Is your Plant and Equipment guarding compliant?

GAVIN MOREIRA, Member Services Manager of the CMPA provides an extract on Guarding Plant and Equipment in the Construction Materials Industry

There has been an increase in incidents relating to guarding of plant and equipment in quarries. Highlighted in the last issue of Sand & Stone were the Earth Resources Tripartite Safety Forum quarterly statistics and safety alerts relating to serious amputation injuries.

WorkSafe Victoria’s Ben Wright, Manager of Earth Resources & Silica who presented at the CMPA General Meeting in Attwood on the 23rd of May 2024 mentioned that “WorkSafe Victoria will be going back to basics in 2024-25 with Guarding being a key safety and compliant concern for inspectors.”

The Guarding Guideline together with the CMPA’s Work Safely Reference Manual aims to support members in meeting the requirements of the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 and the Victorian OHS Regulations 2017.

In doing so, the document demonstrates a process that can be used to establish and successfully implement plant and equipment guarding specific to your site requirements.

Scope of Guideline
The Guarding Guideline focuses on the guarding requirements of both fixed and mobile crushing and screening plant and equipment inclusive of concrete agitators/mixers used within the construction materials industry.

General Guarding Requirements to assist with Compliance
The following table is an overview of the general guarding requirements that must be taken into account to assist in achieving compliance with regulatory requirements whilst providing a safe workplace.

This guideline provides details on how to apply these requirements.

CMPA is in the process of developing an online training tool for Members employees and contractors on Guarding.

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