High risk work

You can apply for a HRWL if you:

• are at least 18 years of age
• have satisfied an assessor you have enough knowledge of English (writing and speaking) to be assessed to safely carry out that class of work
• do not hold a current equivalent licence for the same class(es) from another State or Territory unless that licence is due for renewal
• have obtained the required qualification not more than 60 days ago and can satisfy the WorkSafe Commissioner that you are able to carry out the work to which the licence relates safely and competently.

New high risk work licence

You can work for up to 60 days from the date that you are issued with a Notice of Satisfactory Assessment (NOA) without a HRWL. You can continue to work beyond 60 days without a licence if you apply for the required licence within the 60-day period, and until:

• the application is refused,
• the application is granted, or
• the application is withdrawn.

If your application is refused you must stop work under that class of licence within 28 days of being notified of the refusal.

Add a class to an existing high risk work licence

If you have applied for a new class of high risk work licence you can begin work in the new class if:

• your application was accepted (payment of the application fee has been made/taken)
• you have been issued with both a Statement of Attainment and Notice of Satisfactory Assessment for the VET course relevant to the class of high risk work you are applying for
• the date of issue for both the Statement of Attainment and Notice of Satisfactory Assessment is no more than 60 days before the date your application was accepted.

If your application is refused you must stop work under that class of licence within 28 days of being notified of the refusal.

Accredited assessors are required to have a high level of practical experience in the class of work they are assessing. They are also required to have completed training in how to conduct training and assessments.

You can apply for an accredited high risk work assessor if you:

• have obtained the required qualification in assessment, Certificate IV in Workplace assessment and training [r. 118(2)(a)]
• hold a current HRWL in the required class [r. 118(2A)(b)]
• are able to demonstrate:
  • at least 1 year of full time (1,500hours/40weeks) experience in the last 5 years, or
  • a significant amount of experience more than 5 years ago and evidence of maintenance of competency in the last 5 years [r. 118(2A)(c)]; or
• hold an equivalent accreditation from another State or Territory [r. 118(2)(b)].

Apply for a new assessor accreditation

To apply for a new accreditation, you must complete an application for accreditation to assess high risk work licences.

Adding a class or renewing your accreditation

If you have an existing accreditation and would like to:

• renew it, you need to complete the Accreditation to assess high risk work - Renewal
• add another class of high risk work, you need to complete the Application for variation of an assessor accreditation.

Interstate assessors

A person who holds a high risk work assessor accreditation in another state or territory can apply for accreditation in WA without further assessment of their qualifications, skills or experience.

To learn more visit the Application for recognition of an interstate accreditation webpage.

Compliance requirements

Accredited assessors must comply with the provisions of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022, including the requirements to:

• conduct assessments in Western Australia only
• renew the accreditation every three years
• ensure high risk work licence remains valid
• comply with the conditions of accreditation
• use the nationally approved assessment instrument
• assessments can only be done for, or on behalf of, a registered training organisation (RTO) which is accredited to provide the associated VET Training course for the class of work being assessed

Assessors must maintain their competency to assess each class of work they are accredited to assess. For example, by conducting a minimum number of assessments in each class over the term of their licence. Accreditation will not be renewed if competency is not maintained.

Accredited assessor conditions

The WorkSafe Commissioner has amended the standard conditions which apply to all high risk work assessor accreditations.

• WorkSafe accredited assessor conditions for high-risk work licence classes
• Accredited assessors conditions fact sheet

Notifying WorkSafe of an assessment

The conditions include a requirement to notify WorkSafe before any assessment is conducted. Notifications are required to be made using an online form.

Further information about this requirement is available from Frequently asked questions on HRWL assessment notifications. 

Notify us of a high risk work licence assessment event

RTOs who submit HRWL applications on behalf of applicants need to read the Registered training organisations lodging high risk work licence applications: Information sheet.

Information about high risk work licence

An application for a replacement high risk work licence or high risk work assessor accreditation document which has been lost, stolen or destroyed can be lodged using our online portal. You will be required to complete a declaration describing the circumstances in which the original document was lost, stolen or destroyed.

Find out how you can apply for a replacement HRWL or HRW assessor accreditation document.