A high risk work licence (HRWL) is the national licence a worker needs to operate a forklift, crane, hoist, boom lift over 11 metres, pressure equipment, or to do scaffolding, rigging or dogging work. As the employer, you must see written evidence of the right licence class before you let anyone do that work, and the safest way to check it is against the issuing state's online register.
This guide covers the licence classes, how to check a high risk work licence in QLD, your duty to sight and verify, how to check a licence in NSW, Victoria, WA and SA, expiry and renewal, and how to keep it all current without a spreadsheet. Details are as at October 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules with the regulator in your state.
What is a high risk work licence?
A high risk work licence is issued by the work health and safety regulator in each state and territory to a person who has completed accredited training and passed an assessment with a licensed assessor. It's personal to the worker, not the business, and it lists one or more licence classes.
Licences are issued to a national standard, so a licence from one state is recognised in the others. A worker with a Queensland licence can do the same class of work in NSW or WA without a new licence.
High risk work licence classes
Safe Work Australia lists the licence classes that apply nationally. The ones you'll see most often on a building site, in a warehouse or in a labour hire pool:
| Category | Licence classes (code) | Typical roles |
|---|---|---|
| Forklifts | Forklift truck (LF), order-picking forklift truck (LO) | Warehouse, logistics, yards, construction |
| Elevating work platforms | Boom-type EWP, boom length 11 m or more (WP) | Construction, maintenance, electrical, signage |
| Scaffolding | Basic (SB), intermediate (SI), advanced (SA) | Scaffolders, construction |
| Dogging and rigging | Dogging (DG), basic (RB), intermediate (RI) and advanced (RA) rigging | Crane crews, steel erection, civil |
| Cranes | Tower (CT), self-erecting tower (CS), derrick (CD), portal boom (CP), bridge and gantry (CB), vehicle loading (CV), non-slewing mobile (CN), slewing mobile (C2, C6, C1, C0) | Crane operators, civil, mining |
| Hoists | Materials hoist (HM), personnel and materials hoist (HP) | High-rise construction |
| Concrete placing boom | Concrete placing boom (PB) | Concreting |
| Reach stackers | Reach stacker (RS) | Ports, container yards |
| Pressure equipment | Boilers, turbines and reciprocating steam engines (several classes) | Manufacturing, food processing, energy |
Two traps catch employers often. A boom lift that can reach 11 metres needs a WP licence even if the job only uses half the boom. And scissor lifts and smaller boom lifts don't need an HRWL, but you still need to show the operator is trained and competent.
High risk work licence QLD: how to check one
In Queensland, high risk work licences are issued by WorkSafe Queensland (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, part of the Office of Industrial Relations). The licence classes are the same national classes listed above, so a Queensland LF, WP or CN licence covers the same work as one issued anywhere else. As at October 2026, here's how an employer checks one:
- Ask for the original physical card. WorkSafe Queensland advises employers to always see the original licence card and not to accept electronic copies, because forged and altered licences are in circulation, including cards with the printed classes removed and other classes superimposed (see its high risk work licence fraud alert). A card with no photo or no expiry date is no longer valid.
- Search the register. Confirm the licence status and classes on WorkSafe Queensland's online high risk work licence register, linked from its work health and safety licences page, or call WorkSafe on 1300 362 128.
- Match the class to the job. The register shows which classes the person holds. An LF licence doesn't cover a slewing crane or a boom lift.
- Note the expiry date. It's printed on the bottom right of the card.
- Stop the work if anything doesn't match. If you find a problem with the licence, don't let the worker do the work, and give the details to WorkSafe Queensland.
New licence holders. After a successful assessment with an accredited assessor, the worker has 60 days to apply for the licence. If they've applied within that time, their assessment summary (AS1) is the evidence that they can do that class of work while the application is decided. Ask to see it and record it, then check the register again once the licence is issued.
Renewing a QLD licence. Queensland licences must be renewed every five years. WorkSafe sends a renewal notice 4-6 weeks before expiry, and the worker renews online with their licence card and renewal number (Australia Post outlets don't process HRW renewals). A renewal lodged on or before the expiry date keeps the licence valid until WorkSafe decides. A renewal can be lodged up to 12 months after expiry, but the licence isn't valid from the expiry date until it's renewed.
If you hire through labour hire in Queensland, check the licence yourself even when the agency says it has. You have your own duty as the business directing the work. Our guide to the labour hire licence covers the agency side.
