Plant - Term definitions

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Below are definitions of many of the terms used in the application for registration of a plant design, the application for registration or re-registration of an item of plant and in the related regulations.

For more definitions refer to Part 1.1 of the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (the WHS Regulations).

A

Alter - in relation to plant, means to change the design of, add to or take away from the plant where the change may affect safety or health, but does not include routine maintenance, repairs or replacement.

Amusement device —

  • means plant operated for hire or reward that provides entertainment, sightseeing or amusement through movement of the equipment, or part of the equipment, or when passengers or other users travel or move on, around or along the equipment; but
  • does not include any of the following
    • a miniature train and railway system owned and operated by a model railway society, club or association;
    • a ride or device that is used as a form of transport and that is, in relation to its use for that purpose, regulated under another Act or an Act of the Commonwealth
    • a boat or flotation device that is solely propelled by a person who is in or on the boat or device; and that is not attached to any mechanical elements or equipment outside the boat or device, and that does not rely on any artificial flow of water to move;
    • any plant specifically designed for a sporting, professional stunt, theatrical or acrobatic purpose or activity;
    • a device operated (with or without an operator) by a coin or token that is located in a shopping centre or similar public location and that is intended to be ridden, at any 1 time, by not more than 4 children below 10 years of age;

B

boiler —

  1. means —
    1. a vessel, or an arrangement of vessels and interconnecting parts, in which steam or vapour is generated or in which water or other liquid is heated at a pressure above that of the atmosphere by the application of fire, the products of combustion, electrical power or similar high temperature means; and
    2. the superheaters, reheaters, economisers, boiler piping, supports, mountings, valves, gauges, fittings, controls, boiler setting and other equipment directly associated with those vessels;
      but
  2. does not include —
    1. except in Schedules 3 and 4, a fully flooded or pressurised system where water or another liquid is heated to a temperature lower than the normal atmospheric boiling temperature of the liquid; or
    2. for the purposes of Parts 5.2 and 5.3 and in Schedules 3 and 4, a boiler designed or manufactured to the codes specified in the Table;
Table
1.  AMBSC Part 1 — Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee Code for Copper Boilers
2.  AMBSC Part 2 — Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee Code for Steel Boilers
 3. AMBSC Part 3 — Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee Code for Sub-Miniature Boilers
4.  AMBSC Part 4 — Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee Code for Duplex Steel Boilers; or

 or (iii) in Schedules 3 and 4 — a heater or boiler specified in the Table;

Table
1. direct fired process heater
2.  boiler with less than 500 kW output
3.  unattended boiler certified in compliance with AS 2593:2004 (Boilers — Safety management and supervision systems)

 

NOTE: Boom-type elevating work platforms require registration of the plant design.

boom-type elevating work platform means a telescoping device, hinged device, or articulated device, or any combination of these, used to support a platform on which personnel, equipment and materials may be elevated;

bridge crane means a crane that —

  1. consists of a bridge beam or beams, that are mounted to end carriages at each end; and
  2. is capable of travelling along elevated runways; and
  3. has 1 or more hoisting mechanisms arranged to traverse across the bridge;

building maintenance equipment

  1. means a suspended platform and associated equipment, including a building maintenance unit or a swing stage, that incorporates permanently installed overhead supports to provide access to the faces of a building for maintenance; but
  2. does not include a suspended scaffold;

building maintenance unit means a power operated suspended platform and associated equipment on a building specifically designed to provide permanent access to the faces of the building for maintenance;

C

competent person

  • for a major inspection of a mobile crane or a tower crane under regulation 235 — has the meaning given in regulation 235(1B); (
  • for inspection of amusement devices and passenger ropeways under regulation 241 — has the meaning given in regulation 241(1A);
  • for design verification under regulation 252 — a person who has the skills, qualifications, competence and experience to design the plant or verify the design;
    • educational or vocational qualifications in an engineering discipline that is relevant to the plant being inspected; or
    • knowledge of the technical standards relevant to the plant to be inspected;

commissioning – in relation to plant, means performing the necessary adjustments, tests and inspections before the plant is used to ensure that the plant is in full working order in accordance with the requirements specified in the design of the plant, and includes recommissioning.

