Issue Date:  -  Thursday, 17 July 2003

Guarding of farm machinery vital

WorkSafe has issued a reminder about the importance of guarding machinery, especially rotating parts.

WorkSafe Acting Executive Director Gail McGowan said today that recent contact with members of the public at trade shows had suggested that a reminder on machinery guarding was needed.

"Our inspectors frequently attend expos and other events, and have recently been told of several near misses involving unguarded power take-offs (PTOs) on machinery on farms and fishing vessels," Ms McGowan said.

"The inspectors take a PTO machine with them to demonstrate the guarding required, and have recently been surprised at the low level of knowledge about guarding.

"An 18-year-old farm worker was tragically killed last year when his clothing became entangled in the exposed rotating shaft of an auger he was using, and this event served as a reminder to anyone working with machinery that they must take every precaution.

"But inspectors are now reporting that many farmers and fishers are still not fully aware of guarding requirements under the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations."

Manufacturers of machinery are legally required to make sure dangerous parts are safely guarded so operators are protected from injury, and operators are under an obligation to leave guards in place when the machinery is being operated.

Owners and employers should regularly check for hazards related to machinery guarding, particularly in older machines where extra moving parts may have been added or original guarding removed.

Machinery hazards include such parts as rotating power take-offs and other shafts, gearing, cables, chains, grease nipples, pulleys, rotating blades or knives and hot parts of any machine.

Guards should be designed to protect the user but allow access for maintenance, and should not be removed until the machine is stopped and isolated from the power source and "locked out".

Safe procedures should be established for dealing with machinery and its maintenance, including the use of checklists and lock-out and tag devices to prevent machinery from being accidentally started during maintenance.

"Everybody in the workplace is in danger of being injured by machinery, and it is vital that everyone remains vigilant at all times around machines," Ms McGowan said.

"I would encourage those in workplaces to regularly look at every job involving machinery, list what could go wrong and cause an injury, then do something about preventing it."

Further information on reducing risks by guarding machinery can be obtained by telephoning WorkSafe on 9327 8777 or on the website at www.safetyline.wa.gov.au.