FAQs from employers

The following are frequently asked questions about the Licence for High Risk Work from employers with high risk equipment at their workplace.

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• I employ workers who work with high risk equipment; what do I need to do?
• How do my workers transfer to the new Licence?
• When do existing Certificates expire?
• Why do some of my workers have a Certificate and others have the new Licence?
• What if I want to manage when my workers transfer to the new Licence?

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I employ workers who work with high risk equipment; what do I need to do?

Your workers should already hold a Certificate of Competency or ‘Old Style’ Certificate (issued pre-1995) allowing them to work with high risk equipment. They can continue to work with their current Certificate until it expires when they need to transfer to the new Licence to Perform High Risk Work*. There are 29 classes of high risk equipment that require a Licence to Perform High Risk Work, see the full list of Licence classes.

* There are some ‘Old Style’ Certificate (issued pre-1995) classes that will no longer require certification by WorkSafe Victoria, check the Licence classes document for a full list.

How do my workers transfer to the new Licence?

Workers need to register their intent to transfer to the new Licence. You should encourage and assist your workers to register their intent to transfer or phone 1800 136 089.

By registering, WorkSafe can manage their application process and ensure they receive their transfer application pack at the correct time.

When do existing Certificates expire?

Certificate expiry dates are scheduled according to their date of issue. Check your Certificate expiry date now (you will need the issue date of the existing Certificate).

All existing ‘Old Style’ Certificates will progressively expire over a two-year transition period starting 31 January 2008. By 30 September 2009 all ‘Old Style' Certificates will have expired. All existing Certificates of Competency will progressively expire over a five year transition period starting 31 January 2008. By 30 June 2012 all Certificates of Competency will have expired.

Why do some of my workers have a Certificate and others have the new Licence?

Not all Certificates expire at the same time; they are scheduled to expire progressively over a transition period. During this transition period workers will be required to transfer their Certificate according to the date of issue, therefore some workers will get a new Licence to Perform High Risk Work earlier than others.

What if I want to manage when my workers transfer to the new Licence?

If you have a large number of workers who hold a Certificate and you would like to manage their transition to the new Licence, you can discuss your options with WorkSafe. Call the WorkSafe Advisory Service.

You should have the following information for all Certificate holders ready before you call:

• name (exactly as printed on current Certificate)
• Certificate number(s)
• Certificate issue date; and
• the classes of work on the Certificate(s).