VOC vs LICENCE —
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
They get mixed up constantly on site. One is a legal authorisation; the other is evidence your people can actually operate the gear in front of them. Most crews need both.
The licence: legal permission to do the work
For scheduled high risk work — dogging, rigging, crane and hoist operation, and the rest — the law requires a high risk work licence issued by the regulator (SafeWork NSW, through Service NSW). You earn it by completing the nationally recognised unit and passing an assessment with an accredited assessor. It's valid for 5 years and it's the non-negotiable minimum: no licence, no high risk work.
The VOC: proof they can drive that machine
A verification of competency is an assessment method used to demonstrate a worker's ability to operate equipment — typically on the specific plant they'll use at a specific workplace. It is not a qualification, not a certificate of competency, and not a substitute for a licence. It answers a different question: the licence says they were competent when they were assessed, possibly years ago; the VOC says they're competent now, on your gear.
Why employers run VOCs
Under WHS law, a business must provide the information, training, instruction and supervision needed for people to work safely — and be able to show it did. A licence card alone doesn't tell you whether the operator has kept their skills current or has ever run your particular machine. That's the gap VOCs close. Common triggers:
- New starters and labour hire — before they touch plant on your site
- New or unfamiliar equipment coming onto site
- After an incident or near miss
- After a long break from the equipment
- Principal contractor or client requirements on major projects
- Non-licensed plant (telehandlers, gantry cranes and similar) where there's no licence to point to
How a proper VOC runs
A defensible VOC follows the same skeleton as formal assessment: it's mapped against the relevant unit of competency, it covers both knowledge and practical performance on the actual plant, and it's conducted by a competent assessor. The output is a documented record — what was assessed, against what benchmark, by whom, with what result. If it's just a signature on a form with no evidence behind it, it won't survive an audit or an incident investigation.
How often?
There's no fixed legal interval for re-VOCs. Most companies set their own cycle as policy, and many principal contractors mandate one for site entry. What matters is that your system says what you do — and that you actually do it.
What records you should hold
- The VOC record: unit reference, tasks assessed, result, date, assessor
- Copy or sighting record of the operator's licence (where the class is licensed)
- Evidence the assessor was competent to assess
The short version
Licence = the regulator's permission to do that class of work, renewed every 5 years. VOC = your evidence, as an employer, that the person can safely operate the specific plant on your site today. One doesn't replace the other.
How we can help
We run VOCs on your plant, at your site, across NSW and the ACT — documented against the unit's requirements and ready for your next audit. Licence courses, refreshers and toolbox sessions in the same visit if you need them.
General information only, current at July 2026 — not legal advice. WHS obligations are set by the WHS legislation and your regulator; confirm specific requirements with SafeWork NSW. Nationally recognised training and assessment is delivered in partnership with Halo Nation Training Pty Ltd (RTO 32485). VOCs are an industry service, not nationally recognised training.