CITC GUIDE TO PREPARING FOR A HIGH RISK JOB


ABOUT CITC

The Construction Industry Training Centre Incorporated (CITC) was established in 1994 as a not-for-profit Registered Training Organisation (RTO Code 0647) to fill an educational training gap that then existed by providing upskilling of the traditional trades and non-trades employees in industry and those wishing to be engaged in industry.

We provide high quality training for many industries including: Construction, Mining, Entertainment, Automotive, Manufacturing, Maritime, Transport, Wine and the Defence Forces throughout South Australia.

With 10 full-time staff and over 25 trainers available, we specialise in areas as diverse as High Risk Work Licencing, Asbestos, Confined Space, Work Health and Safety (White Card to Diploma of WH&S), Plant Operation, Working at Heights, Workzone Traffic Management, 4WD training and many more. To view all Nationally Recognised Courses offered by the CITC, please go to the www.training.gov.au website.

Training is delivered on clients’ sites or at our purpose built training centre in Regency Park which has 20 training rooms, a serviced canteen and with 7,500m2 under the main roof is considered one of the best training centres for our scope in Australia.

Our clients and participants come from a broad cross section of the community, whether they be corporate, sole traders, wage and salary earners, self-employed, unemployed and school leavers.

We endeavour to offer our students the assistance they deserve. We’ve put together this simple guide to preparing for high risk jobs so you know what to expect if you’re looking to enter the construction industry. In this guide, you’ll find information on applying for High Risk Work Licences, forklift driver training, work health and safety expectations, minimising risk, and how to ensure the course provider you choose is the right one for you.

If you’d like to find out more information, contact the CITC on (08) 8301 4500, email info@citc.com.au or complete the Contact Us form online and your enquiry will be directed to the appropriate person.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FORKLIFT DRIVER TRAINING

If you’re an Adelaide business using forklifts for your operations, forklift driver training is an essential step for you to meet your workplace health and safety obligations. Many Adelaide employers and employees overlook this important training, but the potential costs of doing so are great—forklifts may power your operations and be a useful tool for your business, but in untrained hands, they can do more harm than good.

Risks

Allowing untrained staff to operate forklifts and other plant in your workplace can make your business vulnerable to many risks including:

  • Compensation costs
  • Fines & convictions (SafeWork SA)
  • Reputation damage
  • Damage of materials, loads, equipment and facilities
  • Injuries to operators and pedestrians
  • Fatalities

A forklift is an extremely powerful piece of plant—and their size and weight can be deceptive. Although forklifts are compact, their weights can be huge enough to easily cause injury or fatalities even when travelling at slow speeds.

Adding together the forklift weight, counter balance and load of an average forklift, you’ll get a moving object with a total weight of almost 6000kg—making it a dangerous machine to have in the workplace if it isn’t operated by trained and experienced drivers.

Many unfortunate accidents occur in Australia each year due to untrained or careless drivers—make sure none occur at your workplace. Forcing staff to learn how to manoeuvre and operate a forklift on the job is extremely dangerous.

For forklift drivers you employ who already have a licence, you may want to consider a Verification of Competence (VoC) course to ensure their skills are current and to identify any bad operation habits they may have picked up along the way. This could save you thousands in costs and more importantly, save lives being put at risk.

Source : http://www.aalhysterforklifts.com.au/index.php/about/blog-post/forklift_driver_training_what_you_need_to_know

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING

It is important for a workers to be fully licenced and qualified to operate whatever plant or equipment they will be using in the course of a high risk project. A licence is not just a hurdle you have to jump to get your project moving—it’s the correct skills and knowledge taught by SafeWork SA accredited assessors that will ensure the safety of your staff and your business.

Completing a training course increases three main aspects within your workplace:

  1. Productivity: once familiar with equipment capabilities and features, the operator will be able complete tasks productively
  2. Efficiency: with the right training, the equipment will be handled and manoeuvred in a time and energy conscious manner
  3. Safety: the operator will be trained to put safety first and be aware of hazards that may arise, enabling them to take cautionary action to prevent injury

Another outcome of training is that your plant operators will know to maintain your equipment effectively, ensuring that all the little maintenance tasks are taken care of (e.g. refilling battery fluid, safety checks, equipment checks). This will help you to reduce servicing and repair costs.

Choose Carefully

Not all courses are the same. Before enrolling in a course a little research on the Registered Training Organisation needs to be done to ensure you are getting what you require from the course they offer. Some courses cost more than others for a reason, whether it is a reason that benefits you is what you need to find out prior to enrolling.

