Understanding WHS Licences
In order to legally perform any potentially hazardous tasks in the workplace, businesses must understand the basics of WHS licences - and if they need one.
Otherwise known as a high risk licence, a work health and safety licence (WHS) ensures that both team members and business owners possess the appropriate level of skills, knowledge, competency and safe systems of work to ensure a high level of safety for all parties involved.
Work health and safety licences and high risk work (HRW) licences are assessed, issued and overseen by state Workplace Health and Safety governing bodies. From both a legal and moral perspective, it is the duty of an employer to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, employers must assess risks, and implement and review control measures in order to prevent or minimise exposure to these risks.
To properly manage exposure to risks, you must:
Identify workplace hazards
Determine who might be harmed, and how
Decide on control measures
Put controls in place
Review the controls regularly
High risk work is any work that is in the scope of a high risk licence (based on the national standard), or work that could potentially be dangerous if not appropriately moderated. In many scenarios, it is the responsibility of both the staff member and business to ensure that all team members are appropriately qualified, in order to avoid potentially catastrophic results should the task at hand go south.
A business requires a WHS licence if working in:
Asbestos removal
Demolition
In comparison, an individual requires a WHS licence if working in:
Cranes and hoists
Forklift operation
Reach stackers
Rigging and dogging
Scaffolding
Pressure equipment
Construction
Asbestos assessing
High risk work licence assessing
Applying For A WHS Licence
To protect both staff members, businesses and even members of the community, Australian governing law requires those conducting potentially dangerous work to be appropriately qualified as a means to minimise risk exposure. Each state and territory has different definitions as to what “high risk work” actually is, so licencing varies accordingly depending on where it is you live or work.
Businesses and individuals who undertake this type of work without the right licence expose themselves to potentially enormous fines, and future trading restrictions. As such, an individual or business wishing to obtain a WHS or HRW licence must undertake:
Formal Training - provided by a registered training organisation (RTO) with approval to deliver the particular course competency.
Informal Training - workplace training under the supervision of someone holding the relevant HRW licence, which may include a log book.
Formal Assessment - an assessment conducted by an accredited assessor to determine competency to obtain the particular licence.
To obtain an WHS or HRW licence, you must have the right qualification. Schedule 4 to the model WHS Regulations sets out the qualifications required for each type of licence.
Businesses and employees can gain a qualification by completing a training course delivered by an RTO. For information about the training you need and where you can enrol visit the Department of Education and Training (www.training.gov.au).
Once you have successfully gained your qualification, your ability to do high risk work safely will be assessed. While your chosen RTO can arrange this for you, you must be given a notice of satisfactory assessment (or equivalent), along with certification that you have completed the right qualification, in order to be able to apply for a WHS or HRW licence.
Sourcing Further Advice On WHS Licences
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