Field notes › Compliance
High risk work licence classes and codes, and keeping them current
There are 29 classes of high risk work licence, set out in Schedule 3 of the model Work Health and Safety Regulations, and each has a short code printed on the licence: LF for a forklift truck, WP for a boom-type elevating work platform, DG for dogging, C2 for a slewing mobile crane up to 20 tonnes, and so on. Every class and code is in the table below, checked as at September 2026. The code is what tells you whether a licence covers the task you are rostering someone for.
What HRWL means and who issues it
HRWL stands for high risk work licence. Safe Work Australia says that under the model WHS Regulations a worker must hold the licence before a business can direct them to do high risk work, and must be over 18. The work covered is scaffolding, dogging and rigging, certain cranes and hoists, forklift trucks, reach stackers, boom-type elevating work platforms, and boilers, steam turbines and reciprocating steam engines.
Safe Work Australia writes the model laws but does not issue licences. Each state and territory regulator does that. Registered training organisations train and assess applicants, a pass on the national assessment instrument earns a statement of attainment, and the application has to reach the regulator within 60 days of getting it. The licence then runs for five years. Because each regulator runs its own system, renewals and licence checks work differently from state to state, which is covered further down.
High risk work licence classes and codes
Class names and descriptions below are from Safe Work Australia's list of high risk work licence classes, shortened to fit. The codes are from the class table in Comcare's applicant guide for Commonwealth licences and match the codes on WorkSafe WA's classes page.
| Class | Code | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Basic scaffolding | SB | Modular, prefabricated and bracket scaffolds |
| Intermediate scaffolding | SI | Cantilevered, spur, tube and coupler scaffolds |
| Advanced scaffolding | SA | Hung and suspended scaffolds, cantilevered hoists |
| Dogging | DG | Dogging work |
| Basic rigging | RB | Structural steel, precast concrete, hoists |
| Intermediate rigging | RI | Cranes, conveyors, tilt slabs, dual lifts |
| Advanced rigging | RA | Gin poles, flying foxes, guyed derricks |
| Tower crane | CT | Tower crane |
| Self-erecting tower crane | CS | Self-erecting tower crane |
| Derrick crane | CD | Derrick crane |
| Portal boom crane | CP | Portal boom crane |
| Bridge and gantry crane | CB | Cabin, control station or remote with more than 3 powered operations |
| Vehicle loading crane | CV | 10 metre tonnes or more |
| Non-slewing mobile crane | CN | Over 3 tonnes |
| Slewing mobile crane, up to 20 tonnes | C2 | 20 tonnes or less |
| Slewing mobile crane, up to 60 tonnes | C6 | 60 tonnes or less |
| Slewing mobile crane, up to 100 tonnes | C1 | 100 tonnes or less |
| Slewing mobile crane, over 100 tonnes | C0 | Over 100 tonnes |
| Materials hoist | HM | Materials hoist |
| Personnel and materials hoist | HP | Personnel and materials hoist |
| Boom-type elevating work platform | WP | Boom 11 metres or more |
| Concrete placing boom | PB | Concrete placing boom |
| Reach stacker | RS | Over 3 tonnes, container attachment |
| Forklift truck | LF | Any forklift except order picking |
| Order-picking forklift truck | LO | Order-picking forklift |
| Standard boiler operation | BS | Single fuel, no pre-heater, superheater or economiser |
| Advanced boiler operation | BA | Any boiler, including a standard boiler |
| Steam turbine operation | TO | 500 kilowatts or more, with listed features |
| Reciprocating steam engine | ES | Any piston over 250 millimetres |
Western Australia's list has one extra entry. WorkSafe WA includes "earth moving equipment used as a crane" alongside its crane codes, so if you roster crews in WA, read the WA page rather than relying on the model list alone.
How to read the codes
The letters group the families. SB, SI and SA are scaffolding, RB, RI and RA are rigging, the C codes are cranes, HM and HP are hoists, LF and LO are forklifts, and BS, BA, TO and ES are the boiler, turbine and steam engine classes. Within scaffolding and rigging, the basic, intermediate and advanced classes each list different types of work. Basic rigging covers work like structural steel erection and precast concrete members of a structure. Intermediate rigging covers cranes, conveyors, dredges and excavators, tilt slabs, demolition and dual lifts. Advanced rigging covers gin poles and shear legs, flying foxes and cable ways, and guyed derricks. Read the schedule wording before assuming one level covers the work of another.
Some classes are narrower than people expect. LF covers any forklift truck other than an order-picking forklift, and LO covers order-picking forklifts, so they are separate classes. WP applies only to a boom-type elevating work platform with a boom of 11 metres or more. A vehicle loading crane falls under CV at a capacity of 10 metre tonnes or more, and a non-slewing mobile crane falls under CN above 3 tonnes. Machines below those thresholds fall outside those licence classes, though a client can still ask for training or a verification of competency before anyone operates them.