concrete placing boom means plant incorporating an articulating boom, capable of power operated slewing and luffing to place concrete by way of pumping through a pipeline attached to, or forming part of, the boom of the plant;

crane

  • means an appliance intended for raising or lowering a load and moving it horizontally; and
  • includes the supporting structure of the crane and its foundations; but
  • does not include any of the following —
    • an industrial lift truck;
    • earthmoving machinery;
    • an amusement device;
    • a tractor;
    • an industrial robot;
    • a conveyor;
    • building maintenance equipment;
    • a suspended scaffold;
    • a lift

D

derrick crane means a slewing strut-boom crane with its boom pivoted at the base of a mast that is —

  • guyed (guy-derrick) or held by backstays (stiff-legged derrick); and
  • capable of luffing under load;

designer, in relation to plant, a substance or a structure, has the same meaning as it has in section 22 of the Act;

Design verifier means a competent person who can undertake the tasks set out in 251;

E

Escalator - includes a moving ramp for use by passengers but does not include a conveyor used only for moving goods.

G

gantry crane means a crane that —

  • consists of a bridge beam or beams supported at 1 or both ends by legs mounted to end carriages; and
  • is capable of travelling on supporting surfaces or deck levels, whether fixed or not; and
  • has a crab with 1 or more hoisting units arranged to travel across the bridge;

NOTE: Gantry cranes with a safe working load greater than 5 tonnes, or which are designed to handle molten metal or dangerous goods require registration of the plant design.

gas cylinder means a rigid vessel

  • that does not exceed 3 000 litres water capacity and is without openings or integral attachments on the shell other than at the ends; and
  • that is designed for the storage and transport of gas under pressure; and
  • that is covered by AS 2030.1:2009 (Gas cylinders — General requirements);

NOTE: Gas cylinders require registration of the plant design.

H

hoist

  • means an appliance intended for raising or lowering a load or people; and
  • includes an elevating work platform, a mast climbing work platform, personnel and materials hoist, scaffolding hoist and serial hoist; but
  • does not include a lift or building maintenance equipment;

NOTE: Hoists, other than elevating work platforms, that have a platform movement in excess of 2.4 metres and which are designed to lift people require registration of the plant design.

heritage boiler means a boiler that —

  • was manufactured before 1952; and
  • is used for a historical purpose or activity, including an activity that is ancillary to a historical activity;

Examples for this paragraph: 1. Historical activity: a historical display, parade, demonstration or re-enactment. 2. Activity ancillary to a historical activity: restoring, maintaining, modifying, servicing, repairing or housing a boiler used, or to be used, for a historical activity.

I

inflatable device (continuously blown) means an amusement device that is an inflatable device that relies on a continuous supply of air pressure to maintain its shape

L

lift

  • means plant that is, or is intended to be, permanently installed in or attached to a structure, in which people, goods or materials may be raised or lowered within a car or cage, or on a platform and the movement of which is restricted by a guide or guides; and
  • includes —
    • a chairlift and stairway lift; and
    • any supporting structure, machinery, equipment, gear, lift well, enclosures and entrances;

NOTE: Lifts require registration of the plant design and registration of the item of plant.

M

manufacturer, in relation to plant, a substance or a structure, has meaning given in section 23(1) of the Act;

mast climbing work platform means a hoist with a working platform used for temporary purposes to raise personnel and materials to the working position by means of a drive system mounted on an extendable mast that may be tied to a structure; materials hoist means a hoist that —

  • consists of a car, bucket or platform cantilevered from, and travelling up and down outside, a face of the support of a structure; and
  • is used for hoisting things and substances but not persons;

NOTE: Mast climbing work platforms require registration of the plant design.

mobile crane means a crane capable of travelling over a supporting surface without the need for fixed runways and relying only on gravity for stability;

non-slewing mobile crane

  • means a mobile crane incorporating a boom or jib that cannot be slewed; and
  • includes —
    • an articulated mobile crane; or
    • a locomotive crane;
      but
    • does not include vehicle tow trucks;