Your duty: sight the licence before the work starts
Under the model WHS Regulations (regulation 85, used in NSW, Queensland, SA, WA and the other harmonised states), a business must not direct or allow a worker to carry out high risk work unless it sees written evidence that the worker holds the relevant licence. Section 43 of the WHS Act makes it an offence to let someone do licensed work without the licence. Victoria has its own OHS Regulations with the same practical effect: WorkSafe Victoria requires a licence before anyone does high risk work.
"Sighting" a card is the minimum. Regulators now say plainly that it isn't enough on its own. WorkSafe WA has warned employers about falsified high risk work licences, and WorkSafe Queensland issued a high risk work licence fraud alert in February 2026. Their advice is the same: check the licence itself (in Queensland, the original physical card) and the issuing regulator's register.
A good check covers five things:
- Identity. The name and photo match the person in front of you.
- Class. The licence covers the exact work, such as LF for a counterbalance forklift, not just "a forklift ticket".
- Status. The register shows it as current, not expired, suspended or cancelled.
- Expiry. Note the expiry date so you can follow up before it lapses.
- Issuing state. Search the register of the state that issued the licence, not the state you're working in.
How to check a high risk work licence in each state
| State | Where to check | What you need | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Verify NSW (high risk work) | Name or licence number | Shows class, status, start date, expiry and any suspension. SafeWork NSW: 13 10 50 |
| Victoria | Validate a WorkSafe licence (myWorkSafe) | Licence number | Shows validity and the holder's registered name. Licensing: 1300 852 562 |
| Queensland | High risk work licence register (WorkSafe Queensland) | Licence number or name | Confirms status and classes. Or call 1300 362 128 |
| WA | Find an assessor or licence holder (WorkSafe WA) | Licence number, or name and date of birth | Shows status, expiry and conditions. Or call 1300 307 877 |
| SA | Licence holder registers (SafeWork SA) | Licence number or name | High risk work licence check tool |
If the register doesn't return the licence, don't let the work start. Ask the worker for their licence number and issuing state, try again, then call the regulator. A genuine licence holder can usually sort out a mismatch (a name change, an old card) in a day.
How long does a high risk work licence last?
A high risk work licence is generally issued for five years. The expiry date is printed on the card and shown on the register. As at October 2026:
- Queensland: licences must be renewed every five years. A renewal lodged on or before expiry keeps the licence valid until WorkSafe decides; one lodged later (up to 12 months after expiry) doesn't, so the licence isn't valid from the expiry date until it's renewed. See the QLD section above.
- NSW: renewals are done through Service NSW, and a licence can be renewed online up to 12 months after the expiry date.
- Other states: the same five-year cycle applies, with renewal through the state regulator's portal.
In practice, that means the gap between "expired" and "renewed" is your risk. A forklift driver whose LF licence expired last Tuesday is unlicensed today, even if they've driven forklifts for 20 years and have a renewal in progress. Reminders that go out 90 and 30 days before expiry give the worker time to renew before it bites.
What records to keep
You don't need a copy of every card in a filing cabinet, but you do need to be able to show what you checked. For each worker and licence class, keep:
- the licence number, class and issuing state
- the expiry date
- the date you checked it, who checked it, and how (register search, phone)
- a photo of the card, stored securely, if your process calls for one
Keep it somewhere you can find in a minute when a principal contractor, auditor or inspector asks. A spreadsheet works for five people. At 50 it's out of date the day someone renews. Licence checks also belong in your wider new employee onboarding checklist, alongside a White Card check for anyone going onto a construction site and a VEVO check for employers for any worker on a visa. Crews working on school or childcare sites may also be asked for a working with children check.
How Canyou handles this
Canyou is employee onboarding software built for licence-heavy businesses, with licence tracking software built in:
- Set the requirement once. Create a "High risk work licence (LF)" or "WP" certification and assign it to a position, such as Forklift operator or Scaffolder. Everyone in that position is asked for it. You can also assign it to one employee.
- The worker uploads it. They scan a QR code or open a link, snap a photo of the licence and enter the number and expiry date on their phone. No password or app.
- You verify and approve. Your admin checks the licence on the state register, then approves it in Canyou, or rejects it with a reason so the worker re-uploads. The record stays against the worker, so you have an audit trail.
- Canyou tracks the expiry. Set reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days (or any interval you choose). The worker gets a link to upload the renewal and your admins are notified too.
- See who's cleared to work. A dashboard shows who holds a current licence for their role, and who's due soon.
Canyou doesn't query the state registers for you; the register check stays with your admin, and Canyou keeps the result, the card and the expiry date in one place. The same process covers White Cards, site inductions and work rights checks, which is why builders and trades use Canyou as onboarding software for construction companies, and labour hire firms use it for their crews.
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