Scaffolding is high-risk work. Over four metres you need a licensed scaffolder, and the licence comes in three classes, basic, intermediate and advanced. What each class covers, which regulator issues it, and why the ticket, the SWMS and AS/NZS 1576 still matter below four metres.
Scaffolding is high-risk work, which makes the licence question simpler than it is for most trades, and more important. The line that matters is four metres: if a person or an object could fall more than four metres from the scaffold, erecting, altering or dismantling it is licensed work. So do not accept “fully licensed” on its own. Ask which class, who issued it, and for the number.
The licence is issued by your state work-health-and-safety regulator, SafeWork NSW in our case, and the same national high-risk-work framework applies across the states and territories. The class has to match the scaffold: a suspended or multi-storey job needs an advanced ticket, not a basic one. Always confirm the current class and number against the regulator for your state.
If your scaffold stays under four metres, a high-risk work licence is not legally required. But a job-specific SWMS, a build to AS/NZS 1576, public liability cover and a competent crew still mark out an operator worth hiring. The licence is one signal, not the only one. A ticketed scaffolder with a one-line day rate and no certificate is still a risk.
“Fully licensed” only means something if the class matches your scaffold and the ticket is current. Ask which class, and for the number.
Ask this, exactly
“For a scaffold this size, which high-risk work class do you hold, who issued it, and what is the licence number?”
A real scaffolder answers with a licence class and a number you can check with the regulator. A vague “yeah, all licensed” is the cue to ask again.
See it in context
Get it quoted with the licence and the certificate named.
We survey the site and send a fixed quote. It lists the licence class, the engineer certificate and the inspection schedule, all on one page.
Get a quote →We are SafeWork NSW licensed, certificate SB-00000, and happy to show the class and number for a job of any size, including the small ones under four metres that do not legally need it. The licence is on every quote and in the footer of this site, so you can check it before you call.
Steelline Access