WORK EQUIPMENT HAZARDS AND ‘CE’ marking is only a claim by the

CONTROL manufacturer that the equipment is safe and

that they have met relevant supply law. If this
Any equipment used by an employee
is done properly manufacturers will have to
at work is generally covered by the term do the following:
‘Work Equipment’. The uses covered include
starting or stopping the equipment, repairing,  Find out about the health and safety
modifying, maintaining, servicing, cleaning hazards (trapping, noise, crushing,
and transporting. Employers and the self- electrical shock, dust, vibration, etc.)
employed must ensure that work equipment that are likely to be present when the
is suitable; maintained; inspected if machine is used.
necessary; provided with adequate  Assess the likely risks.
information and instruction; and only used by  Design out the hazards that result in
people who have received sufficient training. risks or, if that is not possible
Suitability of work equipment and CE  Provide safeguards (e.g. guarding
marking dangerous parts of the machine,
providing noise enclosures for noisy
When work equipment is provided it parts) or, if that is not possible.
has to conform to standards which cover its  Use warning signs on the machine to
supply as a new or second-hand piece of warn of hazards that cannot be
equipment and its use in the workplace. This designed out or safeguarded (e.g.
involves: ‘noisy machine’ signs).
 Its initial integrity Before buying new equipment the
 The place where it will be buyer will need to think about:
used
 The purpose for which it will  Where and how it will be used
be used  What it will be used for
 Who will use it (skilled
There are two groups of law that deal with the employees, trainees)
provision of work equipment:  What risks to health and
 Supply Law - The most common of safety might result
these is the Supply of Machinery  How well health and safety
(Safety) Regulations 1992. Its risks are controlled by
primary purpose is to prevent barriers different manufactures.
to trade across the EU, and not to
protect people at work.
 User Law - PUWER 98 (Provision
and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998) and applies to
most pieces of work equipment. Its
primary purpose is to protect people
at work. The user must check that the
machine is safe before it is used.
Use and maintenance of equipment with Techniques include:
specific risks
Preventative planned maintenance -
PUWER 98 REGULATION 7 Vehicles are normally maintained on the
basis.
Restricts the use of such equipment
to the persons designated to use it. These Condition based maintenance –
people need to have received sufficient monitoring the condition of critical parts and
information, instruction and training so that carrying out maintenance.
they can carry out the work using the
Breakdown based maintenance –
equipment safely.
maintenance is only carried out when faults
Information, instruction and training or failures have occurred.
The extent of the information’s and Maintenance and inspection
instructions will depend on the complexity of
Inspection under PUWER requires
the equipment and the specific risks
associated: that where safety is dependent on the
installation conditions and/or the work
They should cover: equipment is exposed to conditions
causing deterioration, which may result in
o All safety and health
a significant risk and a dangerous
o Any limitations of the use of the
situation developing, that the equipment
equipment
is inspected by the competent person.
o Any foreseeable problems that could The inspection must be done:
occur
o Safe methods to deal with the  After installation for the first
problems time.
o Any relevant experience with the  After assembly at a new site
equipment that would reduce the or in a new location and
risks or help others to work more thereafter.
safely, should be recorded and  At suitable intervals and
circulated to everyone concerned.  Each time exceptional
circumstances occur which
Supervisors and managers also
could affect safety.
require adequate training to carry out
their function, particularly if they only Examination of boilers and air
supervise a particular task occasionally. receivers under the pressure systems
The training and supervision of young regulation 2000, a wide range of
persons is particularly important because pressure vessels and systems require
of their relative immaturity, unfamiliarity thorough examination by a competent to
with a working environment and an agreed specifically written scheme.
awareness of existing or potential risks. Only concerned with duty on users to
have the vessels examined.
Maintenance work equipment needs
to be properly maintained so that it
continuous to operate safely and in the
way it was designed to perform.
 Operation and working environment Hand-held tools
To operate work equipment safely it - Work equipment includes hand
must be fitted with easily reached and tools and hand-held power tools.
operated controls; kept stable; properly These tools need to be correct for
lit; kept clear; and provided with the task, well maintained and
adequate markings and warning signs. properly used.
These are covered by PUWER 98, which
HAND TOOLS
applies to all types of work equipment.
Hand tools should be properly
Equipment should be provided with
controlled including those tools owned by
efficient means of isolating it from all
employees. The following controls are
sources of energy. In many cases this
important.
source is the mains electrical energy but
it must cover all sources such as steam, SUITABILITY – all tools should be suitable
compressed air, hydraulic, batteries, for the purpose and location in which they are
heat, etc. to be used.
 Emergency stop must be INSPECTION – all tools should be
provided where the other maintained in a safe and proper condition.
safeguards in place are not
adequate to prevent danger. TRAINING – all users of hand tools should
 Emergency stop buttons should be properly trained in their use.
be easily reached and operated. HAND-HELD POWER TOOLS
Common Types are mushroom- -HAZARDS
headed buttons, bars, levers, kick-plates,
or pressure sensitive cables. They are Deals with other physical hazards relating to
normally red and should need to be reset this type of equipment, particularly a drill and
after use. sander.

