Farmers required to obtain crane licence to operate Telehandler

TELEHANDLERS in the state far outweigh the number of cranes, however farmers are still obliged to undergo a mandatory non-slewing crane course to operate the piece of farming machinery.

More options: A Werribee farmer is calling for relevant telehandler licence in Victoria.

TELEHANDLERS in Victoria far outweigh the number of cranes in use, but farmers are still obliged to complete a mandatory non-slewing crane course to operate the piece of farming machinery.

A licence required to operate a telehandler safely was recently questioned by confused Werribee vegetable farmer Allan Matthey.

Mr Matthey underwent a course run by MultiSkills training to gain the WorkSafe Victoria non-slewing mobile crane licence.

He said the course didn’t focus on bucket work, operating a telehandler loader or any farm specific work such as manoeuvring hay bales or fertiliser.

The licence is the only one on offer for a machine of a telehandler’s capacity.

Leading telehandler manufacturer JCB said it alone had 500 telehandlers operating around the state, compared with 158 cranes operating in Melbourne.

Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke said telehandlers had become a critical tool for farmers, but current regulation was not fit for on-farm use.

“Attaining a crane licence to operate a telehandler can cost several thousand dollars and takes at least three days, of which only a small part is relevant to farmers,” Mr Jochinke said.

“This is expensive, time-consuming and does little to specifically improve capability around the use of telehandlers on farms.

“Victoria is also the only state where a crane licence is required for over three-tonne safe working load with forks.”

He said the VFF has lobbied WorkSafe for more relevant telehandler licensing and training options.