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Employers and self employed people have general duties under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (the OSH Act) and requirements under the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996.
Under the OSH Act, there is a general duty to ensure plant or machinery do not expose workers to hazards, as far as practicable. In addition, one of the requirements under the OSH regulations is to guard dangerous and moving parts of machinery, as far as practicable. Workers also have responsibilities under the OSH Act. They must work safely and avoid putting others at risk by anything they do or don’t do.
Depending on the design of a wool press, crush injuries can occur from trapping hazards between moving and stationary parts if workers get their hands or other parts of the body or clothing caught during operation. Most injuries can be prevented if the wool press is fitted with guarding.
Hazards when using wool presses can include:
Fitting a guard to the wool press is the most effective way to prevent entrapment of a person’s hand(s) or upper body.
Where they are practicable, the following hierarchy of guarding controls is considered appropriate for wool presses:
The highest level of safeguard should always be used, as far as practicable, so as to meet the duty to eliminate or reduce risks. All guarding devices must be working and properly adjusted when in operation.
A physical guard needs to:
If something is practicable, it is ‘reasonably practicable’, taking into account:
While cost may be a factor, the cost of putting safeguards in place is measured against the consequences of failing to do so. It is not a measure of whether the employer can afford to put the necessary safeguards in place, particularly when there is risk of serious, or frequent but less severe, injury.
This bulletin was developed by the Agricultural Safety Industry Advisory Group in conjunction with WorkSafe. The recommendations for safety in this bulletin apply until such time as relevant Acts and regulations change. Where new Acts and regulations are implemented, new guidelines will be developed.
For more information on wool press guarding, contact:
The WA Shearing Industry Association (Inc)
PO Box 792
FREMANTLE WA 6959
Tel: 0427 552 225
Website: www.wasca.asn.au
Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Tel: 1300 307 877
Email: safety@demirs.wa.gov.au
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