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Elevating Work Platform Safety & Competency Pack

Documents that work together for EWP work: what the operator does, a check they can do it, a pre-start before every shift, and a supervisor check that the controls for working at height are in place.

  • EquipmentElevating work platform (EWP)
  • TaskOperating an EWP; Working at heights
  • DocumentsVOC assessment, Safe work instruction (SWI), Pre-start checklist, Field verification checklist
  • FormatsWord (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), editable
  • CodeDOC-EWP-PACK
  • Version1.0 · 1.1 MB ZIP

About this pack

Most paperwork for this work is written separately and never quite lines up. These documents are written to work together. The safe work instruction tells the operator what to do. The VOC assessment checks they can do it. The pre-start checklist confirms the EWP is fit to use. The supervisor field verification checklist checks, on site, that the exclusion zone below, the ground, harness use, powerline clearances and the rescue plan are actually in place.

A short setup guide tells you what to adapt before you use them. Everything is in editable Word or Excel.

A VOC supports workplace competency verification. It does not replace a high risk work licence where one is required. A VOC does not replace the high risk work licence required for some elevating work platforms (boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or more). Operators must hold any licence, training or site authorisation required for the EWP and the site.

Who it is for

  • Construction, maintenance, facilities and warehousing businesses that use EWPs
  • Owners and managers setting up controls for work at height without a safety department
  • Supervisors who need a practical check of exclusion zones and rescue arrangements
  • WHS advisers replacing documents that were written separately and do not line up

What it helps you do

  • Give operators one clear instruction that matches how your site works
  • Verify each one against that same instruction
  • Use the pre-start checklist before every job
  • Check on site that the controls are in place and working
  • Feed what supervisors find in the field back into the instruction and the VOC

What is included

Delivered as one ZIP download. The files below are editable, and every Word document also comes as a PDF. Each download also includes Read Me First, a Product Overview, the Permitted Use Terms and Version Information (PDF).

FileFormatWhat it is for
How the Documents Work TogetherWord (.docx)How the documents in the pack fit together, and who uses each one, when.
Setup GuideWord (.docx)A short guide to what to adapt before use: your EWP and its type, the manufacturer's instructions, your site, your rescue plan and your local controls.
EWP Safe Work InstructionWord (.docx)Step-by-step instruction for the operator: pre-start, ground and overhead checks, harness and anchorage, elevating, travelling, working near powerlines, emergency lowering and parking.
EWP Pre-start ChecklistWord (.docx)The check before each shift: controls, emergency lowering, guardrails, tyres, hydraulics and the logbook, with clear do-not-operate criteria.
EWP VOC Assessment ToolWord (.docx)The assessor's tool: the practical observation checklist, evidence requirements, safety-critical fail criteria, the outcome and sign-off.
EWP VOC Knowledge Questions (Candidate)Word (.docx)The knowledge questions, for the person being assessed to answer.
EWP VOC Marking Guide (Assessor)Word (.docx)The expected answers and marking guidance, for the assessor only.
EWP VOC RegisterExcel (.xlsx)A register of everyone assessed: date, assessor, licence or authorisation sighted, outcome and when reassessment is due.
Supervisor Field Verification ChecklistWord (.docx)For a supervisor on site: checks that exclusion zones below, ground conditions, harness use, powerline clearances and the rescue plan are in place and working.

How the documents work together

Everything in the pack is written to the same work. The VOC assesses the operator against the safe work instruction, the pre-start checklist covers each job before it starts, and the field verification checks the controls the instruction relies on.

Safe work instruction

Tells the operator what to do

The steps, hazards and controls for the task, written for the person doing it.

Included

VOC assessment

Checks they can do it

Verifies each operator against that same instruction, on your equipment, with evidence and a clear outcome.

Included

Pre-start checklist

Checks the equipment is fit to use

Every shift, before use, with clear do-not-operate criteria.

Included

Field verification

Checks the controls are working on site

A supervisor checks on the floor that the controls the instruction relies on are in place and effective.

Included

What supervisors find in the field feeds back into the instruction and the VOC.

Set it up for your site

Before first use, adapt the documents to:

  • Your equipment: make, model, capacity, attachments and any site-specific modifications
  • The manufacturer's operating instructions and data plate, which take priority over anything generic
  • Your site layout: traffic routes, pedestrian walkways, exclusion zones, loading areas and speed limits
  • Your local controls, procedures, emergency arrangements and reporting lines
  • Consult the workers who do the task, and your Health and Safety Representative if you have one
  • Review the documents after an incident, a near miss, new equipment or a change to the site

What you need

  • Your EWP details and the manufacturer's operating instructions
  • Your site layout, ground conditions and overhead hazards
  • Your rescue plan for an operator stranded or injured at height
  • Someone competent to adapt the documents, assess operators and verify the controls

Training

For the operator and the crew, Orana Skills Centre runs face-to-face Working at Heights training.

Before you use them

  • A VOC supports workplace competency verification. It does not replace a high risk work licence where one is required.
  • A VOC does not replace the high risk work licence required for some elevating work platforms (boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or more). Operators must hold any licence, training or site authorisation required for the EWP and the site.
  • The documents must be adapted to your equipment, the manufacturer's instructions, your site and your local controls before they are used.
  • Using them does not by itself make a workplace compliant with WHS or OHS laws. They support the work of managing the risk; they are not legal advice.

Questions about this pack

Why buy the pack rather than the VOC on its own?