Questions you should ask your course provider:

  • Is the Registered Training Organisation certified?
  • What specific plant or operation is the course targeted at?
  • How many people are usually in the course at once? (Class size)
  • What is your training environment like? 
  • How much will it cost to resit the test if I fail and when can I do it?

HIGH RISK CONSTRUCTION WORK

In the construction industry, a PCBU that carries out high risk construction has additional WHS duties. These include requirements to prepare, keep, comply with and review a safe work method statement for the work and provide the safe work method statement to the principal contractor.

High risk construction work:

  • Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
  • Is carried out on a telecommunication tower
  • Involves demolition of an element of a structure that is load-bearing
  • Involves demolition of an element of a structure that is related to the physical integrity of the structure
  • Involves or is likely to involve disturbing asbestos
  • Involves structural alteration or repair that requires temporary support to prevent collapse
  • Is carried out in or near a confined space
  • Is carried out in or near a shaft or trench deeper than 1.5 metres or a tunnel
  • Involves the use of explosives
  • Is carried out on or near pressurised gas mains or piping
  • Is carried out on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
  • Is carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services
  • Is carried out in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
  • Involves tilt-up or precast concrete
  • Is carried out on, in or adjacent to a road, railway, shipping lane or other traffic corridor in use by traffic other than pedestrians
  • Is carried out in an area of a workplace where there is any movement of powered mobile plant
  • Is carried out in areas with artificial extremes of temperature
  • Is carried out in or near water or other liquid that involves a risk of drowning
  • Involves diving work.

Requirements for Carrying Out Construction Work

In order to carry out construction work a person must complete an introductory safety training course called ‘general construction induction training’. This is also commonly known as ‘White Card’ training.

Under the model Work Health and Safety Act, a PCBU must make sure every worker has completed White Card training, including those who have completed training in the past but have not carried out construction work in the last two years. Once a person has successfully completed the training with a Registered Training Organisation such as the Construction Industry Training Centre, they can be issued with their White Card.

A White Card is generally recognised Australia wide.

Some types of construction work—such as operating certain types of cranes or carrying out scaffolding work—require a High Risk Work licence, which we’ll explain later in this guide.

Source : https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/business-and-trade/licensing/building-and-trade/high-risk-work-licence

Source : https://alertforce.com.au/ohs-training-courses/working-at-heights/

SAFE OPERATION OF HIGH RISK WORK

If you’re preparing for a high risk job in your workplace, take some time to consider the following quick tips to increase your likelihood of a job safely and successfully completed.

  • Ensure operators are qualified

    Trained and licenced persons.

  • Choose the right clothing

    Depending on your project it’s highly likely staff and operators will need to wear appropriate safety wear (usually a hard hat, safety shoes and hi-visibility vests) that is reasonably fitted so no loose clothing gets caught in the plant.

  • Check equipment before use

    Operators should do their own routine checks of any equipment or plant they’re about to use. If there are any problems, management should be notified and the plant should not be operated until repairs have taken place.

  • Starting up plant

    After conducting equipment checks, ensure all controls are within reach, that the surrounding environment is clear, mirrors are adjusted, people are correctly seated and body parts are within the confines of the cabin, before starting up plant. Do not forget your post start checks.

  • Keep at a safe speed

    If operating movable plant, never proceed past the designated speed limit, and take corners slowly to minimise the risk of tipping. Changes in direction and stops should be made gradually and slowly.

  • Avoid Hazards

    When using moving plant, steer clear of bumps, uneven ground surfaces, slippery conditions, loose objects and anything else which could cause loss of control of equipment.

    Keep a safe distance from other plant and people in case they move in an unpredictable manner, and use your horn to let people know of your whereabouts, especially when rounding corners.

  • Ensure your load is stable and secure

    Check loads carefully for stability and damage before moving and do not move loads that are not safe or stable. Ensure loads are well-balanced and positioned safely.

    Check for any overhead objects before lifting or stacking loads, and use securing measures such as ropes or bindings if required.

    Always consider the ‘journey’s end’ of a load before picking it up and moving.

  • Make sure you have clear visibility

    If visibility is poor don’t continue driving, stop and get out to assess the situation. In some circumstances you may need a lookout helper (spotter) to assist you.

  • Forklifts aren’t for rides

    That means no ride-sharing with other workers or other objects. A second person should never ride on something like a forklift or crane unless there is another designated seat that has been fitted safely.

  • Don’t overload

    Overloading can cause tipping and other accidents—know the capacity of your plant and never exceed this capacity.

    If using a forklift, never use the tip of the forks as a lever to raise a heavy load, and never lift or move a load unless both forks are fully under the load.

