The Botany Access Yellow Card
When?
Training sessions are conducted weekdays (depending on availability) .Weekend courses for group over 4 can also be catered for. The courses start at 7am and generally finish around midday, depending on the class size.
Where?
The training is conducted at the Botany Access yard at 1729 Botany Road, Banksmeadow, opposite the Botany Golf Course.
We can also do on site training if this better suits your needs; just let us know what your requirements are.
What does it include?
Our standard course covers THREE modules, booms under 11 metres, vertical and scissor lifts. The other modules, TL, TM and T are available upon request.
How much?
The recommended retail price for the Yellow card is $400; however, Botany Access offers this course for $350 which includes the three modules. For groups of 4 or more, further discounts apply.
Who does the training?
The training is conducted by industry experienced and EWPA certified trainers who strive to make the course informative as well as entertaining. We consistently receive excellent feedback about our courses and are proud of the fact that a lot of our business comes from referrals and repeat business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need EWP training?
Other than the obvious answer, being that operators require training so they are not a danger to themselves or others, it is a WorkCover requirement that -
OHS Act 2000
Employers must provide information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety of employees at work.
Manufacturers and suppliers of plant must ensure equipment is safe to use when properly used and must make available adequate information about the conditions for the safe use of the equipment manufactured or supplied.
Employees must co-operate with efforts to comply with OHS requirements.
For further information as supplied by the Elevating Work Platform Association of Australia (EWPA), click here
Basically, if you are operating an EWP without recognised training and there is an incident, you have left yourself and/or your employer exposed to legal proceedings which may also affect your insurance etc.
What courses are available?
Two courses cover EWP operations and depending on what type of EWP and what height you require to reach govern what qualification you will need to acquire.
YELLOW CARD
The Yellow Card will allow you to legally operate scissor lifts (no restriction), vertical lifts (no restriction) and boom lifts (up to 11 metres). It also covers truck mounted and trailer mounted devices as well. These are all contained in separate modules.
Scissor Lift- SL
Boom Lift BL
Vertical Lift VL
Truck Mount TM
Trailer Mount TL
Truck load restraint T (
Our standard courses covers 3 modules, scissor, vertical and booms.
WP HIGH RISK WORK LICENSE
This is a three day course- 2 days training, one day assessment (by a Workcover Accredited Assessor.) This will allow you to legally operate Boom type devices over 11 metres.
Do I need a Yellow Card if I have a WP High Risk License?
The perception is that if you have a WP, you don’t need a Yellow Card, based on - if I have a truck license, why would I need a car licence? As far as Work cover is concerned - it’s a case of - if you have a pilots licence for a plane, that doesn’t mean you can fly a helicopter. As it stands, if you operate a scissor or vertical lift, you need a Yellow Card, and if you operate a boom over 11 metres, you need a WP. I received written notification to this effect from Workcover when I enquired as to what was their interpretation.
Do I need to upgrade to the new Yellow Card if I have the old one?
As far as the EWPA is concerned, the old card is still valid; however we are aware of some sites insisting on the new card. This ensures that the training is more up to date and also because it is a photo ID, makes it easier to establish if the operator isn’t just using someone else’s card.
The issue with the old card being there is no use by date, so it is conceivable that an operator could have a had a short training session 12 years ago and not stepped into an EWP since then. If you are starting on a new site, the best bet would be to check what their site requirements are beforehand.
What is a VOC?
Some of the bigger construction companies now require a VOC (Verification of Competency) before you will allowed to operate an EWP (or any other plant equipment). This is a safety measure that reassures the construction company that you are up to date with your training and still competent. It is usually around an hour or 2 in duration, depending on how many devices you need verification in. It consists of a questionnaire and some practical tasks.
Botany Access can arrange for on-site VOC certification or at the Botany Access yard. The VOC photo ID card is issued by our affiliated RTO, Australian Construction Training