Plant/Equipment Safety Management FAQs

• Many incidents, injuries and illnesses associated with plant/equipment occur due to a failure to select the right equipment for the task.  Therefore, before you purchase, you need to check that it is suitable for the intended use, including the infrastructure and environment where it will be used and the workers who will be using it.
• There is an opportunity for many of the hazards to be addressed before introducing the plant/equipment into your workplace, that is, in the planning and purchasing/hiring stages.  For example, purchasing machinery that is designed and built to produce low noise levels is more effective than providing workers with personal hearing protectors.  This also avoids costly modifications to plant/equipment after it is purchased/hired.
• The Approved Code of Practice - Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace sets out the specific requirements for controlling the risks from purchasing and hiring plant to disposal.

Before purchasing, hiring/leasing, installing and commissioning plant/equipment, you need to determine:

• if there is a less hazardous piece of plant/equipment available
• the hazards and risks associated with the installation, operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, transport, storage and dismantling of the plant/equipment
• the control measures needed to minimise these hazards and risks and how these are documented and communicated
• the manufacturer’s recommendations in relation to the frequency and type of inspection and maintenance needed
• any special skills required for people who operate the equipment or carry out inspection and maintenance
• any special conditions or equipment required to protect the health and safety of people carrying out activities such as installation, operation and maintenance
• any alterations or modifications to be made to the plant/equipment.

This also applies to the purchase of second-hand plant/equipment.

The Plant/Equipment Acquisition, Installation and Commissioning Checklist is provided in Appendix A or on the HSW website (under tools, forms and templates).

The questions and prompts will guide you in your thinking. 

It is also recommended that you refer to the:

• Approved Code of Practice - Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace, especially if you are purchasing/hiring hazardous plant/equipment.
• Plant/Equipment Safety Management Procedure which also provides additional requirements for the management of plant related risks.  
• Vehicle Safety Management Information Sheet when purchasing a vehicle.

If you supply/lease plant/equipment to someone, as the “hirer” or “lessor”, you have the same legal obligations as any supplier/lessor of plant/equipment under the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA).

For example, the following is to be provided:

• information about how to use the plant/equipment safely
• design and item registration requirements (if applicable)
• inspection and maintenance requirements.

You will also be required to maintain records of inspections and maintenance carried out.

Refer to the Safe Work Australia website Guide for Importing and Supplying Safe Plant and the Approved Code of Practice - Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace for additional information on your legal requirements.

The Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA) (regulation 213) state that the person with management or control of plant at a workplace must ensure that the maintenance, inspections and, if necessary, testing of plant be carried out by a competent person:

a) in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, if any; or

b) if there are no manufacturer’s recommendations, in accordance with the recommendations of a competent person; or

c) in relation to inspection, if not reasonably practicable to comply with (a) or (b), annually.

A competent person means a person who has acquired through training, qualification or experience the knowledge and skills to carry out the task.

For electrical work on energised electrical equipment or energised electrical installations (other than electrical testing), a competent person is a person registered to undertake the work under the Plumbers, Gas Fitters and Electricians Act 1995.

If you require further information, contact the HSW Team.

In the context of this information sheet, the following are considered vehicles for work purposes:

• cars
• buses
• trucks
• aircraft/unmanned aircraft (e.g. drones)
• trailers
• motor bikes and quad bikes
• modified vehicles
• experimental vehicles
• forklifts
• hire vehicles (used for university purposes)
• remote-controlled vehicles
• boats and other watercraft or vessels (refer to the Boating Operations Procedure)
• mobile agricultural equipment.

• Private use of cars that are included in a staff member’s salary package.
• Use of a private vehicle for travel to and from your usual place of work.

Refer to Plant/Equipment Safety Management Procedure Appendix E for all vehicle licencing requirements.

In accordance with Plant/Equipment Safety Management Procedure (5.2), if a worker is required to drive for work purposes they must notify their supervisor/manager as soon as practicable if:

• their licence expires and is not renewed
• their licence is suspended or restricted
• they are disqualified from operating a vehicle.

Staff and students should not under any circumstances operate a vehicle without having the appropriate type or class of licence.

Workers with a learner’s permit, provisional, probationary, interstate or foreign licence, or who are driving heavy vehicles, must carry their licence whenever driving or operating a vehicle as specified in the Motor Vehicles Act.  Note: that holders of a full South Australian driver’s licence are not required to carry it when driving cars and other light vehicles.

It is likely that the road rules and/or licence requirements will be different interstate and overseas.  As the person driving the vehicle it is your responsibility to understand the rules of the road in the state or country you are driving in, by referring to the local motor vehicle legislation and road rules.

A worker may need extra training (beyond the training required for their driver’s licence) depending on the vehicle, the driving frequency and driving conditions. Examples of training which may be required/useful are off-road (4 wheel) driving, advanced/defensive driving, etc.