Stability is important and is normally TYPICAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND

achieved by bolting equipment in place or CONTROLS
if this is not possible by using clamps.
When using power tools, the
User responsibilities following basic safety measures should be
observed to protect against electrical shock,
- Covered in Section 7 of HSW Act personal injury, ill-health and risk of fire.
and regulation 14 of the
Management Regulations. Most machinery has the potential to
- Section 7 requires employees to cause injury to people, and machinery
take reasonable care for accidents figure prominently in official
themselves and others who may accident statics.
be affected and to cooperate with
Machinery movement basically
the employer. Regulation 12
consists of rotary, sliding or reciprocating
requires employees to use
action, or a combination of these. The
equipment properly in
hazards of machinery are set out in BS EN
accordance with instructions and
ISO 12100 – Part 2: 2003 which covers the
training.
classification of machinery hazards and how
harm may occur. A person may be injured at appropriate sections of PUWER 98 will also
machinery as a result of: apply to mobile equipment as it does to all
work equipment, for example dangerous
Crushing hazard through being trapped
moving parts of the engine would be covered
between a moving part of a machine and a
by Part II Regulations 10, 11 and 12 of
fixed structure.
PUWER 98.
Shearing hazard which traps part of the
Employees carried on mobile work
body between moving and fixed parts of the equipment – Regulation 25
machine.
 Rolling over of mobile work
Cutting or severing hazard through contact
equipment - Where there is a
with a cutting edge Entanglement hazard.
risk of overturning.
Entanglement hazard with the machinery  Self-propelled work
which grips loose clothing, hair or working equipment - Where self-
material, such as emery paper, around propelled work equipment
revolving exposed parts of the machinery. may involve risks while in
motion
Drawing-in or trapping hazard such as
between in-running gear wheels or rollers. Rollover and falling object protection
(ROPS and FOPS)
Impact hazard when a moving part directly
strikes a person.  A ROP is a cab or frame that
provides a safe zone for the
Stabbing or puncture hazard through
vehicle operator in the event
ejection of particles from a machine.
of a rollover.
Friction or abrasion hazard for example, on  The ROPS frame must pass a
grinding wheels or sanding machines. series of static and dynamic
crush tests.
High pressure fluid injection (ejection  The ROPS must meet
hazard) for example, from a hydraulic International Standards such
system leak. as ISO 3471:1994
Mobile work equipment 10 Hazards  ROPS must also be correctly
of mobile equipment the machines most at installed strictly following the
risk of roll over according to the HSE are: manufacturer’s instructions
and using the correct strength
➤ Compact dumpers bolts and fixings

