Dangerous work equipment

In occupational safety, different procedures apply to hazardous or non-hazardous use and operation of work equipment and technology. In order for the employer to know what obligations they must fulfill, it is necessary to determine which category the given work equipment belongs to.

What can be considered a work tool?

All machinery, equipment, tools, or devices used in or in connection with the work, except for personal protective equipment.

Act XCIII of 1993 on occupational safety defines the concept of danger as follows. Hazardous means any facility, work equipment, material/preparation, work process, or technology (including activities involving exposure to physical, biological, or chemical factors) that may have a harmful effect on the health, physical integrity, or safety of employees in the absence of adequate protection.

Dangerous work equipment

Dangerous work equipment, Annexes 1/a and 1/b to Decree 5/1993 (XII. 26.) MüM, and Section 87(11) of Act XCIII of 1993.

Work equipment subject to official supervision is also classified as dangerous work equipment.

• For woodworking, meat processing, or processing materials with physical properties similar to meat circular saws;
• Woodworking planer manual feed;
• Woodworking thickness planer for single-sided machining;
• Band saws manual insertion and/or removal, woodworking and the processing of materials with physical characteristics similar to wood, or meat processing and the processing of materials with physical characteristics similar to meat;
• Combined machines for working wood and materials with similar physical characteristics;
• Woodworking tap machine with multiple tool holders, manual feed;
• Vertical engraving machine manual feed for woodworking and machining materials with physical properties similar to wood.
• Woodworking hand-held chain saw.
• For cold forming of metals press, including that bending machine also;
• Plastic processing injection molding machine or forming press;
• Rubber injection molding machine or forming press;
• Underground for work machines;
• Manual dispensing household refuse collection truck, equipped with a pressing mechanism;
• Vehicle liftk;
• Lifting persons or persons and loadse serving structures;
• Portable cartridge fastening and other connecting machine;
• Cranes and trolleys mechanically driven;
• Power-driven forklift trucks;
• Electric lifting drums;
• Loading machines, loading and unloading machines;
• Agriculture and forestry tractors;
• Vehicle evacuation and movement special equipment;
• Used for passenger transport continuous conveying equipment;
• On-site assembly, machine-driven cranes;
• Vehicle evacuation and movement special equipment assembled on site;
• Personnel recruitment temporarily usable lifting equipment.

Dangerous work equipmentplacement

Occupational safety commissioning the occupational safety procedure whereby the operator verifies that the facility, workplace, technology, or work equipment in question meets occupational safety requirements and orders its operation. The operator-employer orders the operation of the hazardous facility, workplace, work equipment, or technology in writing.

It is important that even during trial and experimental operation, the machine must have the appropriate measurement reports and documentation. This type of operation may not exceed 180 days. 

A preliminary inspection from an occupational safety perspective is a prerequisite for commissioning occupational safety equipment. The purpose of the inspection is to determine whether the facility, workplace, work equipment, and technology comply with the material, personnel, organizational, and working environment conditions necessary for safe work that does not pose a health risk, and whether they meet the general requirements of the law. The examination is classified as a specialist occupational safety and health activity.

During the preliminary investigation, particular attention shall be paid to, whether the statements of those responsible for the installation (designer, contractor) are available, along with measurement results proving compliance with occupational safety requirements, declarations of conformity and certificates for work equipment, the necessary official permits, and the instructions required for operation.

A further condition for the commissioning of certain dangerous work equipment is the existence of a test report issued by an accredited organization, based on the conformity assessment of the work equipment in question and containing the results of the assessment.

Periodic safety inspection of dangerous work equipment

Hazardous technology and hazardous work equipment, as well as work equipment that is subject to periodic safety inspections as required by law, standards, or documentation relating to proper and safe operation and use, subject to periodic security reviews.

The operator must perform periodic safety reviews every five years, unless legislation, standards, or operating documentation stipulate a more frequent review period.

The results of the review must be recorded in a test report, a copy of which must be made available to the operator. The operator is required to retain the test report until the next review.

The examination of dangerous technology may be performed by a person with a professional occupational safety expert license.

Unscheduled inspections

The workplace, personal protective equipment, the work tool, The employer must inspect the technology out of turn if it directly endangered the health and safety of the employee during normal use, or if an accident at work occurred in connection with this, or if extraordinary circumstances (conversion, accident, natural phenomena, or a period of non-use exceeding 30 days for technical reasons). The inspection is considered a specialized occupational safety and health activity.

Pre-restart inspection

If, for any reason, dangerous machinery, technology, or equipment has been shut down and repairs involving modification or complete disassembly have been carried out, or if relocation has taken place, a new commissioning inspection must be carried out.