High-risk work licences in Australia, explained

Beyond the White Card, a defined set of higher-risk tasks in Australian construction and industry can only be done by someone holding a specific high-risk work (HRW) licence. This guide explains what an HRW licence is, how it differs from the White Card and from a SWMS, the main licence classes, how to get one, how national recognition and renewal work, and what a business must do to make sure the right people are on the right equipment. Requirements are set under the model WHS laws and administered by each state and territory regulator, so check the rules where you work.

What a high-risk work licence is, and is not

A high-risk work licence is a personal licence proving an individual has been trained and assessed as competent to carry out a specific high-risk activity, operating a particular class of crane, erecting scaffold, operating a forklift, and so on. It is different from two things it often gets confused with. It is not the White Card, which is a general construction induction, not permission to operate anything. And it is not a SWMS: the SWMS is the documented method for the job, while the HRW licence is the operator's competence. A high-risk task often needs both a licensed operator and a SWMS.

The main licence classes

HRW licences are nationally consistent classes, each with its own code. The main groups are:

• Scaffolding, basic (SB), intermediate (SI) and advanced (SA), for erecting, altering and dismantling scaffold from which a person or object could fall more than four metres.
• Dogging and rigging, dogging (DG) for slinging loads and directing crane movements; rigging basic (RB), intermediate (RI) and advanced (RA) for progressively more complex rigging.
• Cranes and hoists, numerous classes covering slewing mobile cranes (by capacity), tower cranes, self-erecting cranes, vehicle-loading cranes, non-slewing cranes, derrick cranes, bridge and gantry cranes, plus materials and personnel/materials hoists.
• Forklifts, LF for a standard counterbalance forklift and LO for an order-picking forklift.
• Elevating work platforms, WP for a boom-type EWP where the boom length is 11 metres or more. (Scissor lifts and booms under 11 metres do not need an HRW licence, but the operator still needs to be trained and competent, often evidenced by a verification of competency or an industry "yellow card".)
• Pressure equipment, classes for operating boilers, steam turbines and reciprocating steam engines.

Workers must hold the correct class for the specific equipment they operate, an intermediate scaffolding ticket does not cover advanced scaffolding, and a licence for one crane class does not cover another.

How to get one

You must be at least 18. You complete training and assessment for the specific class with a Registered Training Organisation whose assessor is accredited for that class, and on passing you apply to your state or territory WHS regulator for the licence. The regulator issues a photographic licence card listing the classes you hold. Because the assessment is practical, this is not something that can legitimately be done online in an afternoon.

National recognition and renewal

HRW licences are recognised across Australia, so a licence issued in one state is valid in the others, useful for crews that move between jurisdictions. They are renewed periodically, commonly every five years, and an expired licence means the holder is no longer licensed to do the work until it is renewed. Keeping licences current is a shared interest of the worker and the business.

What the business must do

As the business, you must ensure that anyone doing high-risk work holds a current licence of the correct class, and many sites also require a verification of competency (VOC), a check that the operator is actually competent on the specific plant, over and above holding the ticket. Practically, that means sighting each licence, confirming it is current and covers the right class, and keeping the record. Putting an unlicensed or wrongly-licensed operator on a machine is a serious breach and, if something goes wrong, indefensible.

Managing tickets across a crew

On a busy site with a changing crew and subcontractors, it is genuinely hard to keep track of who holds what class and when each ticket expires. A licence that quietly lapsed, or an operator on a class they do not hold, is the kind of gap that surfaces during an incident investigation. A single grid of every worker's licences and classes, with expiry reminders and the evidence attached, means you never put an unlicensed operator on a machine and can prove competency the moment a principal contractor, client or regulator asks. That is what training and licence tracking and contractor management software are for.

High-risk work licence quick reference

• A personal licence proving competence in a specific high-risk activity
• Different from the White Card (induction) and the SWMS (method)
• Classes cover scaffolding, dogging/rigging, cranes, forklifts, boom EWPs 11m+, hoists and pressure equipment
• Trained and assessed through an RTO, then licensed by the state/territory regulator; minimum age 18
• Recognised nationally; renewed periodically (often every five years)
• Businesses must confirm the correct current class, and often a verification of competency, and keep the records

Related reading: the White Card explained, scaffolding SWMS and our SWMS guide. You can keep every worker's licences and tickets, with expiry reminders, in Complys, free for 30 days.