Purchasing an auger

An auger can be a useful piece of equipment, but if not used safely it can cause fatal or horrific injuries. Simple steps can be taken at the time of purchase to ensure the risk of injury is significantly reduced.

Before buying an auger, it’s important to think about the design and safety features of the auger and how you will safely install, operate, maintain and store it on your farm.

Talking about safety requirements and discussing responsibilities at the time of purchase will help suppliers and buyers meet their WHS obligations.

Know what you need

Talk to the supplier about where on your farm you will be using the auger.  Think about the safety features you will require to operate it safely.   Important features include:

• Guarding – is the auger screw, drive belts, pulleys, chains, sprockets and drive shafts fully guarded, including back guarding to prevent contact from behind?  Is there a correctly fitted intake guard and an accessible emergency stop switch?
• Emergency stop – is the emergency stop near the auger inlet?
• Specific features – to help transport or store the auger?  Does the design of the auger allow for it be lowered to reduce contact with overhead power lines?
• Has it been safeguarded as much as possible to meet Australian expectations in the Australian Standard AS 4024 regarding safety of machinery.
• Talk to your workers who will operate the auger, they can help you identify safe operator and accessibility controls.

Know your supplier’s WHS obligations

Under the NSW Work Health and Safety legislation duty holders involved in supply must make sure the auger or the work it is undertaking will not harm people.

The supplier must discuss with the buyer:

• What it will be used for.
• The auger’s capabilities regarding what it was designed and manufactured to do.
• The environment it will be used in.
• Potential hazards that may occur while storing, moving, transporting or in operation.  For example, prevention controls to stop injuries involving the rotating metal flighting, removal of guarding and things falling on the operator.

The supplier must also ensure that:

• Information received from the manufacturer on how to safely install, operate, maintain and dispose of the auger is provided to the buyer.
• Results from any calculations, analysis, testing or examination that will help to ensure safe operation of the auger.
• Details of when the auger should be inspected and maintained.

Know your WHS obligations

The person conducting a business (PCBU) or buyer that purchases the auger must ensure that:

• The environment it will be used is safe.  This includes ensuring that the operator and others in the vicinity are safe when the auger is being moved or is operating.
• They obtain critical safety information from the supplier on any conditions necessary to make sure that the auger is without risks to health and safety when used for the purpose it was designed or manufactured to do.
• They know when the next inspection or maintenance is to occur, including the requirements of competent people inspecting or maintaining the auger.

It is important that the supplier and the person buying the auger exchange critical safety information before the auger leaves the supplier.

Second-hand augers: WHS obligations

If you are buying a second-hand auger you must make sure you receive from the previous owner:

• Information on the auger’s capabilities regarding what it was designed and manufactured to do.
• When the auger was manufactured.
• Information received from the manufacturer on how to safely install, operate, maintain and dispose of the auger.
• Results from any calculations, analysis, testing or examination that will help to ensure safe operation of the auger.
• Details of when the auger should be inspected and maintained.
• Details of any modifications or recent repairs.

The previous owner must also identify faults with the auger and provide the buyer this information in writing.  If the faults have not been rectified, they must provide the buyer with a statement that the auger should not be used until the faults are fixed.

Where the auger is being sold for scrap or spare parts and is not intended to be used, the previous owner must tell the buyer in writing or by marking the auger:

• That it is being supplied for scrap or spare parts only; and
• That it cannot be used in its current form.

If the buyer then wanted to use the auger it would first need to be inspected by a competent person, and any faults identified would then need to be fixed before using the auger.

Workplace obligations

A typical scenario where an auger is used during harvest may involve:

• The PCBU ensuring that it is safe for operation, this includes making sure it is regularly inspected and maintained and will not cause harm to the people near it when being operated.
• The operator must be competent to safely operate the auger and to work with others in the vicinity of operation to ensure no harm is caused to people nearby.
• The farm manager and operator working together to assess the risks and eliminating or controlling them to ensure the safety of those nearby.  Think about the risks when locating a transportable auger and/or setting up near overhead power lines.  Or the risk of a transportable auger hitting someone when transporting or setting up.
• The farm manager is responsible for ensuring that the work undertaken on the farm and around the auger will not cause harm to people nearby.
• Other workers or people nearby must make sure they follow and cooperate with the farm safety instructions and make sure their actions are safe.

It's the responsibility of all people at the farm to work together to make sure it is safe and exchange critical safety information.

More information

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 Sections 20-26 for information on the duties of people who design, manufacture, import, supply, install, own and manage plant items.

Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 Part 3.1 for information on managing health and safety risks.

SafeWork NSW for information on registering items of plant and further information on Plant -Machinery and Equipment

SafeWork NSW media release - reminder of auger safety during harvest season.