Consulting

Technical Consulting
Services :

- Plant design verification
- AS4343 evaluations / Plant design registration
- Consulting on AS3920 and AS/NZS3000 questions - Consulting on material use / welding / NDT / inspection works
- Consulting on WHS-regulations
We offer a diversified range of technical consulting, as Design Verification of plant equipment , which falls under Occupational Health & Safety Regulations in most countries. Many statutory regulations have stringent design verification and inspection schemes, as e.g. Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia & New Zealand. This is stipulated in their jurisdiction, regarding Health & Safety requirements. The specific regulations / acts often cover design verification of plant equipment, but often also electrical design verification, as e.g. in Australia a local code the AS/NZS 3000 (known as the "Australian/NZ Wiring rules") is still mandatory to follow. Another example of a standard still quoted in Australian WHS regulation is AS/NZS 4343 "Evaluation of Hazard Levels of Pressure Equipment" It is still mandatory that each pressure equipment, exported to Australia or NZ needs to be classified according this standard. Some standards, as e.g. AS3920 are not stipulated in Australian WHS regulations directly, but many Australian operators are requesting to follow this standard. Often the overseas designer/fabricator is not familiar wit AS/NZ standards and needs support in understanding and interprete the Australian regulations concerning the use of these local standards. Some are mandatory, some can be replaced by EN or ISO standards. Typical questions are often related to interpreting local requirements for materials, welding procedures, NDT and inspection procedures. We make sure that you fulfil Australian regulations and local client specifications. Just contact us. A plant Design shall be registered according the applied design code. Since the WHS regulations have been harmonized in most Australian states (all except Western Australia and Victoria) recognized international standards can be used. There are no mandatory requirements anymore to use e.g. AS/NZS1210 for pressure vessels. We can conduct design verifications of pressure equipment against AS 1210, EN 13445, ASME VIII, AD2000 Merkblaetter, PD5500, etc. (including considering external loads according AS1170) and register the plant design for our clients at the Safework Authorities.
INFORMATION : - Australian and international standards
Below some general guidance for duty holders on Australian and other Standards and how they interact with the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and WHS Regulations (the WHS laws).
There are Australian and international Standards, as well as standards developed by certain regulators.
֎ Is conforming to Standards mandatory?
Standards are not laws, so there is no general requirement to conform to a Standard. However, conforming to specific Standards is mandatory if there is a law which says you must conform with it. The WHS laws require conformance with only a small number of Standards. Where the WHS laws say you must conform to specific Standards, a failure to do so may result in a breach of the WHS laws.
A list of Australian Standards referenced in the WHS Act and Regulations can be provided to our clients per request.
֎ How is compliance with a Standard relevant to the Australian WHS laws?
Under the WHS Act, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) is required to ensure, so far as is ‘reasonably practicable’, the health and safety of workers, and others at a workplace. To determine what is ‘reasonably practicable’ in the circumstances, all relevant matters are taken into account, including:
a) the likelihood of the hazard or the risk concerned occurring
b) the degree of harm that might result from the hazard or the risk
c) what the person concerned knows, or ought reasonably to know, about the hazard or risk, and about the ways of eliminating or minimising the risk
d) availability / suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk,
e) after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, the cost associated with available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk. ֎ Can international Standards be used instead of Australian Standards?
Conforming to Australian Standards is mandatory where laws require this. In that case, a duty holder should use the Australian Standard to ensure they are complying with their legal obligations.
Australian Standards are developed specifically for Australian workplaces and are likely to contain more relevant information for Australian operating conditions, such as load factors, climatic conditions, licencing requirements etc. An international Standard could be considered in conjunction with the equivalent Australian Standard. An international Standard may be a useful, additional source of information for duty holders, particularly where its use achieves the same or better overall level of safety to its Australian Standard equivalent. Currently many AS/NZ standards are replaced by ISO and/or EN standards. Typical example is the AS 1418 series (safety requirements for cranes/hoists) Please contact us to get the newest upsdate.
Information: - Design verification and design registration according Australian WHS regulations
According the Australian Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (the Regulation) you must register certain types of plant design.

Design registration ensures that plant listed in Schedule 5 of the Regulation is designed and verified to appropriate technical standards prior to being supplied. The designer/fabricator (or the person with management or control of the item of plant) can apply to have a design registered.

Once the design is registered, any number of items can be supplied as long as it complies with the design that was registered. The registration holder must provide the design registration number with each item that is supplied. Plant design registration and plant registration are authorisations under Part 4 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
What plant needs design registration?

• pressure equipment categorised as hazard level A, B, C or D (AS4343)
• gas cylinders covered by Part 1.1 of AS 2030.1 Gas cylinders—General Requirements
• tower cranes including self-erecting tower cranes
• lifts, including escalators and moving walkways
• building maintenance units
• hoists with a platform movement exceeding 2.4 metres, designed to lift people
• work boxes designed to be suspended from cranes
• amusement devices covered by Section 2.1 of AS 3533—Amusement Rides/Devices
• concrete placing booms
• prefabricated scaffolding
• boom-type elevating work platforms
• gantry cranes with a safe working load greater than 5 tonnes • bridge cranes with a safe working load of greater than 10 tonnes
• vehicle hoists
• mast climbing work platforms
• mobile cranes with a rated capacity of greater than 10 tonnes
Please contact us if you have further questions regarding plant design verification and/or design registration.