P

passenger ropeway

  • means a powered ropeway used for transporting, in a horizontal or inclined plane, passengers moved by a carrier that is —
    • attached to or supported by a moving rope; or
    • attached to a moving rope but supported by a standing rope or other overhead structure;
      and
  • includes, in relation to the powered ropeway, the prime mover, any associated transmission machinery and any supporting structure and equipment; but
  • does not include any of the following —
    • a cog railway;
    • a cable car running on rails;
    • a flying fox or similar device;
    • an elevating system for vehicles or boat style carriers associated with amusement devices;

Examples for this paragraph: An elevating system for a log ride or boat flume ride.

person with management or control of plant at a workplace means a person with management or control of fixtures, fittings or plant at a workplace as defined in section 21(1) of the Act;

person with management or control of a workplace has the meaning given in section 20(1) of the Act;

plant, in Parts 5.2 and 5.3, includes a structure;

platform height, in relation to an inflatable device (continuously blown), means the height of the highest part of the device designed to support persons using it (the platform), as measured from the surface supporting the device to the top surface of the platform when the device is inflated but unloaded;

portal boom crane means a boom crane or a jib crane that is mounted on a portal frame that, in turn, is supported on runways along which the crane travels;

powered mobile plant means plant that is provided with some form of self-propulsion that is ordinarily under the direct control of an operator;

pressure equipment means boilers, pressure vessels and pressure piping; pressure piping — (a) means an assembly of pipes, pipe fittings, valves and pipe accessories subject to internal or external pressure and used to contain or convey fluid or to transmit fluid pressure; and (b) includes distribution headers, bolting, gaskets, pipe supports and pressure containing accessories; but (c) does not include — (i) a boiler or pressure vessel; or (ii) piping to which another written law applies;

pressure vessel

  • means a vessel subject to internal or external pressure; and
  • includes —
    • interconnected parts and components, valves, gauges and other fittings up to the first point of connection to connecting piping; and
    • fired heaters; and
    • gas cylinders;
      but
    • does not include a boiler or pressure piping;

R

reach stacker means a powered reach stacker that incorporates an attachment for lifting and lowering a shipping container;

reciprocating steam engine

  • means equipment that is driven by steam acting on a piston causing the piston to move; and
  • includes an expanding (steam) reciprocating engine;

Regulatory authority - means any Commonwealth, State or Territory authority, other than the Commissioner, with responsibility for plant safety.

Repair - in relation to plant, means to restore plant to an operating condition but does not include replacement, routine maintenance or alteration.

S

scaffold means a temporary structure specifically erected to support access or working platforms;

self-erecting tower crane means a crane — (a) that is not disassembled into a tower element and a boom or jib element in the normal course of use; and (b) where the erection and dismantling processes are an inherent part of the crane’s function;

slewing mobile crane — (a) means a mobile crane incorporating a boom or jib that can be slewed; but (b) does not include any of the following when configured for crane operation — (i) a front-end loader; (ii) a backhoe; (iii) an excavator; (iv) other earth moving equipment;

steam turbine means equipment that is driven by steam acting on a turbine or rotor to cause a rotary motion;

suspended scaffold means a scaffold incorporating a suspended platform that is capable of being raised or lowered when in use;

T

tower crane

  • means a crane that —
    • has a boom or a jib mounted on a tower structure; and
    • if a jib crane, is of a horizontal or luffing jib type; and
    • has a tower structure that is demountable or permanent;
      but
    • does not include a self-erecting tower crane;

NOTE: Tower cranes require registration of the plant design and registration of the item of plant.

V

vehicle hoist means a device to hoist vehicles designed to provide access for under-chassis examination or service; vehicle loading crane means a crane mounted on a vehicle for the purpose of loading and unloading the vehicle

W

work box means a personnel carrying device, designed to be suspended from a crane, to provide a working area for a person elevated by and working from the device;

NOTE: Work boxes require registration of the plant design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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