Plant safety briefing

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Always on the floor

• Closed-toe boots. No thongs, no runners. Steel cap preferred near the press and shredder.
• Long pants. Not shorts. Hot plastic flicks.
• Safety glasses. Wraparound style. Mandatory near the shredder and press at all times.
• Hearing protection. Earmuffs near the shredder when it's running. Conversation-level is too loud — if you have to raise your voice, plugs aren't enough.
• Heat-resistant gloves. When loading the press, unloading sheets, handling cooling material. Cotton or leather, not synthetic (melts to skin).

Don't wear

• Loose sleeves, ties, dangling jewellery — anything that can catch in the shredder.
• Long hair untied — pull it back.
• Headphones in both ears — you need to hear the room.
• Phone in hand near the press or shredder.

Hazards by station

Plastic shredder

• Never reach in. If material jams, power off at the wall switch, wait until rotors stop, then clear with a tool. Hands are not a tool.
• Watch for material kickback. Hard pieces (caps, hinges) can fly. Stand to the side of the input chute, not over it.
• Sort first. Metal contamination (a stray screw, a coin) wrecks the blades and can spark. Hand-sort the input bin every batch.
• Don't shred wet plastic. Water flashes to steam, creates pressure. Dry input only.

Heat press

• Operating temp: 180-200°C plate temperature, 30-45 min cycle. Plate is hot for hours after shutdown. Treat as live until you can put your hand 30cm from it without feeling heat.
• Never open mid-cycle. Steam release + pressure release can both burn.
• Two-person unload. Cooked sheets are heavy and floppy until cooled. One person opens, one person guides the sheet out flat onto the cooling rack.
• Cooling rack is 'hot zone'. Don't lean on it, don't put cardboard on it, don't place hands near sheet edges for 20 minutes after pressing.

CNC router (legs)

• Eye protection mandatory. Plastic chips kick out from the bit.
• Hold-down before cut. Sheet shifts under cut = bit shatters, parts fly.
• Dust extraction on. HDPE dust is irritant. Run the extractor continuously when the router is on.
• Bit changes only with power off. Spindle locked.

Assembly bench

• Pole ends can be sharp. Inspect each pole before threading through canvas. File burrs.
• Heavy-duty canvas needles. If repairing canvas, thimble + leather palm pad. No bare-hand sewing.
• Lift with legs, not back. A finished bed is 26kg + the steel poles are awkward.

Daily checks before starting

1. Walk the floor. Look for trip hazards: loose plastic, water spills, trailing leads.
2. Power off → on for each machine. Listen for unusual sounds, smell for burning.
3. First-aid kit accessible + stocked. Replace anything used yesterday.
4. Fire extinguisher visible, undamaged, in date.
5. Phone signal works at the press station (for emergency calls).
6. Two people on site minimum if the press is running.

If something goes wrong

Minor burns

• Cool running water for 20 minutes. Not ice, not butter, not toothpaste.
• If skin is intact, dress with cling film loosely.
• If blistered or larger than a 20¢ coin, see a doctor. In Alice that's Alice Springs Hospital ED.

Cuts

• Pressure + elevate. Clean with bottled water if you can.
• If deep or jagged or won't stop, doctor. Tetanus shot up to date.

Eye injury

• Don't rub. Eyewash station at the press. 15 minutes of flushing minimum.
• Anything more than a chip you couldn't flush out: doctor immediately.

Fire

• Press fire: kill power at wall. CO₂ extinguisher (red label) onto base of flames.
• Plastic fire: don't breathe the smoke. Move away upwind. Call 000.
• Shredder fire (usually a stuck metal contaminant): power off, CO₂, then visual inspect.
• If unsure, leave and call 000. The plant insurance is fine. People aren't replaceable.

Machinery jam, person hurt

Stop the machine at the wall switch. Don't move the person unless they're in ongoing danger. Call 000. Have the address ready: Goods on Country plant — Alice Springs (update with exact address when available).

Emergency contacts

• Ambulance / Fire / Police: 000
• Alice Springs Hospital ED: (08) 8951 7777
• Goods on Country support: +61 468 052 660 (text or WhatsApp)
• Plant manager (current): TBD — fill in when assigned per shift
• Workplace Health and Safety NT: 1800 019 115 (notifiable incidents)

After an incident — even minor

1. Log it in /admin/production's journal. Date, what happened, what you did, what could prevent it next time.
2. Tell Ben or Nic same day. Don't wait for the report.
3. If notifiable (serious injury, fire, anything that needed 000): Worksafe NT within 24 hours.
4. Review this page. If the briefing didn't cover what happened, edit it.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-16. Re-read after any plant change. Sign-off goes in the production journal once you've read it.