Australia Heavy Vehicle National Law Safety Management System Standard 2026 3.2: Training and competency: role-based competence requirements, training directed at managing public risk, induction and role-specific instruction, refresher training on change, reactive training after incidents, supervision while competence develops, functional SMS awareness, and competence verified in practice beyond credentials

What does 3.2 require?

The operator sets up and keeps training and competency arrangements so that staff know their safety obligations and can meet them, having regard to role, responsibilities and the risks of the work, with training on induction and whenever role, operations, identified risks or incidents call for it; no programme, delivery method, assessment approach or record format is prescribed. Eight things are looked for. The training, knowledge and competence each role needs are worked out from the work done, the environment, the equipment and systems used, and dealings with other parties. Training aims at managing the hazards and public risks of the operator's work. Staff get induction and role-specific training when they start new roles, tasks, vehicles, equipment or environments. Refresher or further training keeps competence up as practices, equipment, environments or risk profiles change. Training is arranged where experience, incidents, near misses or issues show a gap. Inexperienced staff, or staff still building competence, are supervised, guided or supported. Staff understand the SMS as it touches their role, including how their work manages risk and applies controls, for instance by giving usable feedback. And roles that require particular licences, qualifications or experience go to people who hold and keep them, with practical competence checked where practicable rather than taken on trust from credentials, while every other role goes to someone competent for it.