Working Safely at Heights Course: What to Know Before You Book

So you've decided it's time to strap on a harness and learn how to work safely up high. Whether you're starting a new trade, ticking off a safety requirement for your job, or just want to know what you're getting yourself into, you're in the right place.

Booking a working safely at heights course might seem straightforward, but there's actually a lot worth knowing before you hand over your credit card. What will you learn? How long does it take? Do you need any experience beforehand? These are all fair questions, and we're going to walk you through every single one of them.

In this guide, we'll break down exactly what these courses cover, who they're designed for, what to expect on the day, and how to choose the right provider for your needs. Think of it as your beginner-friendly cheat sheet for getting started with heights training. By the time you finish reading, you'll feel confident and fully prepared to take the next step. Let's get into it.

What Is the Working Safely at Heights Course?

If you've ever wondered what a working safely at heights course actually involves, you're in the right place. The course is built around a nationally recognised unit of competency called RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights, which sits within the resources and infrastructure industries training package. You can verify all the official details, elements, and performance criteria directly on training.gov.au, the Australian government's authoritative register for all vocational education and training (VET) units. It's the go-to source whenever you need to confirm a unit is current, legitimate, and nationally recognised.

The course is delivered exclusively by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), which are providers that have been assessed and approved to deliver accredited training in Australia. Once you successfully complete the course, you receive a Statement of Attainment for RIIWHS204E. This document is widely accepted by employers, principal contractors, and worksites right across the country, including throughout Western Australia. It shows your employer that you've met a recognised standard for working at heights safely, and for many WA sites, it's simply non-negotiable before you can start work.

In terms of format, the course typically runs as a one-day program of approximately 8 hours, combining both theory and hands-on practical training. The theory side covers hazard identification, risk assessment, and understanding fall protection systems. The practical component is where things get real, because you'll actually set up and use safety equipment in a simulated worksite environment. It's genuinely useful, not just a box-ticking exercise.

The beauty of RIIWHS204E is how broadly it applies across industries. In WA, it's relevant for workers in construction, resources and mining, telecommunications and tower work, airports, utilities, and health services, essentially any role where there's a risk of falling from height. Whether you're maintaining equipment on a tower or working on a roof, this qualification has you covered.

Who Needs to Do This Course?

So, who actually needs to complete a working safely at heights course? The short answer is: quite a lot of people. Under the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA), any worker performing tasks where there is a risk of falling 2 metres or more is required to have appropriate training and competency in place. This isn't just a suggestion; it's a legal obligation for the person conducting the business or undertaking (PCBU) to ensure their workers are properly trained before sending them up. If you're regularly working at height and you don't hold a current, accredited qualification, you may be putting yourself and your employer at serious legal risk.

Industries and Roles That Commonly Require This Training

Here in WA, the list of industries that require this training is broad. Construction workers dealing with roofing, scaffolding, or formwork are among the most obvious examples. Tower technicians in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors climb structures regularly and need this ticket to access most sites. Mine site workers across the Pilbara and Goldfields often work on elevated plant and equipment, and WorkSafe WA is clear that fall risk management applies in those environments too. Airport ground crew working around aircraft and gantries, as well as utilities and infrastructure teams maintaining power lines, bridges, and water towers, are all firmly in scope.

Supervisors Have Obligations Too

It's not just boots-on-the-ground workers who need this training. Supervisors responsible for workers carrying out at-height tasks have their own legal duties under the WHS Act 2020 (WA). Understanding fall risks, Safe Work Method Statements, and emergency procedures is part of meeting those obligations properly.

New Workers and Those Due for a Refresher

If you haven't previously completed accredited heights training, or your refresher is overdue based on your employer's or site's requirements, this course is for you. Many WA sites specifically mandate RIIWHS204E rather than a generic heights induction, making it the practical standard for site access right across the state.

What Does the Course Actually Cover?

So now that you know who needs this training, let's dig into what you'll actually be learning. The working safely at heights course (RIIWHS204E) packs a lot into a single day, and every topic covered has a real-world purpose. Here's a breakdown of the key areas the course works through.

Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

Before anyone climbs a ladder, steps onto a platform, or clips into a harness, the first skill you need is knowing how to spot what could go wrong. The course teaches you how to identify fall hazards specific to elevated structures and platforms, things like unstable surfaces, unprotected edges, adverse weather conditions, and the risk of dropped objects. You'll learn how to document these risks using tools like a Job Safety Analysis (JSA), and how to reassess your controls as conditions change throughout the job. This isn't just a theory exercise; you'll practise applying these skills in realistic elevated environments so the process becomes second nature on site.