    Use pallets and skids that can withstand the weight of the load and avoid damaged or deformed pallets for holding loads.

  • End your shift

    It might seem like common sense, but remembering to do basic things when workers are tired at the end of a shift like turning off plant, parking forklifts in safe places, removing keys and double-checking plant has not been left running by accident will reduce workplace risks and ensure no-one is harmed.

OBTAINING A HIGH RISK WORK LICENCE

A High Risk Work Licence is a photographic licence issued to people who have been trained and assessed as competent to work in a class of work defined as High Risk Work.

In South Australia, it is required for:

  • Forklift operation, including Order Picking Forklift
  • Rigging and Dogging work
  • Scaffolding work
  • Crane and Hoist operation
  • Pressure equipment operation

The licence will allow you to perform High Risk Work in any State or Territory of Australia. You can transfer an interstate licence providing it is current and has not expired.

Once your licence has expired you must not carry out High Risk Work until you have renewed your High Risk Work licence with SafeWork SA.

A High Risk Work Licence is valid for 5 years, issued subject to identification checks and verification of age. You must be at least 18 years of age before you can be issued with a High Risk Work licence.

How to Obtain Your Licence

Training:

To obtain a Licence to Perform High Risk Work or add a new class to your existing licence, you must undertake the appropriate training.

You will need to be trained and assessed by a SafeWork SA Accredited Assessor affiliated with a Registered Training Organisation such as the Construction Industry Training Centre.

Your assessor will ask you to sign a declaration that you are over 18 years of age and have not previously been issued with a licence for this class of work.

Assessment:

During your assessment, you will be required to undertake a written exam and a practical test. Upon successful completion, the assessor will issue a Notice of Satisfactory Assessment (NSA) and give you an application form/tax invoice. Take the tax invoice to a participating outlet to process your application. Your new licence to Perform High Risk Work will then be mailed out to you.

Renewing Your Licence

High Risk Work Licences must be renewed every 5 years. You can renew or replace your licence by applying online at SafeWork SA's client portal or by directly contacting SafeWork SA.

RISK MANAGEMENT

SafeWork Australia and the South Australian Regulator (SafeWork SA) provides comprehensive information about managing health and safety, and guides on identifying, assessing and controlling hazards. We recommend anyone undertaking projects involving high risk work and plant operations familiarises themselves with these national guidelines and to contact their State safe work authority.

The risks of working with plant and carrying out High Risk Work are extremely serious and should be treated accordingly. The people who work with or near plant are most at risk and worst case scenarios can include structural failure, overturning or collapse of plant, contact or collision of plant or its load with people or other structures and falling objects.

Depending on the situation and workplace, the risks and related control measures will be well-established and well known among workers. In other cases, you may need to carry out a risk assessment to identify the likelihood of somebody being harmed during the course of High Risk Work and plant operation and how serious it could be. A proper risk assessment can help you determine what action you should take to control the risk and how urgently the action needs to be taken.

If you’re hiring equipment for your operations, a good supplier will be able to work with you and point you in the right direction for resources and assistance to ensure appropriate safety checks take place.

Read on for some further tips regarding risk management!

Risks can be managed effectively by following a systematic process of:

  • Identifying hazards—finding out what could go wrong and what could cause harm
  • Assessing risks if necessary—understanding the nature of the harm each hazard could cause, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening
  • Controlling risks—implementing the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances
  • Reviewing control measures to ensure they are working as planned

Example of strategies you can use as part of this process include:

  • Observe the workplace

Identify areas where plant operates and how plant interacts with other vehicles, pedestrians and fixed structures like overhead electric lines.

  • Be proactive about asking

Ask your plant operators, crew and others about problems they encounter at the workplace including with operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, transport and storage requirements.

  • Review

Review all your inspection, test and maintenance records, for example log books and incident and injury records including near misses.

CITC COURSES

Whatever the type of work you’re looking to do, you can find a CITC course to suit you. If you’re unsure about regulatory requirements, costs and course times, you can visit our website or contact us. A list of some of the courses we provide is below:

