DOGMAN TICKET COURSE (DG LICENCE)

A Dogman’s duties include reading and interpreting lift plans; determining the safest routes for the lift, avoiding all obstructions along the way. They’re responsible for that load at all times with safety as their number one priority.

Doggers also select and maintain rigging equipment, as well as being constantly aware of their surroundings, both inside and outside the crane operating vicinity. In Australia, any decision that needs to be made in movement or slinging of a load with a crane, requires a qualified dogman with a dogman’s ticket. Aka a DG class high risk work licence.

Read more in our blog: 6 Reasons You Need a Dogging Ticket

To become a qualified Dogman or Dogger in Australia – you’ll need to undertake a Nationally Recognised Training ‘Licence to perform dogging – CPCCLDG3001’ course. Then, upon successful knowledge and performance licensing assessment of that course (using the national assessment instruments), you’ll be able to apply for a High Risk Work Licence (DG class). 

This allows dogmen to safely direct crane operations with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Read more in our blog: How to Become a Dogman

The dogging ticket course, officially known as the ‘Licence to Perform Dogging’ unit of competency (unit code: CPCCDLG3001) is a 5 day course which leads to a licensed outcome (DG licence class).

Once the trainer deems you as competent in the unit, after demonstrating practical skills and producing a portfolio of theory based work, you will be issued with a certificate of successful completion – officially known as a Statement of Attainment.

You can then move onto the licensing assessment phase.

An accredited assessor, provided by On the Job Training (or relevant RTO if training not undertaken by us), will then assess you in order to be able to determine whether you can officially apply for a DG class high risk work licence (HRWL).

The relevant RTO will then contact the state workplace health and safety authority (e.g. Workplace Health & Safety Queensland, Safework NSW) who will then contact you directly inviting you to apply for a DG HRWL and will be issued by them

The ‘Licence to Perform Dogging – CPCCDLG3001’ unit assessment includes demonstrating practical tasks such as safely slinging and moving loads, inspecting lifting gear and effectively communicating with the crane operator.

It also includes a theoretical closed book exam that support these practical elements and a dogman’s responsibilities, as well as relevant maths calculations regarding determining the weight of a load and ensuring safe lifting of those loads based on various slinging configurations.

All registered training organisation’s (RTO’s) are free to set their own prices.

On the Job Training (RTO 70023), based in Stapylton between the Gold Coast and Brisbane, offer the ‘Licence to Perform Dogging – CPCCDLG3001’ unit for $1595. If you are eligible for CSQ Funding, then it’s $631.  This includes training and assessment.

This does not cover the cost of the licence itself from the relevant health & safety authority. For a new HRWL application in Queensland (as of 3rd March 2023) the costs is $102.60, but checkout the Worksafe website for the current cost of licences.

A DG licence, or any high risk work licence, is valid for 5 years. When you are close to this 5 year mark, your relevant safework/workplace health & safety authority will get in touch to invite you to renew.

If you exceed the expiration date by more than 1 year, you will need to undertake the relevant unit of competency again, if the unit of competency that you undertook has already been superseded.  If it hasn’t been superseded, then you may be able to be reassessed.

It’s important that you keep your contact details up to date with the relevant authority to ensure you don’t miss your opportunity to renew without the hassle of redoing the units. We’ve had enquiries in the past whereby they’ve held several HRWL’s before but licence had expired by more than a year and had not choice but to do them again. This is both costly and time consuming, considering many HRWL courses can take 5 days and costs thousands of dollars.

A current DG licence, or any high risk work licence, obtained via completing a relevant unit of competency with successful assessment is valid anywhere in Australia, whether it’s issued by the relevant health & safety authority in Queensland, New South Wales or wherever.

It is possible to transfer your HRWL’s to another state, if for instance you undertook training if differing states. To do this, contact your relevant state safework/wokrplace health and safety authority on how to do this.

On the Job Training (RTO 70023) are one of the only RTO’s with a tower crane on their training yard in Australia, and the only one with 2. We often have students travelling to our base at Stapylton, Queensland to do the relevant courses to obtain CT or CS class licences, C0 open class slewing mobile crane licences and Advanced Rigging (RA).