For designers

You must manage the risks to everyone’s health and safety when they manufacture, use, store, decommission, dismantle or dispose of the plant according to your design instructions.

You must give the manufacturer:

• the design specifications of your plant
• information that will enable the plant to be manufactured in accordance with the design specifications
• information about installing, commissioning, decommissioning, using, handling, storing and dismantling it
• information about hazards and risks that could arise
• enough calculations, analysis, testing or examinations to enable the plant to be manufactured safely
• information about testing, inspections, systems of work, operator competencies and emergency procedures
• information about the plant’s purpose and any conditions necessary to operate the plant properly.

If the manufacturer identifies a hazard for which there is no control measure, you must revise your information to ensure the risks have been minimised or, better still, eliminated – or let the manufacturer know in writing that no change is required.

Where guarding is part of the design, you must ensure it prevents:

• access to dangerous parts of the plant
• broken or ejected parts injuring people.

It must be a securely mounted barrier that can resist impact and shock – and can be removed only by using tools.

If access is required to parts of the plant during operation, maintenance or cleaning, the guarding should be an interlocked physical barrier that allows access when there is no risk –and prevents access at all other times.

As a last resort – or an additional precaution – the guarding should include a presence-sensing safety system.

The operator’s controls must be:

• labelled, to indicate what they’re for and how to use them
• conveniently located for each person using the plant
• designed to prevent accidental activation (eg by guarding)

If necessary, the operator’s controls must also allow the plant to be operated safely while being cleaned or maintained.

Emergency stop controls must be prominent, clearly marked, accessible and coloured red. If there are multiple emergency stop controls and more than one person is required to operate the plant, the controls must be the ‘stop and lock-off’ type, so the plant can’t be restarted until the emergency stop control is reset.

If included in the plant design, a warning device must be positioned so as to provide the best effect.

If your plant design needs to be registered, you must keep a record of:

• the plant’s control measures and why you decided upon those controls
• information you gave to the manufacturer
• any published technical standards or engineering principles you used.

You must keep this record for the design life of the plant and make it available for inspection.