Table 1 Duties in relation to water jetting Who Duties Provisions A person who conducts a business or undertaking Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, workers and other people are not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or undertaking. This duty requires the person to manage risks by eliminating health and safety risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and if this is not reasonably practicable, by minimising those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. There are more specific requirements to manage risks under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations including those associated with hazardous chemicals, airborne contaminants and plant, as well as other hazards associated with water jetting activities like noise and manual tasks. WHS Act s 19 WHS Regulations Designers, manufactures, importers, suppliers or installers of plant, substances or structures Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import or supply is without risks to health and safety. This duty includes carrying out testing and analysis as well as providing specific information about the plant, substance or structure. WHS Act ss 22-26 Officers such as company directors Exercise due diligence to ensure the business or undertaking complies with the WHS Act and Regulations. This includes taking reasonable steps to ensure the business or undertaking has and uses appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise risks from high pressure water jetting operations. WHS Act s 27 Workers Take reasonable care for their own health and safety and to not adversely affect other people’s health and safety. Workers must co-operate with reasonable policies or procedures relating to health and safety at the workplace and comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions. If personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided by the business or undertaking, the worker must so far as they are reasonably able, use or wear it in accordance with the information, instruction and training provided. WHS Act s 28 Other persons at the workplace, like visitors Take reasonable care for their own health and safety and must take reasonable care not to adversely affect other people’s health and safety. They must comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions given by the person conducting the business or undertaking to allow that person to comply with the WHS Act. WHS Act s 29
Personal protective equipment PPE is the lowest order control measure in the hierarchy of controls. PPE should also only be considered when other higher order control measures are not reasonably practicable or to increase protection from the hazard. Examples of PPE include using safety eyewear, hearing protection, safety helmets, cut-resistant leg protection or reflective, high-visibility clothing. Combining control measures In most cases a combination of the control measures will provide the best solution to minimise the risk to the lowest level reasonably practicable. You should check your chosen control measures do not introduce new hazards. 2.4 The control measures implemented to protect health and safety should be regularly reviewed to make sure they are effective including when there is a change at the workplace. If a control measure is not working effectively it must be revised to ensure it is effective to control the risk. For example, control measures should be reviewed: when an injury or illness occurs because of a hazard the risk assessment addressed, or failed to consider before making changes to the nature of the water jetting operations before introducing new plant or jetting techniques if new information becomes available to indicate a control measure may no longer be the most effective way to control the risk, and when there are changes to who carries out the work. Control measures should be reviewed in consultation with workers and their health and safety representatives. Workers are often able to quickly identify and propose solutions to problems when they occur. Control measures should be checked by using the same methods as the initial hazard identification and risk assessment. If a hazard is not eliminated or minimised by the chosen control measure, go back through the risk management steps, review the information and make further decisions about risk control. GENERAL SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS The following safety recommendations should be considered when managing the risks to workers from the hazards associated with high pressure water jetting operations. 3.1 Section 21(2): Persons conducting a business or undertaking who have management or control of plant at a workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant is without risks to the health and safety of any person. Section 22(2): Designers of plant must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant is designed to be without risks to the health and safety of persons. When buying water jetting plant and equipment you should check safety features have been incorporated into the design. The following information must be passed on from the designer to the manufacturer and the supplier and then to the end user:
0,50 2,2 7 2,7 11 3,1 14 3,4 18 3,8 21 4,1 25 4,2 27 4,3 29 4,6 32 4,8 36 5,1 39 5,3 43 5,5 47 5,7 50 5,9 54 0,55 2,6 9 3,2 13 3,7 17 4,1 22 4,5 26 4,9 30 5,1 32 5,2 35 5,6 39 5,9 43 6,2 48 6,4 52 6,7 56 6,9 61 7,2 65 0,60 3,1 10 3,8 15 4,4 21 4,9 26 5,4 31 5,8 36 6,0 39 6,2 41 6,6 46 7,0 52 7,3 57 7,6 62 8,0 67 8,3 72 8,5 77 0,65 3,7 12 4,5 18 5,2 24 5,8 30 6,3 36 6,9 42 7,1 45 7,3 48 7,8 54 8,2 60 8,6 67 9,0 73 9,3 79 9,7 85 10,0 91 Nozzle Ø mm Operating pressure - bar 200 300 400 500 600 700 750 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 Flow rate – L/min Recoil force in jetting direction /(N)* 0,70 4,2 14 5,2 21 6,0 28 6,7 35 7,4 42 7,9 49 8,2 53 8,5 56 9,0 63 9,5 70 10,0 77 10,4 84 10,8 91 11,2 98 11,6 105 0,75 4,9 16 6,0 24 6,9 32 7,7 40 8,4 48 9,1 56 9,4 60 9,8 64 10,3 72 10,9 81 11,4 89 11,9 97 12,4 105 12,9 113 13,4 121 0,80 5,5 18 6,8 27 7,8 37 8,8 46 9,6 55 10,4 64 10,7 69 11,1 73 11,8 82 12,4 92 13,0 101 13,6 110 14,1 119 14,7 128 15,2 137
0,85 6,3 21 7,7 31 8,9 41 9,9 52 10,9 62 11,7 72 12,1 78 12,5 83 13,3 93 14,0 103 14,7 114 15,3 124 16,0 134 16,6 145 17,2 155 0,90 7,0 23 8,6 35 9,9 46 11,1 58 12,2 70 13,1 81 13,6 87 14,0 93 14,9 104 15,7 116 16,5 128 17,2 139 17,9 151 18,6 162 19,2 174 0,95 7,8 26 9,6 39 11,1 52 12,4 65 13,6 78 14,6 90 15,2 97 15,7 103 16,6 116 17,5 129 18,4 142 19,2 155 20,0 168 20,7 181 21,4 194 1,00 8,7 29 10,6 43 12,3 57 13,7 72 15,0 86 16,2 100 16,8 107 17,3 115 18,4 129 19,4 143 20,3 157 21,2 172 22,1 186 22,9 200 23,7 215 1,05 9,6 32 11,7 47 13,5 63 15,1 79 16,6 95 17,9 110 18,5 118 19,1 126 20,3 142 21,4 158 22,4 174 23,4 189 24,4 205 25,3 221 26,2 237 1,10 10,5 35 12,9 52 14,8 69 16,6 87 18,2 104 19,6 121 20,3 130 21,0 139 22,3 156 23,5 173 24,6 191 25,7 208 26,7 225 27,8 242 28,7 260 1,15 11,5 38 14,0 57 16,2 76 18,1 95 19,9 114 21,5 133 22,2 142 22,9 151 24,3 170 25,6 189 26,9 208 28,1 227 29,2 246 30,3 265 31,4 284 1,20 12,5 41 15,3 62 17,7 82 19,7 103 21,6 124 23,4 144 24,2 155 25,0 165 26,5 184 27,9 206 29,3 227 30,6 247 31,8 268 33,0 289 34,2 309
1,20 35,3 330 36,4 350 37,5 371 38,5 392 39,5 421 40,5 433 41,4 453 42,3 474 43,3 495 44,1 515 45,0 536 45,9 557 46,7 577 47,5 598 48,4 618