How to Get Your High Risk Work Licence in Melbourne

Being a construction tradie is a lucrative career path. That’s why backpackers travel across to Australia to earn as construction workers on working holiday visas.

Many of these RTOs in Melbourne or Victoria offers various types of training courses and support your journey to obtain an HRW licence in your desired fields.

These training courses often involve face to face and/or onsite training and an assessment. If you are interested in applying for more than one HRW licence, you may want to consider an RTO that offers packaged courses.

Here are some of the RTOs in Melbourne who provide multiple types of HRW licence training courses.

There are various types of construction work including operating a forklift, working on boom-type elevating work platforms, handling pressure equipment, conducting vehicle loading crane, etc.

Each type of work may come with its own specialisation or licence but you will often need to have high-risk work (HRW) licence to actually get a job on a worksite, mandated by WorkSafe Victoria. WorkSafe Victoria issues high-risk work licences under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OHS) 2017.

In order to qualify for professional liability insurance and ensure minimal impact on occupational health, you should not only pursue a statement of attainment but high-quality practical training (and refresher training).

When looking for HRW licence courses, keep in mind that only the Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are authorised to deliver nationally recognised training.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a statement of attainment and an accredited Victorian assessor will need to deem you competent. Then, you will need to lodge an application form along with a notice of assessment within 60 days to get your high-risk work licence sent via Australia Post.

High-risk work includes any of the following work duties:

• involves a risk of a person falling from heights (more than 2m)
• involves structure-damaging demolition including the use of explosives
• involves potential removal or handling of asbestos
• requires working with hazardous elements or equipment including fuel, electrical installations, etc.

There are various classes of high-risk work you can apply for depending on the types of work you want to be able to perform. You can apply to be licensed for up to 29 classes of high-risk work.

Once you have training in any or all of the above classes of high-risk work, you will be able to apply for your HRW licence in the class for which you just received a statement of attainment. As you complete training courses for more areas, you can amend your HRW licence accordingly.

In addition to the licence to conduct a specific type of work, you need to demonstrate that you are able to handle the high-risk equipment safely without jeopardizing the work health and safety of yourself and your coworkers.