WHS Legislation and the Hierarchy of Controls

You'll get a solid grounding in your legal obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) and the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022. The course explains the hierarchy of controls in plain language and shows you how to apply it practically. The key takeaway is that harnesses and PPE sit at the bottom of the hierarchy for good reason. You'll learn to look for higher-order solutions first, such as edge protection, scaffolding, or elevating work platforms, before falling back on personal fall protection gear.

Fall Protection Equipment

This is where things get hands-on. The course covers the selection, inspection, fitting, and correct use of full-body harnesses, energy-absorbing lanyards, anchor points, and inertia reels. You'll also get familiar with Type 1 (restraint), Type 2 (positioning), and Type 3 (fall arrest) systems as referenced under the AS/NZS 1891 series of Australian Standards. Practical sessions have you donning and doffing harnesses correctly, checking equipment for defects like fraying or damaged hardware, and setting up anchor systems properly.

Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)

Under WA law, a SWMS is mandatory for high-risk construction work where a person could fall more than two metres. The course walks you through when a SWMS is required, what it must include (hazards, controls, responsibilities, and emergency procedures), and how to actually follow one on site rather than just file it away. Workers are reminded that SWMS documents must be accessible during the job and reviewed whenever conditions change.

Emergency and Rescue Planning

This is one of the most important parts of the course and one that beginners often don't expect. You'll learn about suspension trauma, a serious condition caused by prolonged hanging in a harness that can restrict blood flow and become life-threatening quickly. Knowing the signs and having a rescue plan ready before work starts is critical. The course covers site-specific rescue planning, the difference between self-rescue and assisted rescue, and what post-rescue care looks like. Falls from height accounted for 24 worker fatalities in Australia in 2024 according to Safe Work Australia data, which is a sobering reminder of why rescue planning matters just as much as prevention.

Hands-On Practical Scenarios

At Safety Heights and Rescue Training, the practical component goes well beyond a flat-floor harness demonstration. Training is conducted on actual towers and elevated platforms, giving you real experience with the equipment and environments you'll encounter on the job. This approach reflects what the industry actually needs, because confidence and competency come from doing, not just watching.

How Long Is the Course and What Do You Walk Away With?

The working safely at heights course is a single day of training, running approximately 8 hours from start to finish. That full day covers both the theory assessment and a hands-on practical component, so you're getting the complete package in one go. It's a solid, focused day where you'll work through the knowledge side of things and then get out and demonstrate your skills using real equipment, which is exactly how you want to learn this stuff.

Once you successfully complete both components, you'll walk away with a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment for RIIWHS204E. This is a portable credential, meaning it's accepted by employers and work sites right across Western Australia and every other Australian state and territory. Whether you're heading onto a mine site in the Pilbara, a construction project in Perth, or a telecommunications tower anywhere in the country, that statement carries real weight with site managers and HR teams alike.

Now, one thing worth knowing is that there is no legislated expiry date for RIIWHS204E in WA. However, industry guidance strongly recommends refresher training every one to two years to keep your skills and knowledge current. Most WA employers and sites, particularly in high-risk sectors like mining and tower maintenance, will contractually require annual or biennial refreshers as a condition of site access.

For a deeper look at how long your certification stays valid and what refresher timelines apply to your specific situation, check out our detailed post on how long working at heights certification is valid for.

How Much Does the Course Cost? (Including CTF Funding in WA)

The working safely at heights course at Safety Heights and Rescue Training is priced at $250 per student for a standard enrolment. If you're booking for a team or organisation with multiple workers heading to site, group rates are available, so it's worth reaching out directly to discuss options that work for your budget and schedule.

CTF Funding: Making Training More Affordable in WA

Here's some genuinely good news for WA construction workers. The Construction Training Fund (CTF) offers subsidies of up to approximately 70% of the course cost, or $31 per hour, whichever is lower, for eligible workers undertaking face-to-face accredited short courses through a registered provider. That's a significant saving that can make a real difference.

To put that into practical terms: if your course fee is $250 and you're eligible, the CTF subsidy could cover up to around $175 of that cost, leaving you with an out-of-pocket expense of roughly $75. That's well under $100 for a full day of nationally recognised training, which is a pretty solid deal.

Who Is Eligible for CTF Funding?

To qualify, you generally need to be employed in the WA building and construction industry by an employer who pays the CTF levy. The course also needs to be delivered face-to-face by a registered RTO in WA, fully completed, and fully paid for before the claim is submitted. Mining, oil and gas, and government employees are generally not eligible, so it's important to check your specific situation before assuming you qualify.

The best place to confirm your eligibility is directly at ctf.wa.gov.au before you book. Not sure whether your role or employer qualifies? Get in touch with the team at Safety Heights and Rescue Training and we'll help you work through it. We're happy to point you in the right direction so you're not left guessing.

