Plant risk assessment

The assessment follows the standard risk management process under the model WHS Regulations: identify hazards, assess the risks, control them using the hierarchy of controls, and review the controls.

It looks at the whole life of the plant on site: delivery and set-up, normal operation, cleaning, maintenance, breakdown and removal. Hazards typically include moving parts, crushing and entanglement, overturning, collision with people, falling objects, noise, vibration, hydraulic and electrical energy, and the environment the plant works in.

For common plant, suppliers and hire companies often provide a generic plant risk assessment. The business using it should review it against the actual site conditions, such as ground, slope, overhead services, nearby workers and access, and add controls where needed.

The WHS Regulations place duties on several parties. Designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers must make sure plant is safe and provide information on its safe use. The business with management or control of plant at a workplace must manage its risks, maintain it, keep guarding in place, and make sure it is inspected and used only by competent people.

Some plant is registrable. Certain plant designs must be registered with the regulator before supply, and certain items of plant must be registered before use, such as tower cranes, some mobile cranes, lifts, building maintenance units, concrete placement units with delivery booms, and some pressure equipment. Registered items have extra requirements for records, inspection and maintenance.

Safe Work Australia's model Code of Practice on managing the risks of plant in the workplace explains these duties in practical terms. Victoria has comparable duties under its own Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

• Plant details. Type, make, model, serial number, registration number if registrable, and owner.

• Tasks and conditions. What the plant will be used for on this site, and where.

• Hazards. Each hazard across set-up, operation, maintenance and removal.

• Risk rating. Likelihood and consequence before and after controls.

• Controls. Specific controls from the hierarchy of controls, such as guarding, exclusion zones, interlocks and training.

• Operator requirements. Licence class or training needed, and familiarisation.

• Inspection and maintenance. Pre-start checks, service intervals and records.

• Sign-off and review date. Who prepared and approved it, and when it must be reviewed.

• Using the supplier's generic version unchanged. It does not know your ground conditions, overhead services or work methods.

• Confusing it with a SWMS. The plant risk assessment covers the machine. The SWMS covers the high risk construction work task the plant is used for. Most sites need both.

• Never reviewing it. Review after an incident, a change in use or site conditions, or a modification to the plant.

• No link to inspection records. A risk assessment that relies on maintenance is only as good as the service log behind it.