Crane operator rules in Western Australia

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The sources are the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 as the Western Australian legislation site shows them (official version as at July 1, 2025), and two WorkSafe WA pages on high risk work. The national picture is on the parent page, cranes in tree work.

At a glance

Item	What the sources say
Law	Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) and the General Regulations 2022, Part 4.5, regulation 81
Who needs a licence	A person carrying out a class of high risk work listed in Schedule 3, which includes crane operation, dogging and rigging
Age	WorkSafe WA says an applicant must be at least 18
Term	5 years from the day it is granted (regulation 92)
Tree work	Regulation 221 covers a crane used to put a competent person in a tree to lop it

The licence rule

Regulation 81 says a person must not carry out a class of high risk work unless the person holds a high risk work licence for that class, except as regulation 82 provides. Schedule 3 sets out the classes and Schedule 4 the qualifications. Regulation 86 says only a person who holds a Schedule 4 qualification may apply. WorkSafe WA says the licence is recognised in all states and territories, and that a person must be over 18 to do the work.

Regulation 85 says a person conducting a business or undertaking must not direct or allow a worker to do licensed high risk work unless the person sees written evidence of the licence. The listed fine is AU$4,200 for an individual and AU$21,000 for a body corporate.

The crane classes in Schedule 3

Class	Use covered
Dogging	Dogging work
Basic, intermediate, advanced rigging	Basic includes dogging; intermediate lists cranes, hoists with jibs and dual lifts among its work
Vehicle loading crane	Capacity of 10 metre tonnes or more, including load estimation and slinging
Non-slewing mobile crane	Capacity exceeding 3 tonnes
Slewing mobile crane	Capacity up to 20 tonnes, up to 60 tonnes, up to 100 tonnes, or over 100 tonnes
Tower, self-erecting tower, derrick, portal boom, bridge and gantry	One class each
Boom-type elevating work platform	Boom length of 11 metres or more

The slewing classes list the lower crane uses within them: for example the class up to 20 tonnes also lists a non-slewing mobile crane over 3 tonnes and a vehicle loading crane of 10 metre tonnes or more without load estimation and slinging.

Exceptions in regulation 82

A licence is not required for work done in the course of training towards certification under the supervision of a licence holder, and regulation 84 requires direct supervision in that case unless the task makes it impracticable or unnecessary. A person who holds certification for a specified VET course is not required to be licensed for 60 days after it is issued, and beyond that if an application is made inside the 60 days, until the licence is granted or 28 days after a refusal notice. Work done while an accredited assessor assesses the person is also excepted. A person who only sets up or dismantles a crane or hoist and holds a rigging licence that qualifies for that work is not required to hold a crane operator licence.

Regulation 221 on tree lopping

Regulation 219 says the person managing or controlling plant must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that plant used to lift or suspend a load is specifically designed for it, and regulation 220 sets conditions where plant not designed to lift a person is used, including a work box securely attached to the plant. Regulation 221 says those two conditions of regulation 220(1) do not apply to tree lopping where five things are all true. A risk assessment shows that lifting a person in a harness with a crane to put the person in the tree creates no greater risk than using plant designed to lift a person or climbing the tree. The lopping is done by a competent person in the use of the harness. A crane puts that person in the tree. The crane has safety mechanisms that would prevent the person from inadvertently falling. And while attached, the person is in visual, audio or radio communication with the crane operator.

The regulation defines the harness as a work positioning harness designed and certified under AS/NZS 1891.1:2007 for lifting and suspending a person. Regulation 219 lists a fine of AU$7,000 for an individual and AU$35,000 for a body corporate for breaches of its subregulations.