If you are wanting to operate a forklift in Australia, you’ll need to have an Australian forklift license. To get a valid forklift license, you are now required to undertake registered forklift training. You then need to sit for and be assessed for a forklift licence.
Why you might need forklift training
Forklift licence regulations have changed recently. As a result, anyone who is planning to work as a full-time forklift operator will also need to be assessed. If you have been working as a forklift driver, depending on when you got your forklift licence, you might still have to be re-assessed.
Here’s a summary of guidelines and regulations applying to forklift licenses.
- Your local Work Place Health and Safety office will have the most recent information regarding forklift licenses that you need, and there are many different companies offering courses in Australia. Talk to your local forklift licensing business to find out the particulars you might need in your state.
- As forklift licence regulations have now been passed to the states, if you have had your forklift license for a few years, you need to check that your licence is still valid. Your licence might not be valid as there’s a new type of training in place for forklifts. You now have to be assessed to stay up to date with current requirements in each state.
- Forklift licenses are only valid for 5 years. So to refresh your knowledge and stay updated on Australia forklift regulations, classroom training is now required every three years.
- You need to be over 18 to apply for forklift licenses. With a different type of license required, depending on the type of work you do and the type of forklift. If you sit down and don’t handle materials, a simple license for a forklift is going to be enough.
Operating an order picker might require you to load and pick stock. Which means you will require different operator training for order pickers. The licence types are classified as an order-picker license or classed as LO tickets.
