A critical safety system is a safety control system responsible for ensuring the safety of a person when approaching or accessing a hazard. Failure of the critical safety system will leave a person exposed to the hazard, and in danger. Critical safety systems may include barriers or guards fitted to

Where exposure to machinery and equipment hazards cannot be eliminated or substituted for machinery and equipment of improved design, risk controls must be applied to the hazards to prevent or reduce the risk (chance) of injury or harm.

When thinking about safe access to machinery and equipment, consider the following: • who will be working on or around the machinery and equipment • people who are required to work in enclosed areas where the atmosphere could be harmful, such as pits, tanks or storage vessels • what equipment

Note: Safe work practices must take into account the risk of trapping an operator between the EWP and a fixed structure (e.g. overhead beams, electrical cables, pipes).

There are legal requirements that must be observed prior to allowing people to enter a confined space. • Training in confined space entry. • Issue of entry permits. • Continuous monitoring and supervision.

Presence sensing systems detect when a person is in the identified danger area, and stops or reduces the power or speed of the mechanism at the time of entry to provide for safe access. Presence sensing systems can rely on foot pressure pads, infra-red sensing, light beams or laser scanning.

Machines are usually powered by the mechanical, chemical, thermal, or electrical means, and are often motorized. In the modern era, the advents of electronic technology have converted a machine into a form of non-movable development power tool.

Equipment has a wider definition, which basically refers to things needed for a certain task. They act as a set of facilities used in the mechanical works or any other works. The equipment can also be said to be a set of tools used by a human being for a

Examples of separation include: • physical barriers and guards, such as fences, screens or fixed panels of various materials • various forms of guarding and interlocking (as described in AS4024, parts 1601 and 1602, Safety of Machinery) • making the hazard inaccessible by reach (where the distance between a person

• Oil leaks from machinery and/or equipment may present a serious slip hazard. By preventing oil leaks through routine maintenance, or containing leaking oil with a drip tray or through spill containment strategies, the risk the hazard presents is controlled.

Workplace health and safety laws require the highest order control be applied. Higher order machinery and equipment risk controls are preventative by nature, are effective and durable for the environment it is used in, and deal directly with the hazard at its source.

Failure to replace guards, damaged perimeter fences that allow access, and bypassed or disabled interlocking systems, are examples of critical safety systems failures that require immediate attention to ensure the safety of people.