Picture a busy week in peak season. A forklift operator has rung in sick, the trucks are backing up, and the supervisor wonders whether one of the on-hired pick-packers can jump on the forklift "just for today". He says he has his ticket.
Maybe he does. But that is where a licence check starts, not where it ends. This post covers plant licences for on-hired workers in Australia: which work needs one, how to check it, who checks it, and what people mean by "verification of competency". For the broader picture of who owes what on safety, see our earlier piece on host employer WHS duties.
Which work needs a high risk work licence
Safe Work Australia lists the categories of high risk work that need a licence. They include scaffolding, dogging and rigging, certain cranes and hoists, reach stackers and, most relevant here, operating a forklift truck.
For most warehouses, two classes matter:
- LF, forklift truck. SafeWork NSW describes this as a forklift "equipped with a mast and an elevating load carriage with a pair of fork arms or other attachment". It does not cover order pickers.
- LO, order-picking forklift truck. This is the machine where "the operator's controls are incorporated and elevate with the load carriage". In other words, the operator goes up with the load.
They are separate classes, so a worker moving between both machines needs both on their licence.
What doesn't need one, and why that isn't the end of it
Not everything with forks is a licensed forklift. A WorkSafe Queensland factsheet sets out the definition used there: a powered industrial truck with a mast and an elevating load carriage, with fork arms that can be raised 900 mm or more above the ground. It adds that a pedestrian-operated truck and a pallet truck are not forklift trucks for licensing purposes. SafeWork NSW also says a telehandler fitted with forks or a bucket doesn't need a high risk work licence.
Two cautions. First, definitions are set in each state's regulations and the wording isn't identical everywhere (Victoria, for one, has its own OHS regulations), so if you're unsure whether a particular machine is licensed plant, ask your regulator rather than guess. Second, "no licence needed" doesn't mean "anyone can drive it". On the telehandler example, SafeWork NSW is clear that the business still has a duty to make sure workers have appropriate training. The same thinking applies to a walk-behind stacker or an electric pallet jack.
What a real licence check looks like
A few facts first. In NSW you must be at least 18 to apply. A licence lasts five years and then has to be renewed, and Safe Work Australia says a high risk work licence is generally valid across Australia. That last point matters when people move between cities. If in doubt, Safe Work Australia's advice is to check with the regulator in the state where the work will happen.
With that in mind, here's the check we'd want done before anyone touches the keys:
- See the licence itself. The physical card or the regulator's digital version, not a photo of a training certificate and not a line on a CV. SafeWork NSW tells licence holders they must show their supervisor the licence, with the relevant class or classes, before they start the work.
- Match the name to the worker's photo ID.
- Read the class codes. LF, LO, or whatever your plant requires.
- Check the expiry date.
- Look it up where you can. Service NSW runs a public register where you can search by licensee name or licence number and see current, expired, suspended and cancelled licences. Other regulators offer their own checks, so ask yours what's available.
- Keep a record. In the Northern Territory, which uses the model WHS Regulations, NT WorkSafe says a business must keep the written evidence of the licence for at least one year after the worker carries out the high risk work. Rules elsewhere, including under Victoria's separate OHS regulations, may differ, but keeping a copy is sensible anywhere.
If someone can't produce their licence, the safe answer for that shift is no.
Who is responsible for checking
Both of us, and the host can't skip its part.
The rule in the model WHS Regulations is aimed at whoever directs or allows the work. NT WorkSafe's bulletin states that a business must not direct or allow a worker to carry out high risk work unless it has seen written evidence that the worker holds the relevant licence. Victoria works under its own OHS Act and regulations, and we haven't confirmed the same wording there, so Victorian hosts should check with WorkSafe Victoria. The practical logic holds everywhere, though. When an on-hired worker is on your site, your supervisor is the one handing over the keys, so the check is yours to do, whatever the provider has already done.
The provider's side comes earlier. A good provider should sight the licence, record the class and expiry, and only put forward people whose licence covers the plant in your brief. That's what we aim to do, and it's why we ask what you're running. "Forklift" in a job brief could mean a counterbalance, a reach truck or an order picker, and the answer changes who we send.
The two checks aren't duplication. The provider's is at selection. Yours is at the point of work, by the person who can see the worker and the machine in the same place. In a 2024 safety alert, SafeWork NSW warned that businesses that direct or allow unlicensed high risk work may face penalties, as may the individual.
Verification of competency, in plain terms
"VOC" is an industry term. We didn't find it defined on the regulator pages cited here, and it means different things at different sites. What sits underneath it is real, though.
A licence shows that someone was trained and assessed as competent in a class of work, possibly years ago and on a different machine. It doesn't show they can operate your particular truck, with your attachments, in your racking. WorkSafe Victoria's guidance says operators need familiarisation training on the forklift they'll actually use, because designs differ between manufacturers. It should cover safe operation and safety features, capacity and load limits, the information plate and pre-start inspections, plus familiarisation for any attachments. WorkSafe Victoria also names labour hire workers among those who may need additional supervision.
So a sensible VOC for a new on-hired operator is a short, structured check on your site: a walk-through of the machine, a supervised pre-start, some observed driving in your layout, and a signed record. It costs an experienced person's time on day one, and now and then someone with a valid licence may not be ready for your machine or your layout. Better to find that out in the first half hour than in week two. If it happens, tell your provider straight away so they can look at a replacement.
Trainees and "just for today"
There is a legitimate path for unlicensed people, and it is narrow. Safe Work Australia says you don't need a licence if you're enrolled in a training course for the relevant high risk work and a holder of that licence is supervising you. WorkSafe Victoria says the supervisor must hold a licence for the type of forklift being operated, and should have direct line of sight and verbal control of the trainee.
That is not the same as letting a keen pick-packer have a go because the shift is short. If you need a different skill set mid-booking, call your provider first.
A short checklist before the first shift
- Tell your provider the exact plant and attachments, not just "forklift".
- Sight the licence on site (name, class, expiry) and keep a record.
- Run a site familiarisation and observed drive before solo work.
- Keys stay with licensed, familiarised operators, busy days included.
Our warehouse and distribution labour hire page lists the roles we supply.
This is general information, not legal advice. Licensing rules differ between states and territories, so check with your local regulator about your plant and your site. If you'd like to talk through licence checks before a booking, get in touch. We aim to reply within two business hours.
General information only, current at the time of writing — not legal advice. Workplace and licensing laws change; confirm anything decision-critical with the relevant regulator or a qualified adviser.