Article Page – Plant Risk Assessment Requirements
Plant Risk Assessment Requirements
Learn how to make a compliant and effective risk assessment. This article provides you with the necessary requirements for conducting a risk assessment, along with a free tools and resources designed to help streamline the risk assessment, evaluation, monitor, and control processes.
Table of Contents
Article Summary
- The requirements for conducting a plant risk assessment not only serve as a guide for employers in making a compliant and effective evaluation of plant and equipment risks but also help boost efficiency in plant operation and maintenance.
- Industrial plants inevitably have hazards that personnel need to acknowledge. Common examples of these hazards are pinch points, electrical hazards, hazardous substances, slips and trips, and fire hazards.
- OSHA and HSE have provided standard regulations when making a risk assessment for plant machinery and equipment to ensure the safety of employees and company assets.
What is the importance of the Plant Risk Assessment Requirements?
The requirements for a plant risk assessment dictate its compliance with standards and regulations. These rules help guide establishments and companies in implementing safety controls that can effectively eliminate hazards or significantly reduce their effects. Ultimately, adhering to these requirements not only secures the safety of your workplace but also ensures efficient work procedures, leading to better performances and results.
A study was conducted to see how a risk assessment process that includes regulatory requirements—like making a detailed risk checklist and creating a risk register—would reduce hazards in the workplace over the course of one year. The results demonstrate a significant reduction in workplace hazards, including the elimination of serious risks.
A risk assessment with complete requirements also promotes a safety mindset. Employees with this mindset are proactive when it comes to reporting or identifying hazards and suggesting appropriate safety control measures. Creating and maintaining this value in your company enhances a safety culture where no hazard is safe.
How to format your Plant Risk Assessment based on requirements?
To create a plant assessment, it is essential to comply with standards, which will effectively guide workers in implementing safety controls that can eliminate hazards or mitigate their effects. To achieve this, a risk scoring system must be provided in the forms. The hazard identified will be scored by its probability and severity, and the product will be the risk score, which will determine the appropriate controls for the hazard. To have a better idea about this, explore the example below.
Free Plant Risk Assessment Template
Use this Plant Risk Assessment for free
5 risks relating to the use of plant and equipment
Industrial plants are nesting grounds for hazards. Most of these hazards are primarily found on plant machinery and equipment that are often used for daily operations and maintenance activities. Identifying these hazards is crucial for the implementation of appropriate measures. Here are 5 common risks relating to the use of plant equipment:
Pinch points and moving machinery
Any industrial plant may have machinery or equipment whose parts can rotate, reciprocate, and oscillate. These moving parts pose risks like entanglement and crushing (commonly called pinch points), which could potentially result in blunt injuries, broken bones, and amputation of limbs and body parts.
Most of these machines are mostly provided with machine guarding. However, personnel must never remain complacent around them. It would even be more appropriate to add another control measure to truly eliminate the risk.
Make sure that you're properly monitoring the site and control measures before, during, and after operations. Read more on Risk Monitoring and Control.
Electrical hazards
Naturally, electricity powers most plant machinery and equipment. Compared to everyday household items, this machinery and equipment require a more complex process, particularly when powered up or down. One wrong move can potentially damage the machine, electrocute workers, or cause fires. Incorporating this hazard into your risk assessment guarantees the creation and adherence to safe standard procedures during the operation or maintenance of plant machinery and equipment.
Exposure to Hazardous substances
Sometimes, industrial plants make use of substances that can harm the personnel. One common example of this substance is sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). This chemical is used in chemical synthesis, battery production, and fertilizer manufacturing.
Despite its usefulness, this chemical is highly corrosive and violently reacts with other common substances, like water and other organic materials. Proper safe precautionary measures must be considered when dealing with hazardous substances to ensure a fruitful production and healthy workers.
Slips, trips, and falls
This type of accident may seem trivial and can occur at any time. However, placing a person in an industrial plant setting can have fatal consequences. No hazard should be taken lightly in an industrial plant. Without proper safety measures, slips, trips, and falls can escalate into complicated and dangerous situations. Including situations that could cause slips, trips, and falls in the risk assessment is mandatory to avoid any unwanted outcomes in the plant.
