Whether you are planning to use a mobile tower scaffold, trestles, or cherry picker in Brisbane, you need to understand the issue of licences whether for scaffolding hire or for scaffold work. First, putting up scaffolding, like most construction equipment, is regulated to ensure safety. Do you need a licence for scaffolding work?
Before we answer that, it is essential to note that scaffolding is classified as a plant under Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act. Its use is assessed to ensure the safety of the workers and everyone involved. That’s why the issue of licences arise.
Do You Need a Scaffolding Licence?
The answer is yes. Scaffolding work is classified as a high-risk operation. Scaffolds are some of the most risky equipment in the construction site as far as the severity of injuries is concerned. Any structure that a person or object can fall more than 4 meters from the platform is high-risk. That’s the reason scaffolding is under this category, considering some like extension ladders have a height of more than 12 meters.
There are various types of licences needed depending on the types of scaffolding work you want to perform. For each of the licences, you should be trained in erecting, altering, and dismantling the scaffold. The main aim of these licenses is to ensure you have been trained on the proper use of these pieces of equipment.
In this article, we will look at three of the main scaffolding licences you will need to hold in Australia to put up scaffolding. The difference between these three licences are the kind of tasks you can perform. Here are the licences:
Basic Scaffolding -SB High-Risk Work Licence
The basic scaffolding –SB is a licence that is required for people who want to perform basic scaffolding. It is the most basic licence and the basic minimum for people doing private scaffolding work. It’s the licence supplier companies ask for during private hire.
To get this licence, you need a 4-day training and assessment on the fifth day. The course focusses on the basic level skills like the use of common scaffold configurations. The essential skills you learn are erecting, altering and disassembling both modular, prefabricated, frame, trestle, cherry picker and many other scaffolds.
The training for Basic Scaffolding –SB high-risk licence also includes the erection of cantilevered material hoists with the maximum load of 500 kilograms, installing safety nets, erecting bucket scaffolds, ropes and gin wheels.
The Basic Scaffolding –SB license is offered by the RTOs across the country. You can use the licence to hire and use scaffolds to perform all the basic duties we need to erect scaffolding at our homes.
Intermediate Scaffolding Work (SI) Licence
The Intermediate scaffolding work (SI) is the second-tier licence for more complex scaffolding duties. The major requirement to enrol for this training is to be a holder of the basic scaffolding licence. As the name suggests, you are trained to erect, alter and dismantle scaffolds at intermediate levels. It’s a shorter 3-day course where you are trained for two days and assessed on the third day.
The intermediate scaffolding work tasks include using cantilever crane loading platforms, scaffolding tube and coupler scaffold, cantilevered and spurred scaffolds, and perimeter safety screens. You also train to use mast climbers, barrow ramps and sloping platforms.
The training is also conducted by Registered Training Organisation (RTOs), and they also give you a certificate on behalf of Worksafe. The intermediate scaffolding licences are mostly for commercial application.
Advanced Scaffolding -SA High-Risk Licence.
As the name suggests, advanced scaffolding high-risk licence is for more advanced and higher risk scaffolding duties. The licence is offered to individuals working in very risky conditions where a slight mistake can cause massive damages or loss of life.
To qualify for this training, you must be a holder of the basic scaffolding licence and an intermediate licence. It is a 3-day course where you train for 2 days and are assessed on the third day. It’s a short course when working with a good RTO.
For this licence, you train to erect, alter and dismantle scaffold configurations at the advanced level. Some of the advanced scaffolding skills include all intermediate scaffolding work, suspended scaffolds and cantilevered hoists. You will also train to use hung scaffolds, including hanging from chains, wire ropes and tubes.
In conclusion, these are the major scaffold licences if you want to hire these pieces of equipment. Both intermediate and advanced are for commercial tasks. If you just want to rent a scaffold for your private work in Brisbane, you only need a basic scaffolding high-risk work licence. With scaffold rentals, you enjoy so many benefits.
Interested in scaffold hire? Take a look at the benefits of scaffold rental.
