NSW: Regulations for demolition licence holders

The changes for demolition licence holders in NSW include:

Licence name changes from 1 March 2023. The new name for Demolition licences will be Unrestricted Demolition Licences. As for the Restricted Demolition Licence, the licence name will not change. 

What is the expiry for a Demolition licence?

Demolition licences granted from 1 March 2023 will be valid for five (5) years.

Requirements

Employers will require a Named Supervisor present at the work site under these new regulations. The role of the Named Supervisor is to supervise the demolition workers.

For Chemical installations – The Unrestricted or Restricted licence holder and/or the PCBU must confirm whether the demolition site contains chemicals or not immediately before commencing any demolition work.

There remains no changes to the training of the Licence Holder and Named Supervisors, and qualification requirements. The new mandatory training for Demolition workers will begin from 1 March 2025.

Definitions

A new definition of licensed demolition work has been amended to align with the “notification of demolition requirement” under clause 142 of the WHS Regulation.

Penalties for Demolition Workers

From 1 March 2023, nine (9) new ways you can be fined or prosecuted under the WHS Regulation. For example, the Named Supervisor must be present in supervising the demolition workers. Also, not having up-to-date training records for all demolish workers on site can result in penalties or on-the-spot fines.

From 1 March 2025, you can be prosecuted for allowing a worker to carry out licensed demolition work without completing the SafeWork NSW-approved training course (clause 142D).