Forklift Licence Rules on Residential Sites

What it is

The LF licence is the High Risk Work Licence to operate a forklift truck other than an order-picking forklift or a pedestrian operated truck. It is one of the licence classes listed in Schedule 3 of the model Work Health and Safety Regulations. The order-picking version is the LO class. Anyone driving a counterbalance or reach forklift on a residential build needs an LF licence.

The licence applies to any powered industrial truck with a load shifting attachment, whether it is sitting on the back of a brick delivery truck, working off a tilt-tray or running across the slab to move pallets. If the truck has a fork and lifts a load by use of a mast, it is a forklift for the purposes of the licence.

Who needs an LF licence on a residential site

The licence sits with the operator, not the machine. Three groups commonly trigger it on a residential job.

The brick or frame delivery driver

The most common scenario. A truck arrives with bricks, frames, trusses or roof tiles and the driver swings down a piggyback forklift to drop the load onto the slab. That driver needs an LF licence even if they are only on site for 10 minutes.

Site forklifts

Larger custom builds, townhouse projects and prefab pad sites run a hired forklift for the duration of the frame stage. The hire company supplies the machine. The builder is responsible for ensuring every person who operates it holds a current LF licence.

Owner-builders and apprentices

An apprentice carpenter cannot jump on a forklift to move a pallet of cladding. Owner-builders cannot operate a forklift on their own residential project without an LF licence.

A pedestrian operated pallet truck (the walk behind style) is excluded. A ride on order-picker still needs a licence, but a different class (LO).

How AS 2359 fits in

AS 2359 is the Australian Standard series for powered industrial trucks. The relevant parts for residential work are:

• AS 2359.1 - General requirements covering design, construction and stability.
• AS 2359.2 - Operations, maintenance, repair and modification of self-propelled industrial trucks.

AS 2359.2 is the one that bites operators day to day. It sets out the pre-start inspection, the operator's duties around load stability, the requirement for an exclusion zone around an operating forklift and the rules on travelling with raised loads. WHS regulators routinely reference AS 2359.2 when investigating a forklift incident, even though the standard itself is not law.

On-site rules a residential builder needs to enforce

The fundamentals are the responsibility of the PCBU under the model WHS Regulations. Five points cover most of what goes wrong on a residential site.

Pre-start inspection

The operator must complete a documented pre-start before the first lift of the shift. Forks, mast, tyres, brakes, horn, lights, hydraulics, data plate.

Exclusion zone

Pedestrians stay outside the forklift's exclusion zone. The smaller the site, the harder this is, but it is also where most residential forklift injuries happen. Where physical separation is not possible, a spotter is needed.

Load stability

Loads are picked square, secured if needed and never carried above mast travel height. The operator should be able to see the path of travel. Reversing or using a spotter is required if the load blocks forward vision.

Refuelling and battery charging

LPG cylinders and battery banks live outside the building footprint, away from ignition sources and with the right signage and ventilation.

Licence checks

The builder sights and records every operator's LF licence at induction. Truck drivers delivering with a piggyback forklift get the same check at the gate every time.

Penalties and insurance fallout

Unlicensed forklift operation is a category 2 or category 3 WHS offence depending on the risk that arose. Section 32 of the model WHS Act carries a maximum penalty of $1.5 million for a body corporate. Most builders' public liability policies exclude cover for incidents involving unlicensed plant operators. The exposure is rarely a single fine. It is the fine plus the medical plus the legal plus the project delay.

The cheap fix is the policy. Every operator's LF licence is sighted at induction, photographed and tracked against the five year expiry. The driver dropping the bricks gets the same check as the worker employed for the build.