Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

11.6 
Operation and working 
environment
To operate work equipment safely it must be fi tted with 
easily reached and operated controls; kept stable; prop-
erly lit; kept clear; and provided with adequate markings 
and warning signs. These are covered by PUWER 98, 
which applies to all types of work equipment.
Figure 11.6
Typical compressor and air receiver.
Equipment controls should:
➤
be easily reached from the operating 
positions
➤
not permit accidental starting of 
equipment
➤
move in the same direction as the motion 
being controlled
➤
vary in mode, shape and direction of 
movement to prevent inadvertent oper-
ation of the wrong control
➤
incorporate adequate red emergency 
stop buttons
➤
incorporate adequate red emergency 
stop buttons, of the mushroom headed 
type with lock-off
➤
have shrouded or sunk green start but-
tons to prevent accidental starting of the 
equipment
➤
be clearly marked to show what they do.
Equipment should be operated in clear unobstructed 
work areas, particularly if they are high-risk machines. 
Debris and rubbish given off from the equipment should 
be removed quickly. Sometimes there will be need for 
special systems to remove waste to prevent accumula-
tions of dust and/or substances hazardous to health, for 
example, wood dust from wood working machinery.
Equipment should be provided with effi cient means 
of isolating it from all sources of energy. In many cases 
this source is the mains electrical energy but it must cover 

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Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
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all sources such as steam, compressed air, hydraulic, 
batteries, heat, etc. In some cases special consider ation 
is necessary where, for example, hydraulic power is 
switched off, not to let heavy pieces of equipment like 
the ram, fall under gravity.
Emergency stop must be provided where the other 
safeguards in place are not adequate to prevent danger. 
Where appropriate, there should be an emergency stop 
at each control point and at other locations around the 
equipment so that action can be taken quickly. They 
should bring the equipment to a halt rapidly but this 
should be controlled where necessary so as not to create 
any additional hazards.
Emergency stop buttons should be easily reached 
and operated. Common types are mushroom-headed 
buttons, bars, levers, kick-plates, or pressure sensitive 
cables. They are normally red and should need to be reset 
after use. With stop buttons this is either by twisting or a 
security key. See Figure 11.7.
Stability is important and is normally achieved by 
bolting equipment in place or if this is not possible by 
using clamps. Some equipment can be tied down, 
counterbalanced or weighted, so that it remains stable 
under all operating conditions. If portable equipment is 
weighted or counterbalanced it should be reappraised 
when the equipment is moved to another position. If 
outriggers are needed for stability in certain conditions, 
for example, to stabilize mobile access towers, they 
should be employed whenever conditions warrant the 
additional support. In severe weather conditions it may 
be necessary to stop using the equipment or reappraise 
the situation to ensure stability is maintained.
The quality of general and local lighting will need 
to be considered to ensure the safe operation of the 
equipment. The level of lighting and its position relative 
to the working area are often critical to the safe use 
of work equipment. Poor levels of lighting, glare and 
shadows can be dangerous when operating equipment. 
Some types of lighting, for example, sodium lights, can 
change the colour of equipment, which may increase the 
level of risk. This is particularly important if the colour 
coding of pipe work or cables is essential for safety.
Markings on equipment must be clearly visible and 
durable. They should follow international conventions 
for some hazards like radiation and lasers and, as far 
as possible, conform to the Health and Safety (Safety 
Signs and Signals) Regulations (see Chapter 17 for a 
summary). The contents, or the hazards of the contents, 
as well as controls, will need to be marked on some 
equipment. Warnings or warning devices are required in 
some cases to alert operators or people nearby to any 
dangers, for example, ‘wear hardhats’; a fl ashing light on 
an airport vehicle; or a reversing horn on a truck.