High Risk Work Licence - Tower Crane (CT)

Typically three parts: knowledge questions, a written or calculation section covering load charts, slinging and planning, and a practical session where you operate the crane through a set task and a scenario. The regulator and your training provider publish the current structure and criteria.

Most candidates find the practical manageable if they have real machine hours. The written work is where people struggle, because load chart interpretation and load estimation need practice rather than memorising. Treat the maths as a skill to rehearse, not a topic to read once.

Arrangements vary by jurisdiction and provider. Some allow a re-assessment of the failed component; others require the full course again. Ask your provider in writing before you enrol, and confirm the current rule with the regulator, which publishes its policy on its website.

It varies widely with your existing experience, the provider and the jurisdiction. Rather than quote a figure that may be out of date, check the licensing body's website and your chosen provider's schedule for current course duration, fees and assessment windows.

Start with crane types, components and stability, because everything else depends on understanding the machine. Then load charts and slinging, then inspection and siting, then operations and communication. Finish with environmental limits and emergency procedures, and keep revisiting load charts throughout.

Reading a load chart at the wrong radius or configuration, forgetting to deduct the weight of lifting gear, and skipping pre-start checks under time pressure. Poor communication with the dogger and drifting into an exclusion zone also fail people. Slow, methodical habits beat speed every time.

No. You must hold the licence, or be undertaking training and assessment under the supervision arrangements your jurisdiction allows. Working unsupervised without the licence is an offence and creates serious liability for you and your employer.

The CT licence is generally valid for five years, after which you renew. Renewal usually requires evidence of recent work and may require reassessment. Confirm the current renewal requirements and any application deadlines with your regulator before your expiry date.

It covers the CT class, but your employer must still ensure you are trained on the specific make and model, and site conditions and lift studies may impose further limits. Competence on one crane does not automatically transfer to a different configuration.

Get as much supervised machine time as you can, and practise the full sequence: pre-start inspection, set-up, smooth slewing and trolleying, controlled lowering, and shutdown. Ask your trainer to run a mock assessment so the real one feels familiar rather than new.