➤agricultural tractors Rollover and falling object

protection (ROPS and FOPS)
➤variable reach rough terrain trucks (tele
handlers). Falling object protective
structures (FOPS), are required
The main purpose of the mobile work where there is a significant risk of
equipment PUWER 1998 Part III, objects falling on the equipment
Regulations 25 to 30 is to require additional operator or other authorized
precautions relating to work equipment while person using the mobile
it is travelling from one location to another or equipment .
where it does work while moving. All
Safe driving
Drivers have an important role to play
in the safe use of mobile equipment.
OFFICE
Non-mechanical machinery hazards
- A potential danger or risk present in a
piece of equipment or machinery that
does not arise from its mechanical
components.
 access: slips, trips and falls; falling
and moving objects; obstructions
and projections
 lifting and handling
 electricity (including static
electricity): shock, burns
 fire and explosion
 noise and vibration pressure and
vacuum
 high/low temperature
 inhalation of dust/fume/mist
 suffocation
 radiation: ionizing and nonionizing
 Biological: viral or bacterial.
 physiological effects
 psycho-physiological effects
 human errors
 hazards from the environment where
the machine is used
MACHINERY HAZARDS any potential
danger or risk associated with the use,
operation, maintenance, or proximity to
machinery and equipment.
 Examples are given to demonstrate a
small range of machines found in
industry and commerce, which are
included in the certificate syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF MACHINERY HAZARS
PRACTICAL SAFE GUARDS
-Also known as practical safety measures
-specific strategies and precautions put in
place to reduce or eliminate workplace
hazards and create as a safe working
environment.
PROVISION AND USE OF WORK
EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS 1998
(PUWER)
-A set of health and safety regulations in
the United Kingdom that aim to ensure the
safe use pf work equipment.
PUWER (Provision and User of Work
Equipment Regulation 1998)
- requires that access to dangerous parts
of machinery should be prevented in a
preferred order or hierarchy of control
methods
Levels of Protection: SELF-ADJUSTING GUARD
 fixed enclosing guarding  One which adjusts itself to
 other guards or protection devices accommodate, for example, the
 protection appliances passage of material.
 the provision of information,
INTERLOCKING GUARDS
instruction, training and supervision
Risk Reduction  A guard which is movable (or which
has a movable part) whose
 a physical barrier between the movement is connected with the
individual and the component power or control system of the
 a device which only allows access machine.
when the component is in a safe stat
An interlocking guard must be so
 a device which detects that the
connected to the machine controls such
individual is entering a risk area and
that:
then stops the machine
Fixed Guard  Until the guard is closed the interlock
prevents the machinery from
 a type of safety device used in operating by interrupting the power
machinery and equipment to protect medium.
workers from hazards associated  Either the guard remains locked
with moving parts, rotating closed until the risk of injury from the
machinery, or other dangerous areas hazard has passed or opening the
 designed to be securely attached to guard causes the hazard to be
the machinery; always in position, eliminated before access is possible.
difficult to remove and almost
OTHER SAFETY DEVICES
maintenance free
 has no moving parts and should, by  Trip devices
its design, prevent access to the  Two-handed control devices
dangerous parts of the machinery  Hold-to-run control
An alternative fixed guard is the Trip devices
distance fixed guard, which does not
completely enclose a hazard.  does not physically keep people
away but detects when a person
Adjustable guard approaches close to a danger point
 can be mechanical, electrical,
 can be moved, adjusted or
photoelectric or pressure sensitive
repositioned to provide access to
mat
certain parts of the machinery
Two-handed control devices
2 TYPES OF ADJUSTABLE GUARD
GUARD USER ADJUSTED GUARD  devices which require the operator to
have both hands in a safe place (the
 Fixed or movable guards, which are location of the controls) before the
adjustable for a particular operation machine can be operated
during which they remain fixed.  are an option on machinery
 used with machine tools to make
adjustments
 Hold-to-run control
 a control which allows movement
of the machinery only as long as
the control is held in a set position
PRINCIPLES OF TWO-HANDED
CONTROLS
The controls should be so placed,
separated and protected as to prevent
spanning with one hand only, being operated
with one hand and another part of the body,
or being readily bridged.
It should not be possible to set the
dangerous parts in motion unless the
controls are operated within approximately
0.5 seconds of each other. Having set the
dangerous parts in motion, it should not be
possible to do so again until both controls
have been returned to their off position.
Movement of the dangerous parts
should be arrested immediately or, where
appropriate, arrested and reversed if one or
both controls are released while there is still
danger from movement of the parts.
The hand controls should be situated
at such a distance from the danger point that,
on releasing the controls, it is not possible for
the operator to reach the danger point before
the motion of the dangerous parts has been
arrested or, where appropriate, arrested and
reversed.
APPLICATION OF SAFEGUARDS TO THE
RANGE OF MACHINES
- office
- manufacturing and maintenance
- agricultural / horticultural
- competence assessment
- retail construction
  Make sure petrol containers are in good
condition and clearly labelled, with securely
fitting caps
 Make sure petrol containers are in good
condition and clearly labelled, with securely
fitting caps
 Suitable personal protective equipment (PPE)
should always be worn, no matter how small the
job.
 European standards for chainsaw PPE are
published as part of EN 381
 Protective clothing for users of hand-held
chainsaws.

