A new code of practice for the safeguarding of machinery and the plant has been released by Western Australia’s Commission for Occupational Safety and Health, and covers new rules for designers and manufacturers of plant equipment.
Commission Chair Tony Cooke said that the code of practice aimed to assist workplaces to maintain a safe working environment.
“The code explains how to ensure that machinery and plant is safely guarded so it does not pose a risk to safety and health,” he said.
The code applies to workplaces covered by both the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 and the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994, making it applicable in almost all Western Australia workplaces.
It sets out broad duties for employers and other people at workplaces, as well as those who design, manufacture, import or supply plant.
It provides:
• General guidance on the identification and control of hazards and risks associated with guarding — or the lack of guarding — of machinery and plant; and
• Practical guidance on guarding of machinery and plant commonly found in workplaces.
The code was developed by the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mining Industry Advisory Committee, along with representatives of unions, employer organisations and government.