About the registration

Before certain plant can be used in a workplace, the design of the plant must be registered with WorkSafe. The plant requiring registration of design is set out in Schedule 2 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017.

Types of plant that must be registered

The types of plant that must be design registered are:

• Pressure equipment, other than exceptions stated in clause 1.1 of Schedule 2
• Tower cranes, other than the foundations or supporting structure and the crane ties of the tower crane
• Self-erecting tower cranes
• Lifts/escalators/moving walks, other than exceptions stated in clause 1.4 of Schedule 2
• Building maintenance units
• Hoists, with a platform movement of more than 2.4 metres, designed to lift persons
• Work boxes, suspended from cranes
• Amusement structures, to which AS 3533.1 - Amusement rides and devices – Part 1: Design and construction applies, other than the exceptions stated in clause 1.8 of Schedule 2
• Prefabricated scaffolding, being an integrated system of prefabricated components manufactured in such a way that the possible geometry of assembled scaffolds is predetermined by the designer
• Boom-type elevating work platforms
• Gantry cranes, with a rated capacity greater than 5 tonnes or bridge cranes with a rated capacity greater than 10 tonnes, and a gantry crane or bridge crane that is designed to handle molten metal or dangerous goods
• Vehicle hoists
• Mast climbing work platforms
• Mobile cranes with a rated capacity greater than 10 tonnes, other than reach stackers
• Chairlifts
• Concrete-placing booms.

For certain prescribed equipment under the Equipment (Pubic Safety) Regulations 2017 there is a requirement to give notice of the design.

Schedule 1 of Equipment (Public Safety) Regulations 2017 lists the prescribed equipment covered by the design notice requirement. The list in Schedule 1 is the same as the list of plant requiring registration of design under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (See above list for the types of prescribed equipment requiring notice of design).

A prescribed equipment design must be notified to WorkSafe and the notice confirmed by WorkSafe prior to the prescribed equipment being used at an equipment site (ie a non-workplace). It is not necessary to give notice of a prescribed equipment design if the design has been registered under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

An equivalent registration, confirmation or approval of a plant design in another State or Territory is recognised in Victoria and there is no need to also register the plant design or give notice of the prescribed equipment design to WorkSafe.

Fees for a registration of plant design and notice of prescribed equipment design are based on fee units and subject to change each financial year on 1 July.

Registration or notification is valid for the lifetime of the plant / prescribed equipment unless design alterations are made.

Altered designs

If a plant design or prescribed equipment design is altered to the extent the plant/prescribed equipment is subject to new measures to control risk, the altered design must be registered/notified with WorkSafe using the Registration or notification of altered plant design form.

How to register a plant design or give notice of a prescribed equipment design

To apply to register a plant design or give notice of a prescribed equipment design, the Registration/Notification of Plant Design application form must be completed.

Plant

You are no longer required to register items of plant with WorkSafe or re-register plant every five years.

With advances in technology, WorkSafe is able to rely on other sources, including an extensive network of stakeholders and suppliers, for information about the location of plant in Victoria, and so registration of plant isn't as important as it once was.

Please note: Under the OHS Act, employers must still provide or maintain plant or systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health.

An employer must ensure that any record of inspections and maintenance carried out on plant, specified in 3.5.31 of the OHS Regulations, retained for the period that the employer had management or control of that plant.