Protective clothing for users of hand-held

1. Hand guard with integral chain brake; chainsaws
2. Exhaust outlet directed to the RHS
away from the operator; -Safety helmet – to EN 397 (arborists
3. Chain breakage guard at bottom of working from a rope and harness may use a
rear handle; suitable adapted rock-climbing helmet)
4. Chain designed to have low kickback -Hearing protection – to EN 352-1
tendency;
5. Rubber anti-vibration mountings; -Eye protection – mesh visors to EN 1731 or
6. Lockout for the throttle trigger; safety glasses to EN 166.
7. Guide bar
-Upper body protection – chainsaw jackets
8. Bottom chain catcher;
to BS EN 381-11
9. PPE hand/eye/ear defender signs;
10. On/off switch. -Gloves – to EN 381-7. The use of
appropriate gloves is recommended under
COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT
most circumstances.
- Lantra Awards, Stoneleigh Park,
- Leg protection – to EN 381-5 (all-round
Kenilworth, Warwickshire
protection is recommended for arborists
CHAINSAW working in trees, and for occasional users
such as those working in agriculture)
 Avoid working alone with a -Chainsaw boots – to BS EN ISO
chainsaw 20345:2004 and bearing a shield depicting a
 Moving engine parts should be chainsaw to show compliance with EN 381-3
enclosed
 Electrical units should be double
insulated and cables fitted with
residual current devices
 Must be fitted with a top handle
and effective brake mechanism
noise and hand-arm vibration
protection
 Proper maintenance
APPLICATION SAFEGUARDS
GUARD CONSTRUCTION NEBOSH National General Certificate in
Occupational Health and Safety (NGC)
The design and construction of guards must
be appropriate other risks identified and the PRACTICE QUESTION
mode of operation of the machinery in
Question: List the main requirements of the
question.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Factors to be considered: Regulations 1998
- Strength Answer: Suitability of Work Equipment,
- Weight and size Maintenance and Inspection, Information
- Compatibility with materials being and Instructions, Training and Competence,
processed and lubricants Risk Assessment, Controls and Control
- Hygiene and the need to comply Systems, Emergency Stop Controls,
with food safety regulations Protection against Specific Hazards, Lifting
- Visibility Equipment, Safe Start-up and Shutdown,
- Noise attenuation Mobile Work Equipment, Markings and
- Enabling a free flow of air Warnings, and Prohibition of Certain
- Avoidance of additional hazards. Activities
- Ease of maintenance and
cleanliness
- Openings
PRACTICE NEBOSH QUESTIONS FOR
CHAPTER 11
NEBOSH
-NEBOSH stands for the National
Examination Board in Occupational Safety
and Health
-a UK-based independent examination board
that offers a wide range of globally
recognized qualifications in health, safety,
and environmental management