Warning issued over high risk work licence assessments

A Perth assessor has had his high-risk work licence accreditation cancelled, prompting warnings about improper assessments of applicants.

Antoni Frazer’s accreditation was cancelled for all classes of licence, so he is now no longer able to conduct assessments for any class of high risk work licence.

He has also been disqualified from reapplying for accreditation for the next two years due to the seriousness of the breaches, which included non-compliant assessments and providing false and misleading information on assessment documentation.

A total of 24 high risk work licence holders assessed by Frazer have had one or more classes of their licences cancelled and need to repeat the training and licensing process.

WA WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North warned assessors that it was likely they would be found out if they did not conduct assessments properly.

“This case has led me to warn other assessors that WorkSafe conducts regular compliance activities in the licensing area, and it is likely they will be caught if they’re not meeting the required standards,” North said.

“Inadequate assessments are a serious issue and can lead to the loss of the assessor’s livelihood. It is of great concern that inadequate assessment can lead to workers being granted licences when they have not demonstrated that they can safely do the work, which can endanger lives.

“We work with other agencies — namely the Training Accreditation Council (TAC) in WA and Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) nationally — to ensure that workers receive appropriate training for high risk work licences.

“I’d also like to remind workers to get in touch with WorkSafe if they suspect they are not being trained or assessed adequately or suitably for their work.

“Employers also have a duty of care under workplace safety legislation to provide workers with the relevant site-specific and machinery-specific training.

“High risk work licences are only issued to workers who have been appropriately trained and have the skills to perform high risk work safely and competently.

“You can use WorkSafe’s online search function or the ServiceWA app to check if your worker’s high risk work licence is current.

“Licensing applies to anyone engaged in work defined as ‘high risk’, including scaffolding, dogging and rigging work, and the operation of cranes, hoists, pressure equipment and forklifts.

“It’s crucial that any worker who holds a high risk work licence has been properly trained and assessed so they are not a danger to themselves or others in their workplace.”

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