Forklift Licences in Victoria: What a Factory Actually Needs (LF, LO & HRWL)

Do you need a licence to drive a forklift in Victoria?

Yes. In Victoria, anyone operating a forklift must hold a current high risk work licence (HRWL) for that machine and be over 18. Forklift operation is high risk work under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017. There are two forklift classes, and an employer who lets an unlicensed person drive is breaching the law.

After nearly 30 years walking factory floors, the forklift is the one piece of plant I check first. It is the most common cause of serious injury in a warehouse, and it is also the licence gap that a WorkSafe inspector spots in seconds. Here is what a Victorian manufacturer actually needs.

Which forklift licence do you need — LF or LO?

WorkSafe Victoria issues 30 classes of high risk work licence. Two of them cover forklifts, and they are not interchangeable:

Licence	Code	Covers
Forklift truck operation licence	LF	A standard counterbalance forklift where the operator sits or stands at ground level
Order-picking forklift truck operation licence	LO	An order-picker where the operator is raised with the load

An LF licence does not let someone operate an order-picker, and an LO licence does not cover a counterbalance forklift. If your site runs both, your operators need both classes. Note that you do not need a high risk work licence to operate a scissor lift or earthmoving equipment such as an excavator — different rules apply to those.

How do you get a forklift high risk work licence?

The pathway is set by WorkSafe and runs in a fixed order:

1. Train and be assessed through a registered training organisation (RTO). You must provide photo identification when you register.
2. Pass the assessment. You receive an Assessment Number by email or a written Notice of Assessment.
3. Lodge the licence application within 60 calendar days of the assessment. Miss that window and you have to sit the assessment again, at your own cost.
4. Apply online through a myWorkSafe account, or in person at Australia Post if you cannot complete the online identity check.

The application fee is $75.65 per class. Processing can take up to 45 calendar days, and the plastic card arrives 20 to 25 business days after approval (a digital licence is available immediately through myWorkSafe if you apply online). The licence is valid for five years, and you can renew within 12 months of the expiry date for $57.20.

Does a licence alone make someone competent to operate your forklift?

No — and this is the point most sites miss. A high risk work licence proves general competence, not competence on your specific machine. WorkSafe expects employers to also provide familiarisation training, because forklift designs differ between manufacturers and even between models from the same manufacturer.

Before a licensed operator gets the keys, that familiarisation should cover:

• safe operation of that forklift and its safety features
• capacity and load limits, and how to read the forklift's information plate
• pre-start inspection requirements
• any attachments fitted to the machine

They should also be trained on your traffic management plan, pedestrian exclusion zones, refuelling or recharging, and what to do when a defect or collision occurs — including when an incident has to be notified to WorkSafe. A licence in a wallet is not evidence of any of that — the records are. Those records belong in the same workplace safety system as the rest of your plant and training evidence.

What are the employer's duties?

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, an employer must provide employees with the information, instruction, training or supervision necessary to keep them safe. For forklifts, that duty holder responsibility means:

• only letting licensed operators drive (or a supervised trainee, see below)
• keeping familiarisation and task-specific training records
• ensuring supervision is sufficient, with extra care for vulnerable workers such as labour hire, young and culturally and linguistically diverse employees

An unlicensed person can operate a forklift only while working towards their HRWL and under direct supervision. The supervisor must hold an HRWL for that type of forklift and must have direct line of sight and verbal control of the trainee. Anything looser than that is not lawful supervision.

Frequently asked questions

Can a worker use their interstate forklift licence in Victoria? If they hold a valid HRWL from another Australian state or territory and live in Victoria, they can apply to transfer it through myWorkSafe within 12 months of its expiry date. Until the transfer is processed, check the licence is current before they operate.

How long is a Victorian forklift licence valid? Five years. You can renew within 12 months of the expiry date. If it has been expired for more than 12 months, you need to show exceptional circumstances, and older certificates of competency issued under previous legislation can no longer be used.

Does a forklift licence cover every type of forklift? No. The LF class covers a counterbalance forklift and the LO class covers an order-picker. An operator needs the class that matches the machine, plus familiarisation training on the specific model they will drive.

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If you are not certain whether your operators' licences, familiarisation records and supervision arrangements would stand up to a WorkSafe visit, that is exactly the kind of gap a safety manager on our team can find in an afternoon on your floor. You can book a site assessment at ardmor.com.au/book-audit.

This article is general information for Victorian manufacturers, not legal advice. Last updated: 17 July 2026.