Safety inspections conducted on mobile plants

Poor safety around mobile plants is the target of a WorkSafe Victoria blitz.

The campaign will focus on the reduction of fatalities and injuries on construction sites.

Throughout the month of May, inspectors will be checking to ensure that employers and contractors have identified the hazards associated with this type of machinery and are controlling the risks to workers and the public.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Marnie Williams said the construction sector continued to have a high number of workplace injuries and fatalities every year.

“Last year seven construction workers lost their lives, and a number of these tragic incidents involved vehicles or powered mobile plant being operated on-site,” she said.

The sector commonly uses a vast range of heavy and mobile machinery, often for short periods of time, meaning that construction sites are dynamic and the hazards need to be constantly reassessed.

“Part of the obvious risks with mobile machinery is that they move from place to place at different times, which means managing the risks to employees and site visitors must be an ongoing process,” said Williams.

“That’s why it is critical that employers outline to workers the work that needs to be done and the potential risks involved, and identify how the risks must be controlled. Appropriate training and clear exclusion zones are essential, because pedestrians and powered mobile machinery simply do not mix.”

Safety measures that should be considered include:

• Operators must be appropriately trained and competent.
• Ensure machinery is regularly inspected and maintained.
• If a traffic management plan is required, ensure it is reviewed and updated as the site changes.
• Workers and members of the public (such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorists) must be isolated and separated from powered machinery and vehicles.
• Ensure appropriate signage is in place and erect barriers where appropriate.
• Identify and control visibility issues, particularly if lighting is poor (eg, fog, rain, night works).

Over the past decade, 16 people have died working with or around machinery such as cranes, front end loaders, elevated work platforms, forklifts, skid steer loaders, concrete trucks and other types of powered mobile plant.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/eric