Dogger
A dogger holds a dogging high-risk work licence to select and inspect rigging, sling the load, and direct the crane operator when the load is out of the operator's view.
Ask Chalkline about this →A dogger is a worker who holds a dogging (DG) high-risk work licence and whose job is to select and inspect the rigging gear, sling the load, and direct the crane operator’s movements, particularly when the load is out of the operator’s line of sight.
Dogging is the entry-level lifting licence and it covers two core skills:
- the judgement to select suitable lifting gear and sling a load safely for a given crane and lift (sling angles, balance, gear rating), and
- the directing of a crane, by standard hand signals or radio, to move a load the operator cannot see (over a building, into a void, behind structure).
It sits below rigging: a dogger slings and directs; a rigger additionally sets up more complex lifting gear and systems. Both are nationally recognised high-risk work licences, and the operator relies on the dogger absolutely when the load is blind.
For a builder the practical points are that any crane lift where the load goes out of the operator’s sight needs a licensed dogger directing it, that the dogger (not whoever is handy) selects and checks the slings and shackles, and that there is one clear director with agreed signals, because mixed or unclear directions to a crane operator are how loads get swung into people or structure. Do not let an unlicensed worker “just hook it on and wave the crane in”, that is exactly the high-risk activity the dogging licence exists to control.
Also known as: Dogman, DG licence holder.
Category: WHS / Cranes and lifting.
Related
See also
References
- Safe Work Australia: licensing for high-risk work (verified 2026-06-03)
Last updated: 2026-06-03. Verified: 2026-06-03. Quarterly review for currency.