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Industrial Press Operations Hydraulic and Mechanical Risk Assessment

Industrial Press Operations Hydraulic and Mechanical Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
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Industrial Press Operations Hydraulic and Mechanical Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Industrial Press Operations (Hydraulic and Mechanical) at a management and systems level, using a structured, defensible WHS Risk Management approach. This Risk Assessment supports compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations, helping demonstrate Due Diligence and reduce operational and legal exposure for your business.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • Governance, WHS Leadership and Legal Compliance: Assessment of board, executive and line management responsibilities, WHS policy frameworks, consultation arrangements and evidence of due diligence for press operations.
  • Plant Design, Guarding and Safety Systems: Management of press design suitability, fixed and interlocked guarding, two-hand controls, light curtains, emergency stop systems and safety integrity levels across hydraulic and mechanical presses.
  • Press Procurement, Commissioning and Decommissioning: Controls for supplier selection, conformity assessment, pre-acceptance checks, commissioning sign-off, change management and safe decommissioning or disposal of presses.
  • Press Selection, Capacity and Tooling Management: Systems for ensuring presses, dies and tooling are correctly rated, compatible and documented, including load limits, stroke settings, changeover controls and verification of safe operating envelopes.
  • Control of Energy Sources and Isolation Systems: Management of hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, electrical and stored energy, including lockout/tagout procedures, isolation points, residual energy dissipation and verification before access.
  • Maintenance, Inspection and Reliability Management: Planned maintenance programs, inspection schedules, defect reporting, reliability monitoring and verification that safety-critical components and controls remain effective over time.
  • Competency, Licensing and Training Systems: Assessment of competency frameworks, licensing requirements, induction, refresher training and verification of skills for press operators, setters, maintainers and supervisors.
  • Safe Systems of Work, Procedures and Permit Controls: Development and governance of documented procedures, job plans, permit-to-work systems and change-over protocols for set-up, fault-finding, jam clearing and abnormal conditions.
  • Layout, Access, Housekeeping and Traffic Management: Management of plant layout, exclusion zones, access ways, storage areas, housekeeping standards and interaction between presses, forklifts, pedestrians and materials handling equipment.
  • Human Factors, Fatigue and Workload Management: Consideration of shift patterns, fatigue risks, cognitive load, repetition, supervision levels and ergonomic design to minimise human error and unsafe behaviours around presses.
  • Emergency Preparedness, Incident Management and First Aid: Planning for entrapment, crush injuries, hydraulic failures, fire, loss of containment and other emergencies, including response procedures, drills, first aid and post-incident review processes.
  • Safety Culture, Behaviour and Consultation: Systems to promote reporting, hazard identification, behavioural expectations, toolbox talks and meaningful consultation with workers involved in press operations.
  • Contractor and Visitor Management for Press Areas: Protocols for contractor selection, induction, supervision and permitting, as well as controlling visitor access to press areas and ensuring alignment with site rules.
  • Environmental Conditions, Substances and Utilities: Management of lighting, noise, temperature, airborne contaminants, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, compressed air and other utilities that may affect press safety and reliability.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Operations Managers, Engineering Managers and Safety Professionals responsible for planning, approving and overseeing hydraulic and mechanical industrial press operations across their organisation.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. Governance, WHS Leadership and Legal Compliance
  • • Lack of documented WHS policy specific to press operations leading to inconsistent safety expectations
  • • Failure to identify and comply with WHS Act 2011, WHS Regulations and relevant Australian Standards for industrial presses
  • • Inadequate allocation of resources (time, budget, competent personnel) for managing press safety systems
  • • No formal WHS objectives, KPIs or performance indicators for press safety performance
  • • Poor safety leadership and visible commitment from management resulting in risk‑tolerant culture
  • • Failure to consult with workers and Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) on changes to press plant, layouts or procedures
  • • Inadequate officer due diligence in monitoring and verifying safety management systems for hydraulic and mechanical presses
2. Plant Design, Guarding and Safety Systems
  • • Presses provided without adequate fixed and interlocked guards over danger zones and pinch points
  • • Over‑reliance on operator skill instead of engineered guarding to prevent access to tooling during stroke