Fire hazards
Fires pose a significant risk in any industrial plant, particularly those that use substances that have the potential to ignite. We should provide more rigid safety measures when using or operating equipment that produces heat, such as welding machines, engines, turbines, heat exchangers, etc. Aside from measures that could prevent a fire, measures that contain and extinguish it should also be readily available in areas where heat-generating equipment is used.
Risk Assessment Requirements: Plant and Equipment
Plant machinery and equipment have ingeniously evolved over the years. However, one issue that persists is the inherent hazards associated with these useful machines. Naturally every regulatory body has noticed these and has provided rules and provisions.
OSHA Plant Risk Assessment Requirements
Occupational Safety and Health Administration provisions on plant and equipment risk assessment requirements are the following:
- 29 CFR 1910.132(d): Hazard identification and General Risk Assessment— This provision mandates the necessity of a risk assessment and the selection of proper PPE.
- 29 CFR 1910.212: Machinery Guarding—this provision outlines the requirements for adequate machine guarding on plant machinery and equipment.
- 29 CFR 1910.119(e): Process Hazard Analysis—requires personnel in covered facilities (facilities that hold threshold quantities of highly hazardous chemicals (HHCs)) to establish a more frequent and formal hazard analysis and risk assessments.
HSE Plant Risk Assessment Requirements
Here are the Health and Safety and Environment regulations on plant and equipment risk assessments:
- Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 – Section 2:This provision mandates that employers must maintain a work environment that is safe and healthy for their employees in every practical way. A plant risk assessment must be integrated to achieve this.
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998:This regulation states that all work equipment must be used according to its specifications, well-maintained, and operated by qualified individuals.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Reg. 3(1): This provision states that prior to installing or operating plant machinery or equipment, a risk assessment must be conducted and provided.
A smart way to conduct risk assessments
Handmade risk assessment forms may be complicated because of various methods involved, which can result to potential inaccuracies. Errors in important papers that offer worker safety could undermine the whole aim of maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. Furthermore, it takes a lengthy time to complete and submit a form, which may delay the solutions and measures necessary to safeguard workers.
Fortunately, using the Dashpivot Risk Assessment App to manage hazards ensures that your safety controls are effective and compliant. The app helps streamline the hazard identification process and risk scoring of all identified hazards in any specific industry. This app also alerts you and your team when you request, execute, or approve a risk assessment form. The Analytics Dashboard offers actionable data on safety, which reveals the status and efficacy of your safety controls.
Summary of Plant Risk Assessment Requirements
Industrial plants are places where hazards should not be taken lightly. The potential impact of hazards in these environments can possibly take someone’s life if proper safety measures are not provided. To help employers choose the appropriate control measure, regulatory bodies provided requirements for them to follow. These requirements are the key to maintaining a safe and healthy environment, which in turn helps companies and establishments reach quotas and goals easily and efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all industrial plants required to conduct a Plant Risk Assessment under applicable regulations?
Yes – this process is required under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations in Australia, OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910 standards in the United States, and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 along with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) in the United Kingdom. You can easily comply with these regulations by conducting a Plant Risk Assessment before installing or operating plant, identifying hazards such as mechanical, electrical, or operational risks, and implementing control measures like guarding, isolation procedures, operator training, and scheduled inspections.
How is technology changing how people conduct risk assessments?
Technology is transforming risk assessments by replacing paper-based forms and manual spreadsheets with digital solutions like Dashpivot. Teams can now complete assessments faster, automate reporting and approvals, ensure real-time compliance tracking, and centralize records. This leads to significant time savings, more accurate data collection, improved accountability, and ultimately safer and more efficient worksites.
Does Sitemate offer templates for Lifting Operation Risk Assessment?
Yes – Sitemate offers ready-to-use and editable templates for Lifting Operation Risk Assessments that can also be tailored to your workflow. Companies of all sizes in the construction, manufacturing, and heavy industries are using these templates right now to streamline their lifting operations, ensure compliance, and improve site safety.
Related resources
Machine Guarding Risk Assessment
Protect workers from machine works operations by conducting a thorough risk assessment using a detailed form.
Risk Assessment Excavator
Record and manage risks and hazards identified prior to excavation works.
Risk Assessment for Lifting Operation
Streamline lifting operation risk assessment and analysis using this flexible form, which can cater to different lifting operations.
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