The vehicle driver/operator is to inform their manager/supervisor if they are not familiar with the type of vehicle (e.g. manual vs automatic, 4 wheel drive, towing). Records of these training sessions are to be maintained as per Training Plan Procedure.

All vehicles and trailers used on public roads must be registered.  The following link should assist in determining the registration requirements SA Government, or contact the appropriate government department to determine registration requirements.

• All vehicles must be regularly maintained and serviced in accordance with manufacturer’s/designer’s specifications (including any specifications for vehicles designed or modified by the University) to ensure continued safe operation and efficiency (as per Plant/Equipment Safety Management Procedure). 
• Truck and bus maintenance must comply with relevant National Heavy Vehicle Regulator  and South Australian Government requirements.
• All maintenance and servicing records for each vehicle are required to be retained for the life of the vehicle.
• For extra information regarding maintenance, the acquisition of motor vehicles purchased or leased, general use, disposal, and the use of private vehicles for university business, refer to the University’s Motor Vehicle Procedures.

• The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASRs) stipulate the requirements for aviation activities. 
• Drones (unmanned aircraft) are covered under the Drone Safety Management Procedure which has specific requirements for any drone use with respect to the University’s activities.
• Rockets require special import permits and have specific rules regarding the purchasing and storage of fuel.  If you are planning an activity that involves the use of rockets you should consult with rocketry experts, SafeWork SA and the HSW Team.

• When a vehicle is modified, the person or organisation that undertakes these modifications becomes the designer and/or manufacturer and is subject to the duties imposed upon them in the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA).  
• Testing of vehicles should include a documented test procedure and a risk assessment.  The risk assessment should include any maintenance and servicing specifications.
• Consideration should be given by the supervisor as to whether driver/operator training needs to be provided for vehicles which are modified or non-standard, including those that do not require a standard driver’s licence.  Records of training sessions are to be maintained as per Training Plan Procedure.
• If experimental vehicles are to be driven on public roads, the vehicles will require registration.

When considering purchase of a vehicle, consider the intended use, number of passengers and the safety features that are available.  A Vehicle Pre-Commissioning Checklist (Appendix A, or refer to website under tools, forms and templates) is available to assist in these processes.  If in doubt, contact the HSW Team.

All safety discussions, consultation, risk assessments and other considerations in the decision-making process for purchasing a vehicle should be documented and retained for at least the duration of ownership of the vehicle.

When a university vehicle is not available or suitable for the task, it is preferable to use a hire vehicle rather than using a personal vehicle.

The consideration and identification of potential vehicle emergencies (e.g. hazards) and the control measures required to manage the risk should occur at the planning stage of all activities (including off-campus activities) in accordance with the Hazard Management Procedure.  Additional guidance is also provided in the Off-Campus Activity (Including Field Work) Information Sheet.

If undertaking a risk assessment, you should consider:

• which controls would be useful in minimising the impact to health and safety in an emergency
• first aid kit requirements
• fire equipment / extinguisher requirements
• effective means of communication.

If you have an accident, the Motor Vehicle Claim Procedure form (which is required to be kept in the glovebox of all University vehicles) is to be completed wherever possible at the scene of the accident.  Follow the prompts provided on the procedure in relation to reporting requirements.

The operation of vehicles can present various hazards.  Below are some of the hazards associated with vehicle operation. These hazards are not exhaustive and the principles of hazard management should be applied in accordance with the Hazard Management Procedure.

Examples of common hazards are:

• use of a mobile phone
• exposure to chemical fumes from exhaust
• collision
• chemical/firearms transport
• fire risk when driving on paddocks
• manual handling during loading/unloading of items into vehicles
• collision with wildlife
• entanglement in moving parts
• exposure to noise/heat
• slips/trips/falls
• struck by falling objects/unrestrained cargo
• vibration (especially agricultural vehicles and driving off road)
• roll over of open cabin vehicles (see note).

Note: in accordance with Work Health & Safety Regulations 2012 (SA) [214, 215 & 216], vehicles with open cabins must include installation of roll-over protective structures (ROPS). While it is anticipated that any new vehicles purchased will be supplied with ROPS, vehicles with open cabins already owned by the University must be reviewed and ROPS installed where necessary.

Refer to the South Australian Government website for driving hazards, safety tips and road rules.

Supervisors and managers should take fatigue management into account when scheduling vehicle operations.  A decision tool is available to assist supervisors/managers determine if a risk assessment is required. Refer to the Plant/Equipment Safety Management Procedure (Appendix B), Hazard Management Procedure and the South Australian Government website for further information.

Break-down

Refer to the South Australian Government website regarding tips for vehicle break-down safety.