Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00417:body:0:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00417
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 2562–5428

duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of practice exist.
Codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and Regulations.
Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk or control and may rely on the code in determining what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances to which the code relates.
Compliance with the WHS Act and Regulations may be achieved by following another method, such as a technical or an industry standard, if it provides an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety than the code.
An inspector may refer to an approved code of practice when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice.

This Code of Practice has been developed by Safe Work Australia as a model code of practice under the Council of Australian Governments' Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory
and Operational Reform in Occupational Health and Safety for adoption by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.

Scope and application

This Code provides practical guidance for persons conducting a business or undertaking on how
to manage health and safety risks associated with abrasive blasting. This Code applies to all workplaces covered by the WHS Act where abrasive blasting processes are carried out and
where abrasive blasting products and equipment are used and stored.

How to use this code of practice
In providing guidance, the word 'should' is used in this Code to indicate a recommended course
of action, while 'may' is used to indicate an optional course of action.
This Code also includes various references to provisions of the WHS Act and Regulations which set out the legal requirements. These references are not exhaustive. The words 'must', 'requires' or 'mandatory' indicate that a legal requirement exists and must be complied with.

1.  INTRODUCTION

    1.1 What is abrasive blasting?

Abrasive blasting means propelling a stream of abrasive material at high speed against a surface using compressed air, liquid, steam, centrifugal wheels or paddles to clean, abrade, etch or otherwise change the original appearance or condition of the surface.
It is used in a wide range of industries for many different purposes, including cleaning surfaces such as steel, bricks, cement and concrete. The most common method uses compressed air
to propel abrasive material from a blast pot, through a blasting hose to a nozzle that is manually `controlled by the operator. Automated abrasive blasting machines such as centrifugal wheel systems and tumblers are also used. Blasting is generally performed in enclosed environments
like blasting chambers or cabinets, or on open sites, for example on buildings, bridges, tanks, boats or mobile plant.
Common hazards include dusts, hazardous chemicals