Safety Engineering
Safety Engineering
TEG Projects' specialist safety engineering division, TEG Risk, supports safety engineering for industrial sites across New Zealand and Australia. Our work covers hazard identification, machine risk assessments, control system validation, HAZOP, and hazardous area classification and specification. TEG Risk's experience and structured methodology mean we identify and evaluate risks that non-specialist engineering or generalist health and safety personnel can overlook or underestimate.
Our TEG Risk consultants hold CMSE® or Certified Functional Safety Engineer status through TÜV SÜD, a qualification that requires an engineering degree or equivalent and 3–5 years of functional safety experience. All TEG project managers also receive advanced machine safety training, so machine safety is considered from early project scoping through to commissioning.
Our work with leading manufacturing companies across Australia and New Zealand, combined with international experience, means we can offer world-class advice and practical, pragmatic compliance solutions for machine safety in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Connected to TEG Projects, you get a seamless link between assessment and delivery. If an engineering project requires a HAZOP, TEG Risk can help. If a machine risk assessment from TEG Risk needs practical, innovative engineering solutions, TEG Projects can deliver. That combination is the TEG advantage.
Machine safety engineering requirements for industrial sites
Companies must eliminate or minimise risks from plant and machinery, so far as reasonably practicable. WorkSafe expects duty holders to benchmark machinery safety against the AS/NZS 4024 Safety of Machinery series, which covers risk assessment and reduction, guard design, interlocking devices, prevention of unexpected start-up, and emergency stop requirements. These requirements apply to all machinery on site, whether it's new, imported, old, or retrofitted, and an alternative standard is only acceptable where it can be shown to achieve an equivalent or better level of safety.
How to conduct a machine risk assessment in line with health and safety regulations
A machine risk assessment is the first step toward complying with the AS/NZS 4024 series. Following the ISO 12100 methodology, it involves determining the limits of the machinery, identifying hazards across its full life cycle, estimating and evaluating the associated risks, and applying risk reduction measures in order: first through inherently safe design that removes the hazard at the source, then through safeguarding such as guards and interlocks, and finally through complementary measures like administrative controls, training, and warning systems. The residual risk is then reassessed to confirm it's acceptable before the machine is returned to service.
Safety-rated control systems vs. standard control systems
A standard control system is built for machine function, not for safety, so it has no requirement to detect its own failures or respond to them safely. A safety-rated control system is designed and validated against ISO 13849-1, which assigns a Performance Level, from a to e, based on the probability of dangerous failure per hour. Achieving a given Performance Level depends on the control system's architecture category, the reliability of its components, its diagnostic coverage, and protection against common cause failures. In practice, this means a safety-rated system, such as a safety relay or safety PLC monitoring an interlock or light curtain, is engineered so that if a component fails, the machine is driven to a safe state rather than continuing to run.
How to implement a lockout tagout procedure as part of a machine safety engineering program
Lockout tagout (LOTO) protects anyone working on machinery for servicing, cleaning, unjamming, or maintenance from unexpected start-up or the release of stored energy. A compliant LOTO procedure, aligned with AS/NZS 4024, generally involves identifying every energy source connected to the machine (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and stored or gravitational energy), isolating each source, applying a lock and tag to each isolation point, and then verifying the isolation is effective, including releasing stored energy and testing that start controls don't operate. Locks and tags are removed only once work is complete and it's confirmed safe to restart. Every worker who performs lockout and tagout needs to be trained in the site's specific procedure, with supervision to confirm the procedure is followed consistently.
Common machine safety failures on industrial sites and how to prevent them
The most common machine safety failures we see are guards that have been removed, bypassed, or disabled to speed up production or maintenance; interlocks and safety devices that haven't been maintained or recalibrated and no longer perform to their rated safety level; guarding that wasn't specified for its environment, such as washdown or high-heat areas common in food and beverage processing, and degrades faster than expected; and machinery that's been modified over time without the safety system being reassessed to match. Preventing these failures comes down to routine testing and maintenance of safety devices, a genuine risk assessment whenever machinery or a process changes, and a workplace culture where defeating a guard or interlock is never treated as an acceptable workaround.
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What are the machine safety engineering requirements for industrial sites?
Industrial sites must meet duties under health &n safety regulations to eliminate or minimise risk from machinery, so far as reasonably practicable. WorkSafe expects this to be benchmarked against the AS/NZS 4024 Safety of Machinery series, covering risk assessment, guarding, interlocking, start-up prevention, and emergency stops, for all machinery regardless of age.
How do you conduct a machine risk assessment in line with health and safety regulations?
Using the ISO 12100 methodology: define the machine's limits, identify hazards, estimate and evaluate risk, then reduce risk through inherently safe design first, safeguarding second, and administrative controls or training last, before confirming the residual risk is acceptable.
What is the difference between safety-rated control systems and standard control systems on industrial sites?
Standard control systems are built for function only. Safety-rated control systems are designed and validated to ISO 13849-1, achieving a defined Performance Level based on architecture, component reliability, diagnostic coverage, and protection against common cause failure, so the system detects faults and drives the machine to a safe state.
How do you implement a lockout tagout procedure as part of a machine safety engineering program?
Identify all energy sources on the machine, isolate each one, apply locks and tags at every isolation point, and verify the isolation is effective, including releasing stored energy, before work begins. Locks and tags are removed only once work is finished and it's confirmed safe to restart, and every worker involved needs to be trained in the procedure.
What are the most common machine safety failures on industrial sites and how can engineers prevent them?
The most common failures are disabled or bypassed guards, poorly maintained safety devices, guarding unsuited to its operating environment, and machinery modified without reassessing its safety system. Prevention relies on routine testing and maintenance, reassessing risk whenever machinery or process changes, and a workplace culture that doesn't tolerate defeated safeguards.