Working at Heights Laws in WA: What You Actually Need to Know

Let's be clear about something important: managing the risk of falls at work is not a suggestion, a nice-to-have, or industry best practice. It is a legal obligation under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) and the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA). Regulation 78 of the WHS General Regulations specifically requires a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) to manage the risk of a fall. If your workers are operating at height and you haven't got a documented risk management process in place, you're already on the wrong side of the law.

The Hierarchy of Controls Is Not Optional

When it comes to falls, the hierarchy of controls applies in full. You must first try to eliminate the risk entirely, for example, by doing the work at ground level. If that's not reasonably practicable, you work down the hierarchy: substitute with safer equipment or methods, isolate the hazard using barriers, then apply engineering controls like guardrails or work platforms. Administrative controls, which include safe work procedures, permits to work, supervision, and training, come next. PPE such as harnesses and lanyards sits at the bottom of the hierarchy as a last resort, not a first response. This is worth understanding because it means training alone is never sufficient; it supports the administrative layer within a broader control strategy. The Safe Work Australia working at heights guidance provides a solid overview of how these controls interact.

Know the Code of Practice

WorkSafe WA has published an approved Code of Practice: Managing the risk of falls at workplaces, and it is the go-to practical reference for meeting your legal duties in WA. It covers everything from risk assessment through to specific control measures across different industries. The WorkSafe WA falls code of practice is free to download and worth reading carefully, whether you're a worker, supervisor, or business owner.

WA harmonised its WHS laws with the national model framework in 2022, replacing the old Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984. That said, WA-specific enforcement priorities, transitional arrangements, and site requirements still apply. Workers and supervisors need to understand both layers.

Supervisors, This One Is for You

If you're a team leader, site supervisor, or site manager, your legal obligations go beyond simply following instructions. Under the WHS Act 2020 (WA), officers and those with significant influence over workplace decisions must exercise due diligence to ensure the PCBU is meeting its duties. That means understanding fall risks, ensuring controls are resourced and effective, and making sure your team has the right training and supervision. Personal liability is real here.

The numbers reinforce why all of this matters. In 2024, 24 workers died from falls from height across Australia, making it the second-leading cause of traumatic workplace fatalities nationally. In 2023 to 2024, approximately 7,800 serious workers' compensation claims were linked specifically to falls from height. These are not abstract statistics; they represent real people on real worksites, many of which had inadequate controls or supervision in place.

Why Perth Workers Choose Safety Heights and Rescue Training

There are a few solid reasons why Perth workers keep coming back to Safety Heights and Rescue Training rather than booking with a generic provider or sitting through an online course from an interstate company.

First up, the location matters more than people realise. The training facility is based at Naval Base in the Kwinana area, which puts it right in the heart of WA's industrial corridor. That means the content isn't just a copy-paste of national material delivered over Zoom. Trainers understand the WA regulatory environment, including the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022, the conditions on local worksites, and the specific industries that Perth and regional WA workers actually deal with day to day, from resources and construction through to tower maintenance and shutdowns.

Class sizes are kept deliberately small, and that makes a genuine difference when it comes to the practical components. When you're learning how to fit a harness correctly, set up an anchor point, or identify a defective lanyard, you need hands-on time with a trainer watching your technique, not sitting in a group of 20 waiting for your turn. Smaller groups mean better feedback and better outcomes.

The trainers at Safety Heights and Rescue Training bring real operational backgrounds into every session. Think fire and rescue, SES, mines rescue, and industrial emergency management. That lived experience shifts the training from a compliance tick-box exercise into something actually useful when things go sideways on a job.

Practical scenarios are run on real towers and elevated platforms, so you're not practising on a stepladder in a warehouse. You're getting experience on the kinds of structures you'll actually encounter on WA worksites.

The course team delivers nationally recognised training under RTO code 52610, meaning your Statement of Attainment is valid Australia-wide. CTF-eligible workers in WA's construction sector may also access significant subsidies. And if you need multiple tickets, combo packages let you knock out several competencies in a single training day, saving you and your employer time off the tools.

Combo and Bundled Training Options Available

If you're working in an industry that requires multiple site competencies, you'll be glad to know that Safety Heights and Rescue Training offers bundled training packages designed to tick several boxes in a single efficient training day. Popular bundles combine the working safely at heights course with Confined Space Entry, Gas Testing and Monitoring, Breathing Apparatus, and Tower and Rope Rescue, covering the most common multi-competency site entry requirements across WA.