A VOC needs something to assess against. The pack includes the safe work instruction the VOC checks, plus the pre-start checklist and the supervisor field verification checklist, all written to the same work, so what you instruct, what you assess and what you check in the field line up.

Does the pack include the VOC assessment?

Yes. The Elevating Work Platform VOC assessment tool, knowledge questions, marking guide and Excel VOC register are all in the pack, so there is no need to buy the VOC separately.

Does the VOC replace a licence?

No. A VOC supports workplace competency verification. It does not replace a high risk work licence where one is required. A VOC does not replace the high risk work licence required for some elevating work platforms (boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or more). Operators must hold any licence, training or site authorisation required for the EWP and the site.

Can we buy the documents separately?

Yes. The VOC assessment, the safe work instruction and the supervisor field verification checklist are each sold on their own. The pack contains all of them, plus the pre-start checklist and the setup guide, which are only in the pack.

Do you need a licence to operate a scissor lift?

No high risk work licence is needed for a scissor lift. The elevating work platform licence (class WP) covers boom-type EWPs with a boom length of 11 metres or more. Scissor lift operators must still be trained and competent on the model they use, and the VOC records that check.

What licence do you need for a boom lift?

A boom-type EWP with a boom length of 11 metres or more needs a high risk work licence, class WP. Under 11 metres no licence is needed, but the operator must be trained and familiar with the machine; how boom length is measured differs between states, so check with your regulator for a borderline machine. A VOC records that the operator can operate your EWP safely; it does not replace the licence.

Can we edit the documents?

Yes. Every document is supplied in Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx), so you can add your logo, change the wording and adapt it to your workplace. The copyright notice must stay.

Do we need to adapt them before use?

Yes. The documents must be adapted to your equipment, the manufacturer's instructions, your site and your local controls before they are used. The setup guide in the pack lists what to change.

Will these documents make us compliant?

No document can. Your duties are met by managing the risks in your actual workplace. Using them does not by itself make a workplace compliant with WHS or OHS laws. They support the work of managing the risk; they are not legal advice.

Is GST included in the price?

Yes. Every price in the store includes GST, so $199.00 is the total, including $18.09 GST. Your receipt is a tax invoice showing the GST.

How are the files delivered?

As a ZIP download. Card purchases can be downloaded straight away from the confirmation page and by a link we email you. Download links expire after 14 days for security; you can request a new one at any time.

Can we order by invoice, or for several sites?

Yes. Use Request an Invoice to order through your normal procurement process, with a purchase order number and quantities if you need them. The files are released once payment is confirmed.

Can we use them at more than one site?

Yes, across your own organisation. The documents are licensed for internal use by the purchasing organisation. A consultant, labour hire business or training provider supplying them to clients needs separate written permission.

Can we use them outside Australia?

They are written for Australian workplaces and refer to Australian WHS and OHS laws and licences. A business elsewhere should replace those references with its own country's requirements. Everything is editable for that.

What is your refund policy?

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected. See the Refund Policy for how we handle a document that is faulty, not as described, or not what you ordered.

Licence and legal information here is general. It may not be correct in your jurisdiction: please check with your local WHS or OHS regulator.

Ordering for a business or several sites? Request an invoice. Other questions: contact us.

Goes well with

Start with a toolbox talk to brief the crew on the hazard, then use the safe work instruction, the VOC and the field verification checklist to set and check the controls.

Working at Heights Awareness

For: All workersDuration: 20–30 minutes

For workers who use ladders, platforms, roofs or anything off the ground: why falls kill, and the order of controls that prevents them.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Dropped Objects Awareness

For: Workers who work at height or below itDuration: 20–30 minutes

For workers at height and the people below them: how objects fall, and the controls that stop them falling or hitting someone.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Electrical Safety Awareness

For: All workersDuration: 20–30 minutes

For workers who use electrical equipment or work near powerlines: how electricity injures, the checks before use, and what to do if someone is shocked.

What's included
  • Editable slides with speaker notes, plus PDF
  • Facilitator guide and participant handout
  • Multiple-choice assessment with answer key
  • Attendance record form and certificate template

Fall prevention at height is a common critical control. To manage it as one, with performance standards and field verification across the business, see the Critical Control Management series.

Related documents

Elevating Work Platform VOC Assessment Template

For: Supervisors, WHS advisers and workplace assessors

Verify EWP operators on your site and machine: knowledge questions with a marking guide, practical observation checklist, fail criteria and sign-off.

What's included
  • Knowledge questions with a marking guide
  • Practical observation checklist
  • Evidence requirements and safety-critical fail criteria
  • Assessor sign-off, plus an Excel VOC register

Elevating Work Platform Safe Work Instruction Template

For: Owners, supervisors and WHS advisers

The safe work instruction from the pack, on its own: the steps, hazards and controls, stop points, emergencies and sign-off, in editable Word.

What's included
  • Step-by-step instruction with clear stop points
  • Hazards and controls, most effective first
  • Emergencies, consultation, approval and review
  • Operator acknowledgement, plus a setup note

Elevating Work Platform Field Verification Checklist

For: Supervisors, managers and WHS advisers

The supervisor's field verification checklist from the pack, on its own: checks on site that the controls for the work are in place and working.

What's included
  • Checks marked Pass, Not met or N/A, with the evidence seen
  • Critical controls marked, with same-shift escalation
  • Questions for the people doing the work
  • Actions, owners, due dates and sign-off, plus a setup note