A coordinated police and WorkSafe investigation has laid bare a troubling vulnerability in Australia’s system for credentialling workers in high-risk roles — fraudulent safety qualification certificates circulating in the Victorian construction and trades sector.

On 13 October 2026, Victoria Police Taskforce Hawk charged a 33-year-old Mount Martha man with 232 counts of making false documents. Police say the man produced and distributed counterfeit qualification certificates — documents that workers present to employers and regulators to demonstrate competency in roles such as operating cranes, working at heights, and handling hazardous materials. The man is due to appear in Frankston Magistrates’ Court in February 2027.

WorkSafe Victoria confirmed it had been alerted to the matter through information shared by partner agencies and is now assessing whether any breaches of health and safety laws fall within its jurisdiction. The agency issued an urgent safety alert reminding employers that they cannot rely solely on a certificate to confirm a worker’s competency in high-risk roles.

The investigation raises serious questions about verification systems in industries where unqualified workers can place entire crews at risk. A worker with a forged certificate operating a crane, rigging loads or working on live electrical systems presents a danger not just to themselves but to everyone on site.

Under WHS laws, PCBUs bear the primary duty to ensure workers are genuinely competent for the tasks they are assigned — not just that they hold a piece of paper. Industry groups have called for a national digital verification system for high-risk work licences, a proposal Safe Work Australia is understood to be examining as part of implementing the Best Practice Review recommendations.