Toolbox Talk – Heavy Machinery Safety

Supervision of machinery – in order to ensure that the provisions of the Act and these Regulations in relation to machinery are complied with, an employer or user of machinery shall, subject to this regulation, in writing designate a person in a full-time capacity in respect of every premises on or in which machinery is being used.

Safeguarding of Machinery

in particular cause every exposed and dangerous part of machinery which is within the normal reach of a person to be effectively safeguarded by means of insulation, fencing, screening or guarding, except where an inspector has granted written permission for the omission of such safeguarding.

Where machinery constitutes a danger to persons, the employer or user of machinery concerned shall cause the premises in question to be enclosed, and where such premises are unattended the designated entrances to such premises shall be kept closed and locked.

Operation of machinery

An employer or user of machinery shall ensure that every person authorised to operate machinery is fully aware of the dangers attached thereto and is conversant with the precautionary measures to be taken or observed to obviate such dangers.

If machinery threatens or is likely to threaten the safety of persons when it is unexpectedly set in motion or made electrically alive, the employer or user of machinery concerned shall take all reasonable precautionary measures in order to ensure that such machinery cannot be so set in motion or made electrically alive, and any person intending to set such machinery in motion or make it electrically alive shall take all reasonable precautionary measures in order to ensure that the safety of a person is not threatened or likely to be threatened.

Working on Moving or Alive Electrically Live equipment

No person working in close proximity to moving machinery shall wear, or be permitted by the employer or user of machinery concerned to wear any loosely fitting outer clothing, any jewellery or ornament, any watch or key-chain, any long loose-hanging hair or anything which may be caught up in the moving parts of such machinery.

Reporting of incidents in connection with machinery

When machinery ran out of control as a result of the failure of a control or safety equipment and could have caused an injury to a person who had been conveyed on or in such machinery or had been in the vicinity thereof; or

Device to start and Stop Machinery

An employer or user of machinery shall provide devices to start and stop machinery, and these devices shall—be in a position where they can readily and conveniently be reached by the person who operates such machinery; and

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