[Name of Organization] 

Plant Management in the Workplace Policy and Procedure 

 

  1. Introduction  

Plant refers to any machinery, appliance, equipment, tool, as well as any component or anything that fitted or connected to any of those things. Moreover, it includes items as diverse as cranes, lifts, machinery, computer, forklifts, conveyors, power tools, vehicles, and amusement devices. Plant is a major cause of injury and death in the workplace. There are various risks associated with the use of plant. And severe injuries can result from the unsafe use of plant including: 

  • fractures from falls when accessing, operating or maintaining plant or equipment 

  • being crushed by mobile plant 

  • limbs amputated by unguarded moving parts of machines 

  • burns or scalds due to contact with hot surfaces, or exposure to hot fluids or flames 

  • electric shock from a plant that is not adequately protected or isolated 

Other risks include hearing loss due to noisy plant musculoskeletal disorders caused by manually handling or operating plant, which is badly damaged.  

  1. Purpose/ Objective 

The purpose of this policy and procedure is to make sure that risks associated with plant and equipment within the workplace of [YOUR COMPANY NAME], are identified and managed properly.  

  1. Application 

This policy and procedure offer a useful guidance on how to manage health and safety risks of plant once it is implemented in your workplace, from plant installation, commissioning and use through to decommissioning, as well as dismantling. This policy offers guidance to the ones who are in a business or in the charge of controlling plant in the workplace, including installing and commissioning it.  

  1. Identifying the hazards 

Identifying hazards engages in finding all of the things, as well as situations, which can potentially cause harm to people. Hazards associated with the plant mainly arise from: 

  • the plant itself  

  • how and where the plant is used 

Instances of plants and equipment include: 

  • All regular plants  

  • Powered hand tools  

  • Ladders  

  • Table saws 

  • Lifts 

Hazard identification should take place: 

  • while new plant and equipment is introduced into the workplace  

  • for all existing plant and equipment 

  • before any required changes are made to the system of work for plant and equipment  

  • before the plant and equipment is used in a manner other than what it was designed for  

  • when new information concerning the safety of the plant and equipment becomes available  

  1. Assessing the risks  

A risk assessment includes considering what could happen if someone is exposed to a hazard combined with the likelihood of it happening. A risk assessment can help to determine: 

  • how rigorous the risk is  

  • whether existing control measures are effective  

  • what action should be taken to control risk 

  • how urgently the risk needs to be taken  

  1. Controlling risks  

The ways of controlling risks associated with plant are ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest. The ranking is familiar as the hierarchy of risk control. Specific controls are needed for certain types of plans, including: 

  • powered mobile plant 

  • industrial robots 

  • lasers plants that lift or suspend loads  

  • scaffolds 

  • lasers  

  • pressure equipment 

The hierarchy of control measures include: 

  1. Elimination 

  1. Substitution 

  1. Engineering controls 

  1. Administrative controls 

  1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 

 

  1. Maintaining and reviewing risk control measures  

The implemented controlled measures should be reviewed and revised, if needed, to ensure that work is done as planned and no new hazards have been introduced.  

Consulting with the workers for feedback on the plant and work processes being used should include these questions: 

  • Are the workers well-aware of the control measures and do they understand them? 

  • Are the control methods working effectively in both their design and operation? 

  • Have all hazards associated with the plant and equipment been identified? 

  • Has the purchase of the new plant item made the task easier? 

  • Are safety procedures being followed? 

  • Has an accident occurred in relation to the plant? 

  • If new information or legislation becomes available, does it indicate that the current control may no longer be the most effective?   

  1. Information, Education, and Training 

Information, instruction, and training are necessary to protect employees from risks arising from the use of the plant. Providing safety information to persons involved in installing, commissioning, testing, maintaining, and repairing of plant, and dismantling or disposing of it, helps to accomplish the task without much hazard. This should include information on the types of hazards and risks the plant may pose to the person when they are carrying out these activities.  

This information helps to ensure safe work procedures which include instructions on: 

  • the correct use of guarding as well as other control measures 

  • the process of accessing and operating the plant safely  

  • who can use an item of plant, like an authorised or licensed operators  

  • the process of carrying out instructions, shut-down, cleaning, repair and maintenance  

  • traffic rules, clearances, rights of way, and no-go areas for mobile plant 

  • emergency procedures  

Any emergency instructions relating to an item of plant must be clearly displayed on or near it. A training program must be practical and ‘hands-on’ and take into account the particular requirements of the employees, for instance, literacy levels, work experience, and specific skills needed for safe use of the plant.  

  1. Responsibilities 

Responsibilities of workplace manager  

The manager is responsible for: 

  1. identifying and recording all plant and equipment within the workplace on a regular basis 

  1. discussing with employees in relation to identifying and managing plant and equipment hazards  

  1. making sure that identified plant, as well as equipment hazard,  are entered to the risk management form and then risk register 

  1. checking that Safe Work Procedures  are accessible for each item of plant and the equipment  

  1. making sure that maintenance and repairs to plant and equipment is recorded on the maintenance form 

  1. fulfilling the legislation relating to equipment and plant     

Responsibilities of Employee 

The employee is responsible for  

  1. reporting plant, as well as equipment hazards 

  1. assisting workplace managers with the completion of the plant management form 

  1. participating in the identification and implementation of risk controls 

  1. complying with SWP for plant and equipment  

 

  1. Implementation and Review 

Risk control measures of [YOUR COMPANY NAME] may need to be reviewed after an accident, or when there has been a change to plant or work practices.  

Date