High Risk Plant Importation & Design Requirements
- joenorris1
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 11
As Australia shifts its economy from one of primary manufacturing, to a service and design-based industry, many manufacturers are moving to importing at least a percentage of their product from overseas locations.
The economics of importing can be very attractive, especially in the face of high local labour costs and a strong Australian dollar.
However, just because a piece of plant has been built overseas, doesn't change the rules of plant design and registration, these still apply when the plant is to be used in Australia.
High Risk Plant Importation & Design Requirements are vital ensure that a piece of equipment doesn't become a potential legal or commercialliabiltiy once commissioned in Australia.
It is also important to understand that if an imported plant is subsequently modified in Australia, the person with management or control of the plant may end up taking on the duties of a designer and manufacturer.
The governing legislation applying to plant registration is the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the latest regulation is the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2019.
A person conducting a business or undertaking importing plant has a duty to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that the plant is designed in a manner to ensure the continued health and safety of people who deal with the plant, throughout its assembly, operation, maintenance and decommissioning.
Plant Design Registration
Part 1 of Schedule 5 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 requires certain plant designs to be registered.
You will need to ensure that plant design registration information is available when it is supplied if you are designing, manufacturing, supplying or using:
pressure equipment, other than pressure piping, and categorised as hazard level A, B, C or D according to the criteria in Section 2.1 of AS 4343 Pressure equipment—hazard levels
gas cylinders covered by Part 1.1 of AS 2030.1 Gas cylinders—General Requirements
tower cranes including self-erecting tower cranes
lifts, including escalators and moving walkways
building maintenance units
hoists with a platform movement exceeding 2.4 metres, designed to lift people
work boxes designed to be suspended from cranes
amusement devices covered by Section 2.1 of AS 3533—Amusement Rides and Devices
concrete placing booms
prefabricated scaffolding
boom-type elevating work platforms
gantry cranes with a safe working load greater than 5 tonnes or bridge cranes with a safe working load of greater than 10 tonnes, and any gantry crane or bridge crane which is designed to handle molten metal or Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals
vehicle hoists
mast climbing work platforms
mobile cranes with a rated capacity of greater than 10 tonnes
Who must register plant?
A person with management or control of certain types of plant must apply to register it with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
A person must not use registerable plant, and a person conducting a business or undertaking must not direct or allow a worker to use registrable plant at a workplace unless the plant has been registered.
What kinds of plant must be registered?
Plant considered high-risk must be registered. This includes such fixed plant as pressure vessels complying to hazard level A, B or C according to the criteria in section 2.1 of AS 4343:2005 (pressure equipment—hazard levels). Not included is domestic gas cylinders, cylinders for LPG vehicle use, serially produced pressure vessels and that equipment excluded from the scope of AS1200:2000.
What should I do if I’m importing plant from overseas?
Plant listed in part 1 of schedule 5 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 must be verified to the appropriate technical standards or engineering principles. This still must be done even if the plant is already able to be used in other countries.
Technical standards include standards published by recognised national or international standards development organisations, for example:
The International Standardisation Organization - ISO
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers - ASME
Europaische Norm (European standard) - EN
German Institute for Standardisation - DIN
Australian Standards - AS
If your plant design has come from overseas and you are based in Queensland, you will need to have a competent person verify it for you.
A competent person for design verification, under section 252 of the Regulation, means a person who has the skills, qualifications, competence and experience to design the plant or verify the design.
An example of who classifies as a competent person is a professional engineer. In Queensland, a registered professional engineer (RPEQ) can verify your design and help you register your design.
Does Blacksquare Engineering have Professional Engineers?
Yes! Black Square Engineering are RPEQ professional engineers skilled in the process of high risk plant design registration. We are always keen to look at your specific requirements. Call our friendly team today.
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