Solutions  /  Managing Risks of Plant Code
SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA MODEL CODE OF PRACTICE ยท ALL INDUSTRIES

The national plant code does not mention AI cameras. Here is where they still help.

Safe Work Australia's code covers forklifts, cranes, conveyors and mobile plant in every industry. It asks PCBUs to keep people and plant apart and check that controls work. Invigilo watches those controls on your existing cameras.

The Code

What the code asks of a workplace with plant

Approved under section 274 of the WHS Act; courts may use it to judge what is reasonably practicable. The Commonwealth, states and territories each enforce WHS law.

01
Who it applies to
PCBUs at workplaces under the WHS Act where plant is used or stored (Scope).
02
Primary duty
Eliminate risks from plant, or minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable (1.2).
03
Hierarchy of control
Eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineer; admin and PPE last (2.3).
04
Powered mobile plant
Must not collide with pedestrians or other plant; warning device fitted (3.8, 4.4).
Where AI Cameras Fit

The code's controls, mapped to what the cameras do

The code does not mention cameras or AI; its warning devices sit on the plant (4.4). Site cameras help check the controls it does name.

Separating people from plant (2.3)

The code: Isolate the hazard, e.g. barriers between plant and workers.

On your cameras: Alert when a person enters an exclusion zone.

Collisions with pedestrians (3.8)

The code: Mobile plant must not collide with people or other plant.

On your cameras: Forklift and vehicle proximity to pedestrian alerts.

Traffic rules and no-go areas (1.4)

The code: Procedures for rights of way and no-go areas.

On your cameras: Red zone entries and overspeed, logged with the clip.

Suspended loads (2.1)

The code: No load suspended or travelling over a person.

On your cameras: Person-under-load alert.

Unsafe work practices (1.4, 3.5)

The code: Find unsafe practice and correct it quickly.

On your cameras: Each detection becomes a finding, assigned and closed.

Reviewing controls (2.4)

The code: Revise controls that are not working.

On your cameras: Breach trends by zone and shift for each review.

What It Does Not Replace

An added layer on top of guards and warning devices

Guards, barriers and the alarms on your plant all stay. Presence-sensing guards stop the machine (4.1); Invigilo alerts people and does not stop plant.

01
Runs on site cameras
Existing IP cameras over RTSP or ONVIF.
02
Detection on site
Runs at the edge, with no internet needed.
03
Alerts in under a second
WhatsApp, Teams, Telegram or email, with the clip.
04
No facial recognition
Reads site conditions, never identities.
Plant Code Questions

The questions site teams ask

Does the plant code require AI cameras?

No. It does not mention cameras or AI. The duty is to eliminate or minimise plant risk so far as is reasonably practicable, using the hierarchy of control (2.3).

Is this model code law in my state?

Safe Work Australia is a policy body, not a regulator. The Commonwealth, states and territories regulate WHS, so check which version your regulator applies.

Which warning devices does the code name?

Audible alarms, motion sensors, lights, flashing lights, percussion alarms, radio sensing devices and air horns (4.4).

Can our existing site cameras run AI detection around plant?

Usually yes, if they stream over RTSP or ONVIF. There is no facial recognition.

See it on footage from your own site

Send recorded footage of your plant areas and we show you what it would have flagged, free.

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