Victoria expands incident notification rules for machinery
28 June 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
From 1 July 2024, Victorian employers and people responsible for prescribed equipment used outside workplaces must notify WorkSafe of certain incidents involving a wider range of machinery.
The expanded requirements cover commonly used high-risk machinery, including tractors, quad bikes, forklifts, excavators, and mining and quarrying equipment.
The changes bring incident notification requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations and the Equipment (Public Safety) Regulations into line, clarifying when incidents must be reported.
Notification is required when the collapse, overturning, failure, malfunction or damage of prescribed machinery or equipment exposes someone to an immediate or imminent serious risk to their health and safety.
WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said machinery such as forklifts and excavators was a routine part of daily work for many Victorians.
"Updating these regulations will mean there is more transparency and accountability around reporting incidents, which is crucial for identifying patterns and preventing workers from being at serious risk of harm," Mr Jenkin said.
Machinery and equipment were involved in more than 8,300 injury claims accepted by WorkSafe last year, accounting for almost a third of all accepted claims.
Failing to notify WorkSafe immediately after becoming aware of a notifiable incident is an offence that may lead to prosecution. Duty holders can report incidents through WorkSafe's 24/7 emergency line on 13 23 60.
How Blue Safe can help: Our WHS platform can help your business manage incident reporting and maintain incident records. We provide tools to support your ongoing WHS management. See Blue Safe WHS software