A verification of competency (VOC) is a documented, practical assessment confirming that a worker can safely perform a specific task or operate specific equipment to the required standard at a particular workplace.
A verification of competency (VOC) is a documented assessment that confirms a worker can safely and correctly perform a specific task or operate a specific piece of equipment. It usually includes a practical demonstration observed by a qualified assessor, along with questions to check the worker's knowledge of hazards, controls and procedures.
The term is used mainly in Australia, especially in mining, construction, civil works and resources, and is also used in the UK and other countries. A VOC does not usually replace a formal qualification or license. Instead, it confirms that a worker who holds a license, certificate or prior experience can apply those skills on the equipment and under the conditions of a particular site.
Employers use VOCs to check new starters and contractors, workers returning after a long break, and workers moving to unfamiliar equipment or sites.
Under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations, regulation 39 requires a person conducting a business or undertaking to provide workers with suitable and adequate information, training and instruction. VOCs are a common way to show this duty has been met. Mining and petroleum regulations in some states add specific training and record-keeping duties.
Some equipment, such as forklifts and many cranes, requires a high risk work licence. A licence shows the worker met a national standard, but site owners often still require a VOC to confirm competence on their own machines. Assessments are often based on nationally recognized units of competency, and assessors are expected to hold assessment qualifications and practical experience on the equipment.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to consider workers' capabilities and provide adequate training. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require training for people who use work equipment. Many UK employers use competence assessments or card schemes for plant operators, and some industries use the term VOC for these checks.
The term VOC is less common in the US, but some OSHA standards require similar employer evaluations:
US pipeline operators also use operator qualification (OQ) programs, which follow a similar idea.
The assessor should be competent both in assessing and in the task or equipment being assessed. Some employers use internal trainers and assessors, while others use registered training organizations or specialist providers. A simple letter stating that someone is competent, without an assessment, is generally not enough evidence.
There is no single required interval. Employers usually set one based on risk, such as every one to three years, and also repeat VOCs after an incident or near miss, after a long break from the task or when equipment changes significantly.
A civil construction company hired an excavator operator who held a nationally recognized statement of attainment and had five years of experience. Before allowing him to work unsupervised, the company's site assessor carried out a VOC on the 20-tonne excavator he would be using.
The VOC included questions on underground services, exclusion zones and emergency procedures, followed by a practical assessment covering the pre-start inspection, trenching, loading trucks and parking the machine. The assessor found that the operator was competent overall but unfamiliar with the machine's quick hitch. He was given targeted instruction on the quick coupler and reassessed on that item before the VOC was signed off.
No. A license or qualification shows that a worker met a recognized standard at some point. A VOC confirms the worker can do the task safely on specific equipment and at a specific site now.
In most places, VOCs are not specifically required by law. They are a common way to meet general duties to provide training and to make sure workers are competent, and many principal contractors and mine sites require them as a site rule.
It depends on the employer's or site's rules. Many set renewal periods based on risk and also require reassessment after incidents, long breaks or equipment changes.
The employer usually keeps them, and site owners or principal contractors often ask contractors to provide copies before work starts.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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