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SOP Tools

Standard operating procedures for tools and equipment are not only about following safety protocols. The safe operating procedures should be designed to minimise or eliminate hazards, such as injury or death to the user.

 

  • Using hand and power tools in any work setting is dangerous, so it's essential for everyone who does use them to follow safe practices. This way, your risk of injury is reduced, and you can continue working without interruption

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Standard Operating Procedure for Tools

As a person conducting a business or undertaking, you need to make sure that your employees are safe at work and that the tools you provide them with should all be properly maintained.

 

  • PCBU responsibilities imposed by health and safety legislation require a person conducting a business or undertaking, such as a contractor carrying out high-risk work, to prepare standard operating procedures that identify hazards and control risks with the operation of tools and equipment

  • With well documented standard operating procedures the performance of tasks at your business becomes much easier because all employees are running according to the same plan. This, in turn, leads to better consistency and productivity

 

It is important to keep safety and health in mind when working with tools and equipment. The WHS team has created safe operating procedures to help you do that.

 

  • This gives workers the necessary insight into the risks involved in using tools and staying safe when undertaking a task

Workplace Health and Safety

Our team of workplace safety experts have put these standard operating procedures together. They're designed to help create a safe, healthy workplace.

 

  • They are safe for your employees

  • They comply with legislative requirements, WHS legislation and the risk management code of practice

  • Plus, they are available to implement today if you want to take the jump

 

These SOPs can be helpful for contractors and workers to follow when looking to mitigate the risks associated with the operation of tools.

SOP Elements

Standard operating procedures for equipment will help you identify and implement safety procedures to protect employees from the hazards of hand and portable power tools and document compliance with regulatory requirements.

 

Elements of SOP include:

 

  • Work health and safety consultation with workers for input on hazards, risks and solutions

  • Pre-start inspection of tools used in a work task to ensure tool and equipment safety

  • Methods by which to identify faulty, defective or non-compliant plant and equipment

  • The requirement to not alter or modify plant and equipment

  • Incompatible components or parts fitted to or used in connection with a tool

  • The method by which to safely operate the tool to eliminate the risk of injury or death

  • Environmental hazards in the workplace having the potential to be a hazard

  • Work at height hazards and control measures when operating a tool to undertake a work task

  • Hazardous chemicals and products that a person is likely to be exposed to when operating a tool to perform a task

  • Hazardous manual tasks requiring the safe handling of tools and equipment

  • Residual hazards resulting from the operation of tools requiring PPE as a control measure

  • Training provided to workers to explain safety measures in the use of tools and equipment

  • Good housekeeping practices in the workplace assists with slips, trips and falls prevention

  • Specific control measures ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation such as hand and power tool safety regulations

  • Monitor and review control measures to ensure the health and safety of workers

Standard Operating Procedures Template

Unlike other standard operating procedures for tools, our SOPs are not blank templates that you fill in with your content. 

 

  • SOPs Standard operating procedures identify the hazards and includes risk based preventive controls to manage risks

 

SOP tools focuses on hazard identification, risk assessment and control procedures per best practice guidelines for how to write an SOP and includes:

 

  • Risk assessment matrix to determine risk level

  • Hierarchy of controls for the control of hazards

  • SOP steps for the high risk activity

  • PPE requirements per SOP risk assessment

  • Compliant SOP standard operating procedure

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Workplace Health and Safety make SOP compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements simple.

 

  • We embed your logo, trading and business details (ABN) in the standard operating procedure SOP

  • We email you the fully-ready-to-use SOP standard operating procedure, so you can start using it immediately

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SOPs standard operating procedures make for an excellent tool box talk topic when conducting a hand and power tool safety toolbox talk.

How to Use SOP

All you have to do when filling out a standard operating procedure is:

 

  • Complete principal contractor or PCBU details 

  • Specify workplace address to which SOP relates

  • Nominate person responsible for SOP monitor and review

  • Complete WHS/OHS forms used in the workplace

SOP Reporting

A PCBU must retain health and safety records relating to standard operating procedures for equipment.

 

  • Risk assessment form to record identified hazards, potential risks and specific control measures

  • Change control management form to communicate controls to be implemented for identified hazards

  • SOP sign off sheet is a sign-off process that facilitates the communication of controls to workers

SOPs for Tools

Standards operating procedures for tools are an excellent resource for businesses.

 

  • SOPs for tools contain information about best practices and simplify the process of conducting business-related safety tasks

  • They help you reduce the risk to your employees and cut down on time wasted finding manuals or following complicated instructions to do so

  • A procedure provides consistency and reliability in your business, and one way you can do this is with a standard operating procedure

What are Standard Operating Procedures?

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) help PCBUs demonstrate the steps to manage safety risks and hazards during various work processes or activities.

 

  • Safe operating procedures for tools will instruct users on the safe use of equipment before and during operation

  • Standard operating procedures for tools help workers identify and manage hazards and risks related to equipment

  • Every employee should fill out a SOP safety training record to help ensure that all safety standards are followed

Purpose of SOPs

The purpose of a SOP (standard operating procedure) is to communicate with duty holders to provide the necessary information that would allow people to organise their work safely. It can include safety instructions for tools when undertaking high-risk work activities, which are typically geared toward supervisors and workers.

 

  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tools and equipment integrate hazard identification, risk assessment, and control methods per SOP best practices

  • A standard operating procedure SOP should be concise and to the point. Ideally, it should include all of the necessary information without repeating itself or including irrelevant details

SOP Compliance

Safety is of utmost importance, and all employees have a duty to ensure the safety of themselves and others. In order to do so, you must have a sound understanding of health, safety, and risk management procedures – as well as how they apply to the workplace and high risk work activities.

 

  • Protecting worker safety should be a priority for all PCBUs

  • High-risk work activities put workers in danger, so you need to implement control measures to reduce the risks they face

  • Risk management begins with the hierarchy of control, which are control measures for managing risk

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