This Guide has been developed to provide operators with assistance to meet their obligations for inspection, testing and maintenance of the equipment and hardware that are the physical control measures for risks to health and safety required under the WHS Act and WHS PAGEO Regulations. The focus of this Guide is on land-based drilling rigs. This Guide should be read in conjunction with the Interpretive guideline: Development and submission of an onshore facility safety case – drilling operations.

The safety case for a drilling rig is applicable at all times when the rig is on a licensed site conducting any petroleum and geothermal energy operations, including any maintenance to the drilling rig.

If the drilling rig is not on a licensed site but stacked up in the operator’s workshop or storage yard, the safety case does not apply and any maintenance or service work conducted on the drill rig is covered by the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022.