Plant - Fixed

What is Plant?

Plant is defined in the various Occupational Health and Safety Acts includes “any machinery, equipment or tool, and any component thereof”.

What is Fixed Plant?

Fixed plant is defined as being “fixed by bolts, screws or other means for the purpose of its intended design use”.

What items might be considered to be plant in the plant regulations?

The term ‘plant’ covers a wide range of items. These range from complex installations to portable equipment and tools.

Plant may include:

• boilers and pressure equipment 
• power presses, packaging machines, shrink-wrap machines and de-palletisers
• trains, tractors and earthmoving machinery
• electrical generators
• cranes, forklifts, hoists and elevating work platforms
• industrial robots
• lasers
• scaffolds
• amusement structures.

Registration of Plant

Certain types of plant must be registered with the State Workcover Authority before it can be used.

There are two main types of registration:

1. Design Registration – covers design and manufacture
2. Item Registration – every type of plant relevant and as listed by State Regulations

Risk Controls

Risk assessment and control of risk is a requirement of all types of plant including fixed plant.

The use of specific measures to eliminate or minimise identified risks should involve the selection of the most effective control measures based on a risk assessment approach and be specific to the actual working environment.