of a speed greater than 3600 rpm, or
• has attached condensers, or
• has a multi-stage heat extraction process.

Standard boiler (BS)

This licence class allows you to operate a standard boiler with a single fuel source that does not have a pre-heater, superheater or economiser attached.

Advanced boiler (BA)

This licence class allows you to operate a boiler, including a standard boiler, which may have one or more of the following:

• multiple fuel sources
• pre-heater
• superheater
• economiser.