About the Dogging and Rigging guide

Find out about how the guide was developed, its structure, scope and target audience.  

Acknowledgements

The Guide was developed by Transport for NSW in conjunction with the following industry partners:

• Pete Church, Head of Rail Delivery, Transport for New South Wales
• Brian Sheedy, Rail Delivery, Senior Safety Manager, Transport for New South Wales
• Brandon Hitch, CEO, The Crane Industry Council Australia (CICA)
• Tom Clark, National Technical & Heavy Lift Manager, Fulton Hogan
• David Solomon, Executive Officer Safety & Risk, Master Builders Association NSW
• Andrew Taylor, National Technical Services and Training Manager, Bullivants
• Kylie Mills, commenced as the Chairperson prior to moving to a new role, (Formally) Transport for New South Wales

Versions

The current version of this Guide (Version 1) has been updated in 2024.

The original guides were developed jointly by the WorkCover Authority of NSW (now SafeWork NSW) and the Victorian WorkCover Authority (now WorkSafe Victoria).

The new guides are a major revision of the old and widely respected NSW publication, 'A Guide for Riggers and a Guide for Dogging.' Transport for NSW has reproduced some of the content with approval from SafeWork NSW.

Disclaimer

This Guide is designed to be a practical guide for dogging and rigging work. It does not offer, or replace, legal advice in relation to dogging and rigging. It is not a comprehensive guide to applicable law or government policy relating to dogging and rigging and may be incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date.

Transport for NSW accepts no responsibility or liability for any damage, loss or expense incurred as a result of the reliance on information contained in this Guide.

This Guide has been prepared for reference material only. Additionally, any third party views or recommendations included in this Guide do not reflect the views of the Transport for NSW, or indicate its commitment to a particular course of action.

Copyright

© Transport for NSW 2024.

This Guide may be reproduced for personal or non-commercial use provided that no charge is made for it and that Transport for NSW is acknowledged as the copyright owner.

Third party copyright

Transport for NSW has made all reasonable efforts to clearly identify material where the copyright is owned by a third party. Permission may need to be obtained from third parties to re-use their material.

Please note that the copyright in the third party materials reproduced in this Guide or materials appearing in third-party internet sites referred to in this Guide vests in the author of those materials, or the author's licensee (subject to the operation of the Copyright Act 1968). Transport for NSW cannot and does not grant any permission or authority in respect of the copyright in the materials appearing at third party internet sites, and strongly recommends that you refer to the copyright statements on those sites before making use of those materials.

Structure

The Guide is structured to reflect the nationally uniform certificate classes for dogging and rigging. The Guide is consistent with Australian Standards that cover equipment and work involved with rigging.

Target Audience

This Guide is designed to be a useful reference for:

• trainee doggers and riggers
• licensed doggers and riggers
• rigging supervisors
• training
• companies
• certificate assessors
• WHS personnel and government inspectors

Content

The Guide covers basic, intermediate and advanced knowledge and skills. When conducting these works, doggers and riggers must have the correct High Risk Work Licence.

Scope

Dogging and Rigging play an important role in the safe movement of loads. This Guide provides industry guidance on the current practical application of techniques for load assessment, selecting lifting equipment, inspecting lifting equipment, providing communication to crane and winch competent operators responsible for lifting or shifting loads, installation, inspection, and maintenance of rigging gear (equipment) used in infrastructure, demolition, dismantling and construction environments, and erection of cranes used in lifting operations.

This Guide does not provide guidance on specialist lifting, engineered (design) lifts, or rigging operations often used in stage performances or entertainment.

High-Risk Work Licence Levels

There are four high-risk work licence levels involved in dogging and rigging:

• Dogging
• Basic rigging
• Intermediate rigging
• Advanced rigging

For full unit descriptors, refer to training.gov.au.