Free verification of competency (VOC)

• The MapTrack verification of competency (VOC) contains 18 checks across 4 sections. Sections covered: THEORY AND KNOWLEDGE, PRESTART AND SET UP, OPERATION, SHUTDOWN AND EMERGENCY.
• Operator name, employee or contractor number, and the assessment date
• Assessor name, their qualification to assess, and the assessment location or site
• Plant or task the VOC covers, with make, model and plant identifier

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

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• Site-specific competency: verifying the operator on your actual plant and conditions catches gaps a generic ticket from a training provider never would.
• Theory and practical: combining questions with observed operation confirms the operator both understands and can safely apply the task, not just one or the other.
• Ticket verification: recording the licence or ticket number and expiry against the VOC confirms the underlying qualification is genuine and current.
• Gap identification: marking any competency not yet met, with an action to close it, turns the VOC into a training plan rather than a pass or fail stamp.
• Client and site evidence: a dated, signed VOC is the record many principals and sites require before an operator is allowed on high-risk plant.
• Reduced incidents: confirming competency before an operator runs plant unsupervised removes a common root cause of plant incidents and near misses.
• Asset-linked record: tying the VOC to the specific plant item keeps operator competency visible against the same asset as its inspections and maintenance.

• Operator name, employee or contractor number, and the assessment date
• Assessor name, their qualification to assess, and the assessment location or site
• Plant or task the VOC covers, with make, model and plant identifier
• Licence, ticket or high-risk work licence held, with number and expiry date
• Theory questions covering the plant, hazards, controls and safe operating procedure
• Practical observation competencies: prestart, operation, shutdown and emergency response
• A competent or not-yet-competent result against each observed competency
• Any gaps identified and the action, training or reassessment needed to close them
• Overall outcome, any conditions or limits on the operator, and the reassessment due date
• Operator and assessor signatures confirming the result and any conditions

1. Confirm the scope and check the ticket

   Agree which plant or task the VOC covers, then sight and record the operator's licence or ticket and its expiry. The VOC verifies competency on top of that qualification, so confirm the underlying ticket is genuine and current first, because a VOC does not replace a required high-risk work licence.

2. Run the theory assessment

   Ask the operator questions on the plant, its hazards, the controls, the safe operating procedure and what to do in an emergency. The theory check confirms the operator understands why the safe method matters, not just the sequence of levers, and it surfaces knowledge gaps before you put them on the machine.

3. Observe the practical operation

   Watch the operator complete a prestart, operate the plant through the tasks it will actually do, shut it down correctly and respond to a simulated fault or emergency. Observe real operation rather than a demonstration, because a worker can describe the right method and still not apply it safely under load or time pressure.

4. Mark competencies and identify gaps

   Mark each competency as competent or not yet competent based on what you observed, and record the specific gap for anything not met. A not-yet-competent result is not a failure, it is a defined training action with a person and a date attached, so the operator knows exactly what to close before reassessment.

5. Record the outcome and set review

   Record the overall outcome and any conditions or limits on the operator, have both the operator and assessor sign, and set a reassessment due date. File the VOC against the operator and the plant, and reassess after the due date, an incident, a change to the plant, or a period away from operating it.

Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.

This form is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The form alone does not establish compliance.

• Model Work Health and Safety Act, primary duty to ensure workers are competent, trained and supervised (in Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004). Note: a VOC is not itself a document prescribed by WHS law
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations, high-risk work licensing (Chapter 4, Part 4.5; classes in Schedule 3) - the separate legal requirement a VOC does not replace
• Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of plant in the workplace
• ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems

• Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of plant in the workplace (Safe Work Australia)
• Model WHS Regulations (Safe Work Australia)
• Model Work Health and Safety Act (Safe Work Australia)
• ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems (ISO catalogue)

MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.

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