Do You Need a High-Risk Work License for Your Farm Equipment?
If you run a large and growing farm, then you may want to expand your operation further and take on a driver for some of your machinery. This person will need to have certain skills in order to operate the equipment, but you will want to know whether they need a specific type of licence from the government in order to be compliant. In particular, you will want to know whether they need a high-risk work licence if some of your equipment may appear to be similar to a forklift truck. What do you need to know about the rules and how they may or may not affect you?
High Risk
Anybody who operates a forklift truck (according to the specific definition) will legally need to hold a high-risk work license. However, this will typically apply to forklift trucks that are operated within a warehouse environment, and the key here is that they will need to have a mast and an elevating load carriage.
License Not Required
Consider what type of equipment you have and, crucially, how those fork arms are configured. For example, you may have a device that is fitted to the front of the forklift and that, while it does have two protruding fork arms, is not designed to move up and down on a mast. In this case, it might be designed to pick up an object in a set position and move it from one point to another instead.
License Required
However, if you will have a piece of equipment that is more akin to a traditional forklift truck and does have an elevating load carriage and a mast, then your new employee will need to be licensed. Just bear in mind that the regulation is a bit more specific and refers to forklift arms that can be raised a specific distance above the ground.
Training and Licensing
Always ensure that your employees are adequately trained no matter whether they need a specific high-risk work license or not. In turn, you must ensure (as the person who is conducting a business or undertaking) that this person has the necessary skills, in addition to their qualification, to complete any task.
Training is only available through a registered organisation and, once complete, the individual can then apply to the state or territory government to get the appropriate licence. Contact a company that provides training in your area to learn more.
