Buying Second-Hand Machinery: The Safety Checks a Victorian Manufacturer Must Do First

What safety checks should I do before buying second-hand machinery?

Before you buy second-hand machinery for your Victorian manufacturing site, you need to identify every hazard the plant could create at your workplace, assess the risk of each one, and apply controls — starting with elimination — before it's commissioned for use. This obligation applies under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic) regardless of whether the plant is brand new or has had three previous owners.

I've seen plenty of good operators get tripped up here. The mistake isn't buying second-hand gear — it's assuming that because a machine ran safely somewhere else, it'll run safely on your floor without any further checking. It won't, automatically. Your systems of work, your layout, your operators and your maintenance history are all different.

Does buying second-hand machinery change your legal duties?

No. Under the OHS Regulations 2017, an employer or self-employed person must, so far as is reasonably practicable, identify all the hazards associated with installing, erecting, commissioning, decommissioning, dismantling and using plant at the workplace — and the systems of work that go with it. That duty attaches to the plant being used in your workplace, not to whether you were the first owner.

"Plant" is defined broadly under regulation 74 of the OHS Regulations and covers machinery that lifts or moves materials, pressure equipment, earthmoving machinery, and any equipment that processes material by cutting, drilling, punching, grinding, pressing, forming, joining, moulding, mixing, sorting, packaging or assembling it. If it's in that category, the same plant duties apply whether it arrived from a manufacturer's showroom or a clearing sale.

What should you check before you sign?

1. Ask for the manuals and documentation. Original operating instructions, maintenance records, and any prior risk assessments give you a starting point — and their absence is itself a red flag worth pricing into your decision.
2. Inspect guarding and safety devices. Interlocks, emergency stops, warning devices and physical guarding should all be present, functional and compliant with current requirements — not just whatever was fitted when the machine was built.
3. Check for design registration where it applies. Some higher-risk plant items need their design registered with WorkSafe Victoria. If you're buying that category of plant, confirm the registration status before you commission it.
4. Look at the machine's history and condition, not just its price. Wear on safety-critical components, past modifications, and any signs of bypassed guarding all affect how much work you'll need to do before it's safe to run.
5. Plan the hazard identification and risk assessment before commissioning, not after. This is the step the OHS Regulations require — and it's far cheaper to do before the machine is bolted to your floor.

How do you control the risks you find?

Once you've identified the hazards, the OHS Regulations require you to work through the hierarchy of control, in priority order:

1. Eliminate the risk where possible — sometimes the safest fix is choosing a different machine.
2. Substitute, isolate or engineer the risk down — guarding, interlocked barriers, sound enclosures.
3. Use administrative controls — safe operating procedures, lock-out tag-out, training and supervision.
4. Provide PPE as the last line of defence, not the first.

You're also required to review these controls over time — particularly if anything changes about how the machine is used, or if a health and safety representative asks you to.

Who else has duties around this plant?

Under the OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017, duties around plant extend beyond the employer to self-employed people, people with management or control of the workplace, employees, anyone who installs, erects or commissions the plant, and designers, manufacturers and suppliers. If you're buying through a broker or importer, it's worth asking what due diligence they've already done — but that doesn't remove your own duty to check the plant is safe once it's on your site.

Getting it right before day one

Second-hand machinery can be a smart way to expand capacity without the capital outlay of new plant — but the safety homework doesn't get any lighter because the price tag is smaller. A practical middle ground is having a safety practitioner walk the machine with you before it's commissioned, so hazards get caught on paper rather than on the shop floor. If you'd like a second set of eyes on a purchase — or on the plant you've already got running — you can book a site assessment with our team.

FAQ

Do I need to register second-hand machinery with WorkSafe before using it? Only certain higher-risk categories of plant require design registration under the OHS Regulations 2017. If you're unsure whether your purchase falls into one of those categories, check the registration status before you commission it.

Is a second-hand machine automatically compliant if it was compliant for its previous owner? No. Your duty to identify hazards, assess risks and control them applies at your workplace, with your systems of work and your operators — regardless of how the machine performed for its previous owner.

What's the biggest mistake manufacturers make when buying used plant? Skipping the hazard identification and risk assessment step before commissioning, usually because the machine "looks fine" or ran safely elsewhere. That step is a legal requirement, not an optional extra.

This article is general information for Victorian manufacturers, not legal advice. Last updated: 10 August 2026.