The slewing mobile crane classes are written as ceilings. C2 is a capacity of 20 tonnes or less, C6 is 60 tonnes or less, C1 is 100 tonnes or less and C0 is anything over 100 tonnes. The advanced boiler class is described as operation of a boiler "including a standard boiler". When a client's lift plan names a class, record the exact code the worker holds and let the client confirm it fits.
How to find a high risk work licence number
The number is printed on the licence card, and under the model laws the holder must keep the licence with them for inspection. If a worker has lost the card, whether you can look the number up depends on the state.
In New South Wales, SafeWork NSW points employers to the SafeWork licence register and says to check that the licence has not expired, includes the relevant classes and has the correct photo and name of the worker. In Western Australia, the WA renewal page says the licence number is shown on the licence or can be found through the WA licence search, and WorkSafe WA's online licence search verifies the status of licences issued by the WorkSafe Commissioner. In Queensland, Business Queensland says the licence renewal number is on the renewal notice or available by phoning 1300 362 128. For other states and territories, ask that regulator how its register works.
Renewing a high risk work licence differs by state
Safe Work Australia's summary of the model laws is the common ground. The licence lasts five years, you cannot do high risk work while it is expired, and if you do not renew within 12 months after expiry you must do the training and assessment again before applying. The renewal windows and methods on either side of that are set by each regulator.
South Australia. SafeWork SA's renewal page says a licence can only be renewed within the 30 days before the expiry date on the licence, or up to 12 months after expiry, though the holder is not licensed while it is expired. Renewal starts online in the High Risk Work portal, which asks for the licence number, date of birth, last name and postcode. You can pay online unless a new photo is due, which is required at least every 10 years. In that case you pay in person at a Service SA Customer Service Centre or an Australia Post Photopoint outlet in South Australia, with 100 points of identification. Adding a class does not change the licence start date, so an SA licence still falls due five years after its original issue date.
Western Australia. The WA renewal page says you can renew 90 days before expiry or up to 12 months after, and you must have maintained competency in all the classes to renew. Lodge before expiry and you can keep working until the renewal is confirmed. Renew after expiry and you cannot work until the licence has been granted.
Queensland. Business Queensland says the licence is renewed online using the licence card, the renewal number and a Queensland driver licence or proof of age card if you have one, and that Australia Post outlets do not process renewals. Someone who moved to Queensland with an interstate licence can renew it there if it is photographic, was issued in an Australian state or territory, and expires within three months of the application.
The gap between a 30-day window in South Australia and a 90-day window in Western Australia matters for a crew that works in both. A reminder timed for one state can land before the worker is able to renew in the other.
Keeping licence classes current across a crew
A spreadsheet column that says "HRWL: yes" tells a client nothing. Against each worker you want each class code they hold, the licence number, the issuing state, the expiry date, and a note that someone sighted the card or checked a register. The class codes match a worker to a task. The issuing state tells you which renewal rules and register apply.
Crews that cross borders need one more check. Safe Work Australia says a licence is generally valid across Australia, but a holder who wants to work in another state or territory should contact the regulator there to check it is recognised. Holders also have to tell their regulator about a change of address within 14 days of moving.
In Mustr, roles are defined by the competencies they need, so a dogging role can require DG and a crane role the class the client names, and requirements can also be set per client site, per role and per individual shift. Licences expiring soon show on the dashboard up to 60 days out with one-click reminder emails, and admins set how many days before expiry the chasing starts. Once a licence has expired, new bookings that need it are stopped. Our note on the sixty-day expiry window covers how to time the chase.
Questions people ask
What does HRWL mean?
HRWL stands for high risk work licence. It is the licence a worker needs before a business can direct them to do work such as scaffolding, dogging, rigging, or operating certain cranes and forklifts. Licences are issued by state and territory regulators and last five years.
What are the high risk work licence class codes?
Each of the 29 classes has a code, such as SB, SI and SA for scaffolding, DG for dogging, RB, RI and RA for rigging, LF and LO for forklifts, and WP for a boom-type elevating work platform. The slewing mobile crane classes are C2, C6, C1 and C0 by capacity. The codes on a licence show exactly which classes the holder may do.
How do I find my high risk work licence number?
It is printed on the licence card. Some states also run public registers, such as the SafeWork licence register in New South Wales and the online licence search in Western Australia. If you have lost the card, contact the regulator that issued it.
How do you renew a high risk work licence in South Australia?
SafeWork SA says renewal starts online in its High Risk Work portal and can be done within the 30 days before expiry or up to 12 months after. You pay online unless a new photo is due, in which case you pay in person at Service SA or an Australia Post Photopoint outlet in South Australia. The holder cannot do licensed work while the licence is expired.
Is a high risk work licence valid in other states?
Safe Work Australia says a licence is generally valid across Australia. Before working in another state or territory, contact the regulator there to check your licence is recognised. You also need to tell your regulator when you change address.
To see licence classes checked on a live roster, you can book a demo.