Responsibility for health and safety in working environments may seem difficult to pin down. Some responsibilities lie with inspectors of workplaces and work equipment, some with the suppliers. But equipment owners in all cases hold ultimate responsibility for those using their work equipment. As a result, it's essential to have a solid overview of the processes you must have in place to provide a safe and compliant working environment.
The difficult truth for equipment owners is that most of the responsibility for the health and safety of those using work equipment actually lies on them as the owner. That means that owners need to have a good understanding of how to provide safe working conditions for those using equipment at all stages - use, maintenance and inspection.
It is not enough to simply rely on supplier or inspectors of equipment for compliance with safety regulation. Equipment owners must step up and ensure they have all grounds covered to prevent physical and financial risks.
While the specific regulations and requirements may differ somewhat from country to country and for different types of equipment, most of them are built on the same principles and ground rules. We'll try to walk you through the most important ones.
Use
- The equipment should be compliant with regulatory requirements.
- The equipment should be used for its intended purpose.
- The equipment should be installed and assembled according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Personnel using the equipment should be trained to use it correctly and safely.
- The user manual for the equipment should be readily available near the equipment. This can be done by marking the equipment with a QR code.
- The user manual should be available in the official language of the country where the equipment is used.
- The user manual should be understandable for everyone, regardless of background or education.
- For some equipment, such as forklifts, a pre-use check is required. A checklist and a log documenting that the check is performed should be available near the equipment.
Maintenance
- The maintenance work should be carried out according to the maintenance manual supplied by the producer.
- Appropriate maintenance routines should be established, and accompanying checklists made.
- The maintenance manual and checklist should be readily available near the equipment. This can be done by marking the equipment with a QR code.
- The maintenance work should be done at the required or appropriate intervals.
- Maintenance work relevant to the equipment's safe use should be documented.
Inspection
- Inspections should be carried out according to regulatory requirements. This can mean every 12 months, every 6 months, or after repair, replacement, refitting, accident, significant change in use, a long time without use, or other relevant factors.
- Some equipment also requires an extended inspection that includes testing.
- The equipment should be identifiably marked. This can be done by marking the equipment with a QR code.
- Documentation from the producer, such as user manuals or inspection instructions, should be available for the inspector.
- Maintenance documentation relevant to the equipment's safety should be available for the inspector.
- Documentation of the last inspection – if one has occurred – should be available for the inspector.
Would you like to hear more about tools to help you fulfill your responsibilities as an equipment owner? Talk to an Onix expert who can introduce you to Onix Work - the digital tool for improved equipment control and compliance.
