Health and safety compliance in Australia and New Zealand
Lookout to achieve compliance inline with European standards to meet essential health and safety requirements in AU/NZ.
Who is responsible?
AS 4801, ISO 45001, OHSAS 18001 states that top management should assume responsibility for Health and Safety Management.
typical tasks are:
- Ensure essential resources are available to establish, implement,maintain and improve an occupational, health and safety management system.
- Define roles and allocate responsibilities to facilitate effective occupational, health and safety management system
Duties mentioned in the Act
Persons who conduct a business or undertaking involving the management or control of fixtures, fittings or plant at a workplace also have the duty to ensure that the fixture, fitting and plant are without risks to the health and safety of person.
A designer (who conducts a business or undertaking the designs, redesigns or alters the design of plant or any part of the plant) that is to be used or could reasonably be expected to be used at a workplace has the duty to ensure that the plant is without risks to health and safety to workers throughout the life of the plant.
European legal requirements
European Directives are transposed into law by government, while the local agency’s enforce the Laws and issue guidance documentation. CE marking is an indication that a product complies with the essential requirements of applicable directives The product has been subject to conformity assessment procedures as provided in the directives.
What's a EU Directive?
Directives lay down certain end results that must be achieved in every member state. The most relevant directives for machine builder are:
- Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (MD)
- Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED)
- Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (LVD)
- Electromagnetic Equipment Directive 2014/30/EU ( EMC)
- Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances (RoHS)
- Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU (PED)
- Simple Pressure Vessel Directive 2014/29/EU (SPVD)
- Explosive Atmosphere Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX)
- Personal Protective Equipment Directive (PPE)
- Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC (END)
Reasonable practice to achieve compliance
Determine machine limits
- Service life of machine and components based on intended use and foreseeable misuse
- Properties of the materials to be processed
- Performance requirements, e.g. throughput, operating hours, required personnel
- Environment conditions, e.g. temperature, ingress protection
Risk assessment according to AS/NZS 4024.1201 (ISO 12100)
- Hazard identification, risk assessment and risk evaluation
- which reflects the entire life cycle from construction to disposal
Risk reduction
Risk reduction through inherently safe design, safe guards, supplementary measures and instructions for use,
and check that no additional dangers have arisen. Apply ISO 13849 and/or IEC 62061 for safety-related parts of control systems.
Validation
- Does the machine comply with the essential Health & Safety requirements ?
- Have the (harmonized) standards been properly applied ?
- Has the residual risk been considered ?
- Has the appropriate test been carried out ?
Documentation
- Commissioning instructions, operating manual for each mode, maintenance manual, residual risk ff.
- technical dossier including documentation for the risk assessment, manufacturer declaration of conformity
Re-assessment
Undertake a revaluation if the scope has changed significantly
The Risk Assessment
The manufacturer of machinery or his authorised representative must ensure that a risk assessment is carried out in order to determine the health and safety requirements applicable to the machinery. The machinery must then be designed and constructed taking these results into account.
The risk assessment should cover all stages of the life of the machinery, from design, transport, assembly, installation, commissioning, adjustment, use (setting/cleaning, maintenance, etc.), decommissioning, dismantling and disposal, and cover all persons who come into contact with the machinery during its service life. The risk assessment should also consider correct use and reasonably foreseeable misuse.
Risk Assessment Documentation
The documented risk assessment shall demonstrate the procedure which has been followed and the results have been achieved.
- Machinery data e.g. limits, intend use, specified load, throughput etc.
- Hazards identified and solutions and events considered
- Information on basis of risk assessment e.g. data source, methodology used
- Objectives to be achieved by safety measures
- Safety measures that have been implemented
- Any residual risk associated with the machine
- Results of final risk evaluation