  • • Inadequate design of two‑hand controls, light curtains or presence sensing devices (e.g. not fail‑safe, poor positioning, easily bypassed)
  • • Lack of safety category / Performance Level (PL) design verification for safety‑related parts of control systems
  • • Inadequate guarding for associated equipment such as air supply lines, hydraulic cylinders, flywheels, belts, and rotating arbour shafts
  • • Poorly designed access for tooling changes and maintenance, leading to guard removal or bypassing
  • • Non‑standard or home‑made presses (e.g. modified hydraulic benches, nut crackers) without engineering verification
  • • Absence of anti‑repeat / single stroke mechanisms on power presses, allowing unintended continuous cycling
3. Press Procurement, Commissioning and Decommissioning
  • • Acquisition of presses that do not comply with Australian WHS requirements or are not fit for intended use
  • • Lack of pre‑purchase risk assessment for new or second‑hand presses and associated tooling
  • • Insufficient commissioning checks leading to presses being put into service with critical safety functions not validated
  • • Use of imported or refurbished presses with undocumented modifications or unknown mechanical condition
  • • Poorly planned decommissioning, relocation or disposal resulting in uncontrolled stored energy release or instability
  • • Failure to ensure suppliers provide manuals, specifications, conformity/verification documentation and training materials
4. Press Selection, Capacity and Tooling Management
  • • Incorrect matching of press capacity and stroke to task (e.g. exceeding tonnage limits for press‑fitting bearings or bushings)
  • • Use of unsuitable or damaged tooling, dies, punches or arbour press fixtures that can fracture or eject
  • • Lack of standardisation and traceability for tooling sets across gasket cutting, power mechanical and hydraulic presses
  • • Improvised jigs and fixtures on hydraulic cylinder bench nut crackers and manual punch presses without engineering verification
  • • Insufficient system for inspection, registration and preventive maintenance of tooling and fixtures
  • • Tooling changes performed without consideration of altered guarding requirements or changed load paths
5. Control of Energy Sources and Isolation Systems
  • • Uncontrolled movement or press cycling during maintenance, cleaning, setup or fault clearing due to inadequate isolation systems
  • • Stored energy in hydraulic accumulators, press cylinders, counterbalances, springs or flywheels not identified or released before intervention
  • • Inadequate lockout‑tagout (LOTO) procedures for electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and mechanical energy
  • • Multiple power sources (e.g. air press with separate electrical and pneumatic feeds) not all isolated when required
  • • Reliance on emergency stops as an isolation method rather than positive energy isolation
  • • Unclear responsibilities for isolation when contractors or multiple trades work on presses
6. Maintenance, Inspection and Reliability Management
  • • Lack of structured preventive maintenance program resulting in failure of critical safety devices (interlocks, light curtains, emergency stops, valves)
  • • Hydraulic leaks, hose failures or pressure spikes due to poor maintenance increasing risk of component rupture or uncontrolled press movement
  • • Mechanical wear of clutches, brakes, linkages and flywheels on power mechanical presses leading to over‑run or failure to stop
  • • Out‑of‑calibration pressure gauges and tonnage monitors on hydraulic presses leading to overloads
  • • Failure to detect cracks or fatigue in frames, bolster plates, rams, arbour press columns and press‑fitting fixtures
  • • Inadequate records of inspections, repairs and part replacements, reducing ability to manage lifecycle and reliability
  • • Reactive repair culture leading to operation with known defects or temporary bypasses of safety systems
7. Competency, Licensing and Training Systems
  • • Operators and setters of hydraulic and mechanical presses lacking formal competency assessment
  • • Supervisors unaware of their responsibilities for monitoring safe press operation and enforcing procedures
  • • Inadequate training in specific hazards associated with different presses (e.g. air press, kick press, fly press, gasket cutting press, hydraulic cylinder nut cracker, manual punch press)
  • • Insufficient understanding of safe guarding principles, interlock functions and emergency stop limitations
  • • No refresher training or competency reassessment following incidents, equipment upgrades or procedural changes
  • • Reliance on informal buddy training and undocumented on‑the‑job learning
8. Safe Systems of Work, Procedures and Permit Controls
  • • Absence of documented safe operating procedures (SOPs) and safe systems of work specific to each press type
  • • Overly generic procedures that do not distinguish between the hazards of hydraulic presses, mechanical power presses, arbor presses, fly presses, kick presses and manual punch presses
  • • Uncontrolled non‑routine activities such as clearing jams, setting dies, gasket cutting, trial tooling and first‑off runs
  • • Lack of permit systems for high‑risk tasks (e.g. work inside press envelope, troubleshooting with guards defeated for testing)
  • • Inadequate management of change when modifying procedures, production methods or introducing new materials
