Plant design registration

This page explains what a plant design registration is, the eligibility requirements and how to apply.

Key information

Working with plant items such as cranes and lifts can cause death or serious injury. That’s why the design of some items of plant must be registered with SafeWork NSW or a corresponding work health and safety (WHS) regulator.
Plant design registration applies to all plant items manufactured to the same design.
Manufacturers, importers and suppliers of plant are prohibited from supplying plant unless the design of that plant is registered.
Design registration in NSW may not be required if the plant design is registered in another state.

When plant design registration is needed

Eligibility

The designer of the plant, or the person with management or control of the item, such as the owner or lessee, must register the design of the plant.

The designer of the plant must complete the designer and design verifier statement (PDF, 2140.45 KB), to confirm the design was produced in accordance with published standards and engineering principles (if applicable).

This statement must be verified by an independent design verifier and submitted with the application to register the plant design.

Plant designs that must be registered

The designer, owner or lessee must register the design of the following items:

vehicle hoists
amusement devices covered by section 2.1 of AS 3533.1:2009, with some exceptions
building maintenance units
concrete placing booms
prefabricated scaffolding
mast climbing work platforms
work boxes suspended from cranes
boom type elevating work platforms
lifts, escalators and moving walkways
mobile cranes with a rated capacity of greater than 10 tonnes
tower crane including self erecting tower cranes
pressure vessels with a hazard level of A, B, C or D
boilers and gas cylinders (covered by section 1.1 of AS2030.1:2009)
hoists with platform movement of more than 2.4 metres designed to lift people
passenger ropeways
gantry cranes with a safe working load greater than five tonnes or bridge cranes with a safe working load of greater than 10 tonnes, and any gantry crane or bridge crane which is designed to handle molten metal or schedule 11 hazardous chemicals.

You do not need to register the design of these plant sub types:

heritage boiler
crane or hoist that is manually powered
elevating work platform that is a scissor lift or vertically moving platform
tow truck
plant designed prior to 1 September 2001
non-powered amusement devices and concrete placing booms designed prior to 1 January 2012
passenger ropeways and fixed concrete placing booms designed prior to 13 February 2015.

For more detail, go to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.

How to apply

What you need

Before you begin the application to register a plant design, make sure you have:

business details (if applicable)
plant design specifications or parameters, for example design pressure, travel speed, rated capacity
completed designer and design verifier statement (PDF, 2140.45 KB) signed by the designer and a design verifier
representational drawing(s) of the design in English, as referenced in the designer's statement
cost of the fee, which lasts for the life of the design (payable on completion of the online application).

Apply now

Select the ‘Apply now’ link below. It will take you to the Service NSW online application form.

Your fee will be calculated on completion of the online application.

Your application will take around 30 minutes to complete.

Apply now for a new registration or alteration. Visit your nearest Service NSW service centre if you need help applying online.

Read our privacy collection notice for details on how we protect and handle your personal information.

Design verifier

A design verifier must:

have the knowledge to confirm on the designer and design verifier statement (PDF, 2140.45 KB) that the design was produced in accordance with the relevant technical standard and engineering principles (if applicable) of the design in question.
be a competent person who has the skills, qualifications, competence and experience to design plant or verify plant design.
not have been involved in the production of the plant or the plant’s design.

Register a design alteration

If the plant item is altered in a way that affects health and safety, such as requiring new control measures, or new conditions of operation, or the design is altered to make a new item of plant, you must register this alteration.

Apply now for an alteration. Visit your nearest Service NSW service centre if you need help applying online.

Tower crane relocations

To notify SafeWork NSW you are relocating an existing item-registered crane, you must complete the notification of relocation application form (PDF, 187.85 KB).

You do not need to register a design alteration for the relocation of tower or gantry cranes if:

the crane is relocated to a different workplace and
the design of the supporting structure or foundations of the crane is altered in accordance with a site-specific design prepared for the safe operation of the crane at the new location and
the design of the crane is not altered in any other way.

If you need a minor correction to an existing registration, email the SafeWork licensing team.

International business entities

International business entity applicants must have an Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN), or an Australian Company Number (ACN), or Australian Business Number (ABN), or have a local agent in Australia. For more information, refer to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) website.

Request a search for plant design registration records

Complete the search for design records application form (PDF, 1126.01 KB).

You must be the owner of the plant design or provide a letter of authorisation from the owner of the plant design and attach it to the application.

Lost, stolen or destroyed registrations

If your registration of design certificate is lost, stolen or destroyed let us know in writing as soon as possible.

Complete the replace a registration application form (PDF, 1163.52 KB) and email it to the SafeWork licensing team.

Change of details

It is your responsibility to tell us within 14 days if your name, address or other registration details change.

Submit the information with supporting documents by email to the SafeWork licensing team.

If you need a minor correction to an existing registration, email the SafeWork licensing team.

If someone else buys or acquires the design registration then you must as per CI 284 WHS Reg 2017, provide a written letter from the design registration holder stating the change in ownership. The letter must include the new owner/company and the reason for change of ownership for an updated registration certificate.

Mutual recognition of plant design registrations

A design of an item of plant from another state or territory that is being used in NSW must be registered with the work, health and safety (WHS) regulator in your state or territory to be recognised in NSW.

For more information on how to comply, contact your nearest work health and safety regulator or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.

Registering mining specific plant design

To register mining specific plant designs, go to the NSW Resources Regulator and find the mining specific plant application form that applies to you.

Mining specific plant designs that must be registered are:

Underground coal – diesel engine systems, booster fans, braking systems on plant used in underground transport, canopies on continuous miners, gas monitors, breathing apparatus, shotfiring apparatus, detonators, explosive-powered tools, conveyor belting, winding systems (other than person-riding hoists).
Small gemstone mines – person-riding hoists (winding systems).

Contact us

Need help applying?

If you need help with your application or have a question, please call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.

Unsuccessful applications

You can apply for a review.

A review involves a different SafeWork officer, who was not involved in the original decision on your application.