What high risk work needs to be licensed?

Examples of high risk work tasks requiring a person to hold a licence include:

• scaffolding - basic, intermediate and advanced
• rigging work - dogging; basic, intermediate and advanced rigging
• crane and hoist operation - tower; self-erecting tower; derrick; portal boom; bridge and gantry; vehicle loading; non slewing mobile; slewing; materials hoist; personnel and materials hoist; boom-type elevating work platform; vehicle-mounted concrete placing boom
• forklift operation - forklift trucks; order-picking forklift trucks
• pressure equipment operation - basic, intermediate and advanced boiler operation; turbine operation; reciprocating steam engine operation.

High risk work licences are issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 by DMIRS, via WorkSafe Western Australia.

Definitions and application

The definitions of ‘high risk work’ and ‘high risk work licence’ for the mining industry have the same meanings as those given under regulation 6.1 of the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996. However, there are important legislative differences relevant to high risk work licensing in the Western Australian mining industry.

Work activities for hoists and winding engines, and practical trials for competency involving certain plant are still subject to specific requirements under the mining legislation.

Hoists

The manager of a mine is responsible for determining competency to operate a hoist (defined as a single undivided drum winding engine driven by a motor or engine having a capacity not exceeding 25 kW) following testing by the manager or some other competent person. No certification is required, but the details of the testing and the name of the individual operator must be entered in the mine record book.

Winding engines

Winder drivers are certificated by the Board of Examiners and require the written authorisation of the mine manager.

Certain plant

The manager of the mine is responsible for authorising or finding persons competent for operating or driving plant that is not defined under the National Licensing Standard or Mines Safety and Inspection Regulations 1995.

This is particularly relevant in the underground mining environment, where high risk work is often undertaken using plant that may not be included under the National Licensing Standard, and requires the operator or driver to be trained and found to be competent by the mine manager through a practical trial.

There is no requirement for a record book entry for licensed people coming on site to undertake high risk work covered by the licensing regime, but they are required to be assessed as competent before commencing work at the mine site.

For high risk work not covered by a licence issued by a recognised authority, the site is required to provide training and assess competency. A record book entry is required once the person has been authorised or found to be competent by or on behalf of the manager to undertake the high risk work.

The record book entry should include:

• name of the person
• date on which the person was authorised or found to be competent
• if the person undertook a test or practical trial, the date on which the test or trial was undertaken and the name and signature of the person who carried out the test or trial.

Below is the list of documents and links that you may find useful.