  • • Procedures not accessible or not followed on shift, particularly during overtime, night shift or high production demand
9. Layout, Access, Housekeeping and Traffic Management
  • • Poor workshop layout leading to congestion around presses, increasing risk of struck‑by or caught‑between incidents
  • • Inadequate clearance around large hydraulic presses and bench presses, restricting safe access for maintenance and tooling changes
  • • Uncontrolled interaction between forklifts, pallet jacks and personnel at loading/unloading areas near presses
  • • Trip hazards from hoses, offcuts, scrap, and tooling stored on floors around press workstations
  • • Insufficient lighting around press operations preventing clear visibility of controls, indicators and workpieces
  • • Inadequate storage systems for tooling, gaskets, bearings and bushings leading to manual handling issues and disorganised work areas
10. Human Factors, Fatigue and Workload Management
  • • High production pressure leading to bypassing of guards or shortcuts in changeover and fault‑clearing processes
  • • Fatigue from repetitive press operations, extended shifts or overtime increasing error likelihood
  • • Monotony and repetitive tasks at manual punch presses, arbour presses and small power presses leading to lapses in attention
  • • Inadequate staffing or supervision on night shifts for press operations
  • • Poorly designed controls, displays and labelling leading to operator confusion, incorrect mode selection or inadvertent activation
  • • Inadequate consideration of ergonomic factors (reach distances, force requirements, posture) in press station design
11. Emergency Preparedness, Incident Management and First Aid
  • • Inadequate emergency response planning for crush injuries, amputations or hydraulic fluid injection injuries associated with presses
  • • Lack of accessible and functional emergency stop devices or misunderstanding of their capabilities and limitations
  • • Delayed medical response due to poor communication systems or unclear emergency procedures in press areas
  • • Insufficient first aid resources and trained first aiders for high‑risk press operations
  • • Failure to investigate near misses, minor injuries or equipment damage events involving presses, leading to missed learning opportunities
  • • No systematic process to review and improve press safety systems after serious incidents
12. Safety Culture, Behaviour and Consultation
  • • Normalisation of risk where workers and supervisors accept unsafe behaviours around presses as standard practice
  • • Reluctance to report near misses, equipment faults or bypassed guards due to fear of blame or production loss
  • • Lack of meaningful worker participation in press safety decisions, leading to impractical procedures and low buy‑in
  • • Inconsistent enforcement of safety rules for press operations by different supervisors
  • • Poor communication of changes to plant, tooling or procedures that affect press safety
13. Contractor and Visitor Management for Press Areas
  • • Contract maintenance personnel working on presses without adequate understanding of site‑specific hazards and isolation requirements
  • • External technicians modifying press control systems or guards without following site management of change processes
  • • Visitors, suppliers or auditors entering press areas without awareness of exclusion zones and emergency procedures
  • • Inconsistent supervision of contractors performing high‑risk tasks on hydraulic power units, electrical systems or structural components of presses
14. Environmental Conditions, Substances and Utilities
  • • Hydraulic oil leaks from presses creating slip hazards and potential for skin exposure or injection injuries
  • • Accumulation of airborne contaminants (oil mist, fumes from gasket cutting or heated press operations) affecting respiratory health
  • • Inadequate ventilation, temperature control or humidity management affecting both worker comfort and press performance
  • • Unstable or inadequate power supply quality leading to unexpected press behaviour or control system faults
  • • Compressed air quality or pressure issues affecting reliable operation of air presses and air‑operated safety devices

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

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Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • Model Code of Practice – Managing risks of plant in the workplace: Guidance on identifying, assessing and controlling risks associated with plant, including presses.
  • Model Code of Practice – How to manage work health and safety risks: Framework for systematic hazard identification, risk assessment and control implementation.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines for establishing a structured risk management framework for press operations.
  • AS 4024 series – Safety of machinery: Australian standards for machinery safety, including guarding, interlocking devices and control systems for presses.
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements for integrating press risks into organisational WHS management systems.
  • Relevant Electrical and Pressure Equipment Standards (as applicable): Requirements for electrical safety, hydraulic and pneumatic systems associated with industrial presses.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

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