A Decade of Lessons for Industry Leaders
Machine guarding remains one of the most critical — and often misunderstood — aspects of industrial safety in Australia.
Over the past decade, Australian regulators, courts, engineers, and asset owners have all contributed to a clearer understanding of what effective machine guarding really means. Yet incidents, prosecutions, and near misses continue to occur, often where risks were known but not properly engineered out.
At Hamilton By Design, we’ve worked alongside manufacturers, processing plants, and industrial operators to support safer machinery through engineering-led design and practical implementation. Drawing on this experience, we’ve recently published a detailed article exploring what ten years of machine-guarding practice in Australia has taught us.
What the article covers
In the full blog post, we explore:
How machine guarding expectations have evolved in Australia
Key lessons for leaders and asset owners responsible for safety outcomes
Practical insights for engineers involved in machinery design and modification
The role of Australian and international standards in modern machine guarding
Why safety must be considered early — not retrofitted later
Rather than treating guarding as a compliance checkbox, the article focuses on safety-by-design principles and long-term risk reduction.
Why this matters
Machine guarding failures don’t just lead to injuries — they result in downtime, legal exposure, reputational damage, and long-term operational risk. For leaders and engineers alike, understanding past lessons is essential to building safer, more resilient industrial environments.
Read the full article
To explore the insights in detail, read the full blog post here:
👉 Machine Guarding in Australia — A Decade of Lessons for Leaders, Asset Owners and Engineers
https://www.hamiltonbydesign.com.au/machine-guarding-in-australia-a-decade-of-lessons-for-leaders-asset-owners-and-engineers/
If you’re responsible for machinery safety, engineering design, or asset management, this article provides valuable context and practical guidance grounded in real Australian industry experience.