CODE NAME Alt. NAME
PMASUP236 Operate Vehicles in the Field 4WD
CPCCLRG4001 Licence to Perform Rigging Advanced Level Advanced Rigging
CPCCLSF4001 Licence to Erect, Alter & Dismantle Scaffolding Advanced Level Advanced Scaffolding
- Asbestos ID & Awareness Asbestos ID & Awareness
- Asbestos Removal (Below Licensing Level) Asbestos Removal (Below Licensing Level)
RIIMPO319E Conduct Backhoe/Loader Operations Backhoe
CPCCLRG3001 Licence to Perform Rigging Basic Level Basic Rigging
CPCCLSF2001 Licence to Erect, Alter & Dismantle Scaffolding Basic Level Basic Scaffolding
MSMWHS216 Operate Breathing Apparatus Breathing Apparatus
CPCCLHS3002 Licence to Operate a Materials Hoist Brickies Hoist
TLILIC0016 Licence to Operate a Bridge and Gantry Crane Bridge & Gantry Crane
TLILIC0024 Licence to Operate a Vehicle Loading Crane (Capacity 10 Metre Tonnes and Above) CV Crane
BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety Certificate IV in WHS
C/Space & Gas Confined Space with Gas Test Confined Space with Gas Test
- CORE Training (Supervisors) Core Responsibilities of Supervisors in Construction 
TLILIC0001 Licence to Transport Dangerous Goods by Road Dangerous Goods
TLIC1051 Operate Commercial Vehicle Defensive Driving
CPCCLDG3001 Licence to Perform Dogging Dogging
TLILIC0005 Licence to Operate a Boom-Type Elevating Work Platform (Boom Length 11 Metres or More) Elevating Work Platform (EWP)
RIIWHS202E Enter and Work in Confined Spaces Enter and Work in Confined Spaces
C/Space Combo Enter and Work in Confined Spaces Combination Enter and Work in Confined Spaces/Standby Person
RIIMPO320F Conduct Civil Construction Excavator Operations Excavator
TLILIC0003 Licence to Operate a Forklift Truck Forklift
TLILIC0003 Licence to Operate a Forklift Truck (Inexperienced/Entry Level) Forklift (Inexperienced/Entry Level)
RIIMPO321F Conduct Civil Construction Wheeled Front End Loader Operations Front End Loader
- Health & Safety Representative Training - Level 1 HSR - Level 1
- Health & Safety Representative Training - Level 2 HSR - Level 2
11004NAT Course in Identification and Awareness of Asbestos Containing Materials Identification & Awareness of Asbestos Containing Materials 
CPCCLRG3002 Licence to Perform Rigging Intermediate Level Intermediate Rigging
CPCCLSF3001 Licence to Erect, Alter & Dismantle Scaffolding Intermediate Level Intermediate Scaffolding
TLID0015 Load and Unload Goods/Cargo Load Restraint
- Hazardous Manual Tasks Manual Handling
RIIHAN309F Conduct Telescopic Materials Handler Operations Multi Purpose Tool Vehicle (Gold Card)
TLILIC0040 Licence to Operate a Non-Slewing Mobile Crane (Greater than 3 Tonnes Capacity) Non Slewing Mobile Crane
TLILIC0004 Licence to Operate an Order Picking Forklift Truck Order Picker
TLID0008 Shift Loads Using Bridge or Gantry Crane Pendant Crane
CPCCLHS3001 Licence to Operate a Personnel and Materials Hoist Personnel Hoist
- Powerline Awareness (Spotters) Powerline Awareness (Spotters)
TLILIC0011 Licence to Operate a Reach Stacker (Greater Than 3 Tonnes Capacity) Reach Stacker
- Red Lock Red Lock
CPCCCM2008 Erect and Dismantle Restricted Height Scaffolding Restricted Height Scaffolding
Safety Lead Safety Leadership Program Safety Leadership Program
RIIHAN301E Operate Elevating Work Platform - (Scissor Lift & Boom Lift) Scissor Lift & Boom Lift (Yellow Card)
RIIHAN301E Operate Elevating Work Platform - (Scissor Lift & Vertical Lift) Scissor Lift & Vertical Lift (Yellow Card)
RIIHAN301E Operate Elevating Work Platform - (Scissor Lift) Scissor Lift (Yellow Card)
RIIHAN301E Operate Elevating Work Platform - (Scissor Lift, Boom Lift & Vertical Lift) Scissor Lift, Boom Lift & Vertical Lift (Yellow Card)
10830NAT Course in Crystalline Silica Exposure Prevention Silicosis 
RIIMPO318F Conduct Civil Construction Skid Steer Loader Operations Skid Steer Loader
TLILIC0023 Licence to Operate a Slewing Mobile Crane (Up to 60 Tonnes) Slewing Mobile Crane (Up to 60 Tonnes)
TLID0012 Operate a Vehicle-Mounted Loading Crane Truck Mounted Crane
CPCWHS1001 Prepare to Work Safely in the Construction Industry - (White Card) White Card
RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights Work Safely at Heights
10894NAT Course in Workplace Impairment Prevention Workplace Impairment Prevention 
RIISAM202E Isolate and Access Plant Yellow Lock