Edition 80, July 2010

Update on high risk work licensing in the Australian Capital Territory

The Work Safety Regulation 2009 provides for the introduction of high risk work licensing in the ACT. At the time of writing the transition has not been completed and a date has not been identified for the commencement of training and assessment under that scheme in the ACT. Work is progressing towards implementation.

Once the high risk work licensing scheme is implemented people will still have the option of choosing to be trained and assessed under the Occupational Health and Safety (Certification of Plant Users and Operators) Regulation 2000 for a certificate of competency (instead of being trained and assessed for a high risk work licence) until 30 June 2011.

This means that from the time that high risk work licensing is implemented in the ACT until 30 June 2011 the two schemes will run in parallel.  Persons who choose to be trained and assessed under the national certification scheme will not need to complete an approved course, nor be assessed through an RTO. 

Similarly, assessors who conduct competency assessments under the 2000 regulation will not be required to provide their services through an RTO.  

The current transitional arrangements provide that from 1 July 2011, people will no longer have the option of being trained and assessed under the 2000 regulation, and will not be able to apply for a certificate of competency. In that sense, any person wishing to conduct competency assessments in the ACT after 30 June 2011 will need to have arrangements in place to provide their services through an RTO, as that is a requirement of the only training and assessing scheme that will be in place after that date.

Under the Work Safety Regulation 2009, which came into effect in the ACT on 1 October 2009, old-style ACT certificates of competency issued before 1 January 2001 expired on 30 June 2010.

All persons holding an ACT certificate of competency for work which is included in the National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work will need to transfer the certificate to a high risk work licence before the certificate expires. Certificates expire according to the following table.

Date Certificate was issued

Must be transferred by

Before 1January 2001

30 June 2010

1 January 2001 to 31 December 2004

30 June 2011

1 January 2005 to 30 June 2009

30 June 2012

1 July 2009 to 30 June 2011

30 June 2014

For further information or if you have any questions, please contact Worksafe ACT
http://www.worksafety.act.gov.au/high-risk-work on (02) 6207 3000 or
email worksafe@act.gov.au

 

This page was generated on 26 July, 2010