Key Takeaways
- Verification of Competency (VOC) assessments are critical for the construction, logistics, and manufacturing industries to confirm that a worker’s skills and safety habits remain sharp, ensuring old tickets still translate to practical competence.
- Implementing a VOC program helps Melbourne businesses fulfil their PCBU duty of care under the WHS Act, ensuring teams are compliant and eligible for major project sites that mandate recent assessments.
- Link Resources provides robust onsite VOC services, allowing experienced assessors to test operators on their own equipment with minimal disruption to regular shifts and operations.
- Risk management processes identify critical skill gaps through theory and practical assessments, protecting your business from liability and ensuring a safe, site-ready workforce.
Why VOC’s Are Important To Project Success?
Construction, logistics, and manufacturing industries are littered with current and old tickets and licenses. To get a real feel for the competency of workers, many employers need to test their skills and knowledge in a controlled environment. This is where VOC’s, or verification of competencies, are critical.
VOCs prove a worker was competent on a specific day, but how do you ensure their skills have remained sharp and their safety habits haven’t degraded over time? This is the critical question that a Verification of Competency (VOC) assessment answers. Melbourne businesses are committed to the highest standards of safety and risk management, implementing a VOC program is a vital part of exercising their due diligence.
Link Resources, one of Australia’s most experienced and trusted assessment providers, offers a robust, onsite VOC service to ensure your team’s skills remain current, compliant, and safe.
What is a VOC and Why is it Essential?
A Verification of Competency is a formal process of assessing an individual’s skills and knowledge against a recognised industry standard for a specific piece of equipment or task.
It is not re-training; it is a check to confirm that an existing qualification and applicable skill is still valid in practice.
This is crucial because operators can develop unsafe habits, forget important procedures, or become complacent. Along with this, worksite conditions, equipment, and regulations change without notifying those who hold the ticket.
A VOC assessment identifies any skill gaps before they can lead to a worksite incident, protecting workers, equipment, and your business from unnecessary risk. It is a powerful process for any manager or supervisor looking to maintain a culture of ongoing safety.
The Legal and Commercial Requirements for VOCs
Under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act, a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) has a primary duty of care to ensure the health and safety of their workers.
This includes ensuring workers are competent to perform their tasks. Holding a license that is several years old may not be sufficient to demonstrate this in the event of an incident. A robust VOC program is clear evidence that you are proactively managing your safety obligations. Commercially, many principal contractors and major project sites across Melbourne and Australia now mandate recent VOCs for all operators before allowing them on site. Implementing a VOC program ensures your team remains site-ready and your business remains competitive.
The Link Resources Onsite VOC Advantage
Assessing competency is most effective when done in the worker’s normal operating environment. Our onsite VOC model is the most efficient and accurate method:
- Real-World Assessment – We come to your Melbourne worksite and assess your operators on the machines they use every day, whether that’s an excavator, forklift, or elevated work platform (EWP). This provides a real measure of their ability, unlike assessments on unfamiliar equipment.
- Minimal Disruption – Our VOC process has been designed to be streamlined. We work with your schedule to assess operators during their regular shifts, minimising downtime and operational interference.
- Experienced, Qualified Assessors – Our assessors are not just trainers; they are highly experienced industry professionals with deep knowledge of the equipment and current best practices. They provide fair and thorough assessments.
How the VOC Process Works
Our process is straightforward and transparent. It typically involves a combination of theory and practical demonstration. The assessor will begin with a knowledge-based assessment, asking questions to confirm the operator’s understanding of pre-start checks, safety procedures, and hazard identification.
This is followed by a practical task, where the operator is asked to perform a series of common tasks related to their role. The assessor observes their technique, adherence to safety protocols, and overall proficiency. If the operator is deemed competent, a certificate is issued. If any gaps are identified, we can provide a clear report and recommend targeted refresher training.
Maintain a Culture of Excellence with Link Resources
Don’t leave the ongoing competency of your team to chance. A proactive VOC program is the mark of a business that is truly committed to safety and professionalism. As one of Australia’s leading training and assessment organisations, Link Resources is your ideal partner in maintaining the highest standards for your Melbourne operations.
To discuss an onsite Verification of Competency (VOC) program for your team, contact us today. Fill in our online form or call to speak with one of our assessment specialists.
