Qualifications and Certifications
Last updated:
1/4/2026
In brief: In industry, assigning an unqualified worker to a hazardous position is a criminal offence. Electrical authorisations, CACES equipment certifications, medical fitness, safety training: every certification has an expiry date and renewal conditions. The schedule must guarantee every critical position is occupied by a person whose qualifications are current. Shyfter associates qualifications with each employee and checks compliance at every assignment.
The legal framework
The employer has a legal obligation to ensure every worker holds the qualifications required for their position. In Belgium, the Law on Wellbeing at Work (4 August 1996) requires the employer to guarantee worker safety. Assigning an unqualified worker to a hazardous position is a criminal offence. Consequences of non-compliance: criminal proceedings, accident insurance challenge (claim may be declared uncovered), labour inspection sanctions (fines, administrative closure), damages to the injured worker.
Main industrial certifications
Electrical authorisations
Any intervention on an electrical installation requires an authorisation classified per NF C 18-510: B0/H0 (non-electrician in electrical environment), B1/H1 (electrical work executor), B2/H2 (electrical works supervisor), BR (fault-finding), BC (isolation supervisor), BE/HE (specific operations). Authorisation is personal, time-limited (refresher recommended every 3 years) and specific to one level of intervention.
CACES equipment certification
Mandatory for operating forklifts, aerial work platforms, cranes and construction plant. Main categories: R489 cat. 3 (counterbalance forklift — most common in industry and logistics); R489 cat. 5 (reach truck); R486 (aerial work platforms); R482 (construction plant). Validity: 5 years (10 years for construction plant). An expired CACES is an invalid CACES.
Medical fitness
Required for: night work (annual examination); heavy load handling; working at height; confined spaces; ATEX zones.
Specific safety training
Working at height, asbestos, chemical risk, first aid, fire response, welding qualifications — each with its own validity and refresher conditions.
Integrating qualifications into the schedule
Define required qualifications for each position. Create a qualifications profile for each employee with expiry dates. Shyfter checks the correspondence automatically at every assignment and flags incompatible assignments before publishing. Alerts are sent when: a worker lacks the required qualification; a qualification expires before the shift date; medical fitness is no longer current.
Managing expiries and renewals
Shyfter generates automatic alerts 90, 60 and 30 days before expiry of each qualification. Group refresher courses where possible: training 5 forklift drivers together costs less than 5 individual sessions. But scheduling 5 forklift drivers in training on the same day requires checking the remaining drivers can cover activity.
Special cases
Agency workers: agency workers must hold the same qualifications as permanent workers for hazardous positions. Request certifications from the agency before arrival and enter them in Shyfter — the same automatic checks apply.
Multi-site: a CACES is valid across all sites. But site-specific safety inductions must be repeated at each new site.
Compliance during inspections
The labour inspectorate checks: required qualifications are held; qualifications are within validity; documents are available; medical fitness is current; safety training has been delivered. A centralised, up-to-date system allows you to respond to an inspection in minutes.
FAQ
What happens if a CACES expires while the worker is on shift?
The CACES is immediately invalid. The worker may no longer operate the equipment. If an accident occurs with an expired CACES, the employer is in breach and insurance may refuse cover. Shyfter alerts 90 days before expiry. While awaiting renewal, assign the worker to a position that does not require the CACES.
How do you manage qualifications for dozens of weekly changing agency workers?
Require the agency to provide certification copies before arrival. Enter them in the temporary worker's profile in Shyfter. The tool checks automatically at every assignment, exactly as for permanent workers. Put a mandatory safety induction in place for every new agency worker.
What are the validity periods of main industrial certifications?
CACES forklifts (R489): 5 years. CACES aerial platforms (R486): 5 years. CACES construction plant (R482): 10 years. Electrical authorisations: no statutory period, refresher recommended every 3 years. Night work medical fitness: annual renewal. Company first-aider: annual refresher. Welding: generally 2–3 years depending on process and standard.