Bundling your training is a genuinely smart move for both workers and employers. Instead of booking separate courses across multiple days, your team can knock out several compliance requirements at once, reducing site downtime, cutting admin headaches, and getting workers back on the tools faster. For shutdown environments especially, where every hour counts, this kind of efficiency is hard to beat.

These packages are particularly popular with mining shutdown crews, tower maintenance technicians, emergency services workers, and construction site supervisors who regularly juggle complex, multi-risk site access requirements. If your role involves entering confined spaces and working at height on the same job, training for both together just makes sense.

Better still, on-site and mobile training delivery is available across Perth metro and regional WA. Your team can train at your own facility using your actual equipment and site-specific scenarios, which makes the learning far more practical and immediately relevant.

If you're planning a shutdown or need multiple workers trained at the same time, get in touch with Safety Heights and Rescue Training to ask about on-site packages and group pricing options tailored to your team's needs.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Working at Heights Course

Got some great questions coming through about this course, so let's work through the most common ones nice and clearly.

Do I need RIIWHS204E to operate an EWP in WA?

These are actually two separate things. RIIWHS204E gives you general working at heights competency, covering harnesses, fall protection, and risk management. Operating an Elevating Work Platform (EWP) requires its own specific unit or, for certain boom-type EWPs over 11 metres, a High Risk Work Licence. That said, many WA sites in construction, mining, and resources will expect you to hold both before you can access the worksite. Always check your site's specific entry requirements with your employer or site controller, as it varies from project to project.

How often do I need to redo my working at heights course?

Here's something a lot of people get surprised by: there is no legislated expiry date for RIIWHS204E in WA. Your Statement of Attainment does not come with a built-in use-by date under WHS legislation. However, industry guidance, including from the Working at Heights Association of Australia, recommends a refresher every one to two years to keep your knowledge and skills current. Many WA employers, particularly in mining and tower maintenance, make this a contractual condition of employment or site access and sometimes require annual refreshers for high-risk roles. It is worth checking with your employer on their specific policy.

Is the Statement of Attainment nationally recognised?

Yes, absolutely. RIIWHS204E is listed on the Australian Qualifications Framework as a nationally recognised unit of competency. The Statement of Attainment you receive after completing the course is accepted by employers and sites right across Australia, from WA's Pilbara region through to Queensland, NSW, and beyond. It travels with you, which is especially handy if your work takes you interstate on projects.

Can you deliver training at our site?

Yes, on-site delivery is available across Perth metro and regional WA through Safety Heights and Rescue Training. This option is particularly popular with mining, tower, and construction teams who want training delivered in their actual work environment, keeping downtime to a minimum. Get in touch with the team directly to discuss group bookings and logistics.

What do I need to bring?

Keep it simple. Bring your steel-capped boots, long pants, hi-vis shirt, a pen, and a photo ID such as your driver's licence. All harnesses, lanyards, anchoring systems, and fall protection equipment are provided for the practical session, so you do not need to source any of that yourself.

Is this course CTF-funded in WA?

Yes, CTF (Construction Training Fund) funding applies for eligible WA construction industry workers, and it can significantly reduce your out-of-pocket cost. Head to ctf.wa.gov.au to check eligibility and find out how to make a claim. If you are not sure whether you qualify, reach out to the Safety Heights and Rescue Training team and they can help point you in the right direction. It is worth checking before you book, because the savings can be substantial.

Ready to Book Your Working at Heights Course?

Working at heights is one of the most dangerous activities on any WA worksite, and the statistics back that up. Accredited RIIWHS204E training is not just a box to tick for site access; it is a genuine lifesaving skill that could make the difference between going home safe and not going home at all.

The course is a single day, priced at $250 per student from our Naval Base, Perth facility. Eligible WA construction workers may also qualify for a CTF subsidy, which can significantly reduce that out-of-pocket cost. It is worth checking your eligibility before you book.

If your team needs more than one competency, combo packages, group rates, and on-site delivery are all available to suit shutdowns, FIFO rosters, and multi-skill site requirements.

And if your refresher training is overdue, do not sit on it. Most WA employers and sites expect renewal every one to two years, so staying current keeps you working and keeps you safe.

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Conclusion

Working safely at heights training is one of the smartest investments you can make in your career and your safety. You now know what these courses cover, who they suit, what to expect on the day, and how to choose a provider you can trust. That knowledge puts you well ahead of most people who book without doing their homework first.

The next step is simple: find a registered training organisation in your area, confirm the course meets your industry requirements, and lock in a date that works for you. Don't put it off longer than you need to.

Whether you're just starting out in the trades or refreshing an expired certification, the right course gives you the confidence and compliance to work at heights without cutting corners. Your safety is worth the few hours it takes to get trained properly. Book it and get it done.