Product Overview

This Control Room Safety SWMS is a site-ready Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards and implement controls for all aspects of control room and machine room operations, helping your team achieve strong WHS compliance. It is a comprehensive document that covers multiple facets of Control Room Safety, from day-to-day navigation and monitoring through to equipment setup and emergency response.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Operation of control rooms for monitoring plant, machinery, and critical systems
• Navigation and use of control panels, screens, and interfaces to minimise operator error
• Setup, commissioning, and adjustment of controllers in machine rooms
• Safe access and egress to control rooms and machine rooms, including signage and security
• Management of electrical risks associated with control cabinets, PLCs, and instrumentation
• Ergonomic setup of workstations, chairs, and screens to reduce fatigue and musculoskeletal strain
• Noise, lighting, and environmental control within control rooms for safe decision-making
• Emergency shutdown procedures and escalation protocols from the control room
• Communication procedures between control room operators, field technicians, and supervisors
• Housekeeping, cable management, and slip, trip, and fall prevention in control and machine rooms
• Management of lone or isolated work for operators on night shift or low-staff periods
• Incident reporting, fault logging, and lock out–tag out (LOTO) coordination from the control room

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for control room operators, plant and facility managers, manufacturing and processing supervisors, electrical and instrumentation technicians, and any PCBU responsible for control or machine room operations on Australian worksites.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Model Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks – Guidance on identifying hazards, assessing risks, and implementing controls in control room environments
• Model Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities – Requirements for lighting, ventilation, amenities, and workspace layout in control and machine rooms
• Model Code of Practice: Managing Electrical Risks in the Workplace – Control measures for electrical equipment, control panels, and associated plant
• Model Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work – Controls for noise exposure from plant and machinery near control and machine rooms
• AS/NZS 3000:2018 Electrical Installations (Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules) – Reference for safe electrical installation and maintenance around control equipment
• AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management – Guidelines – Framework for systematic risk management in control room operations
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017