Designers, manufacturers and suppliers
Designers
The safe design of plant plays a critical role in reducing risks in workplaces.
If you design plant for use in a workplace, you must identify all hazards associated with its use during the design phase and provide information about the hazards and risks to the manufacturer.
You must also provide specific information to the manufacturer. If the manufacturer advises you that there are safety issues with the design, you must revise the information to take account of these problems, or instruct the manufacturer in writing that such revision is not necessary and provide reasons as to why this is the case.
Designers of high-risk plant must also register their designs with WorkSafe.
Manufacturers
If you manufacture plant, you have duties relating to the use of the safety information provided by the designer. You must advise the designer of any hazards you identify during manufacture and ensure that the hazards are not incorporated in the plant. If this is not possible, you must ensure that risks are eliminated or reduced so far as is reasonably practicable.
You also need to obtain safety information from the designer and to pass this information on when supplying the plant.
Suppliers
If you supply plant, you have duties to ensure that hazards associated with the plant have been identified and that the risks have been controlled.
You also have a duty to control risks associated with the plant and to obtain safety information from the manufacturer and to pass this information on when supplying the plant to someone else.
There are additional duties for suppliers who hire out plant, as well as for the supply of rollover protection for tractors.
Agents who act for suppliers have a duty to obtain and pass on safety information before selling the plant.
