Machine & Equipment Safety

Machinery and equipment at Monash is defined as a system or device for doing work together with a power source and any associated auxiliary equipment. The legislation generally refers to machinery and equipment as “Plant”.

Machinery and equipment generally have moving parts which perform rotating, sliding or reciprocating motion or a combination of these movements. These have the potential to cause injury to employees/students and those in the vicinity of the machine.

The Occupational Health and Safety (Plant) Regulations 1995 require employers to ensure that:

Hazards associated with installation, commissioning, erection, operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, service and cleaning of any new and existing machine for use in the workplace are identified and that;

The risks (likelihood for injury or illness) associated with identified hazards are assessed; and any risk is eliminated, or where that is not practicable, reduced so far as is practicable

Monash University requires staff/students to consult with the relevant health and safety officers, representatives and supervisors when undertaking hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control processes. Workshop staff are a valuable source of information on hazards and measures for controlling risks and therefore have a responsibility to participate in the processes to make their workplace inherently safe.

The Monash Guideline to “the use design and modification of machinery and equipment” provides guidance to staff, students, visitors and contractors who use machinery/equipment at Monash University in accordance with the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004) and associated regulations. This document covers Risk management, Isolation, Training, Design and modification of machinery and equipment within Monash university and controlled entities.