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SAFETY AND HEALTH ALERTS AND GUIDANCE
A RISK-BASED APPROACH TO MAINTENANCE TYC
Recent worksite incidents prompted the Department to take a close look at the ways industry can improve maintenance using a risk-based approach. Some of these incidents occurred despite there being a maintenance plan in place. When large structures, fixed and mobile plant and machinery fail, it can lead to: • • • •
catastrophic safety incidents risks to the health and safety of workers disruptions production downtime.
Understanding the safety hazards of structures, plant and machinery will help workplaces to maintain safe operation, manage and reduce the risk of failures.
KNOWING THE HAZARDS Large structures, plant and machinery on mine and industrial sites have both common and unique hazards. However, sites may not always be equipped to know the potential hazards and associated risks, and this itself can be a hazard. Identifying each hazard and measuring it against the likelihood and severity of risk is the first step in a risk-based maintenance approach. Performing this step early in the process allows designers and manufacturers to mitigate identified hazards and risks during the original design, engineering and development phases. This is done by embedding controls in the maintenance procedures that comply with or exceed recommended relevant standards.
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When decisions are made about whether or when maintenance tasks are undertaken, the design, manufacturer instructions and Australian Standards must not be compromised. Therefore it is important to: • use the structure, plant or machinery as it was intended • always maintain the original design without removing or adding parts • use only recommended original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts • follow all design and manufacturer instructions • seek appropriate advice to double-check any inconsistencies.
RISK-BASED MAINTENANCE PLANS Individual documented risk-based plans address the safety hazards for every structure, plant and piece of machinery. Maintenance should be planned, actioned and recorded in detail throughout the life of the equipment. When integrating safety into the risk-based maintenance plan, consider the following. • Life cycle stage of the equipment – Where in the life cycle is this structure/plant/equipment? • Current condition of the equipment – Has this item been well-maintained and repaired using authorised or manufacturer parts? Given its current state, how many years will the equipment last in good working order before replacement is necessary?
