Mechanical Handling Mechanical Handling is probably the most widespread activity on a construction site, and the amount of equipment used to facilitate this is very large. Item include pallet and sack trucks, Forklifts (rough terrain, tele-hoist, standard etc.) , hoists , lifts and cranes (mobile, tower, overhead, gantry) . The single most cause of accidents using mechanical handling equipment is poorly trained or in experienced operators, it is essential that the correct personnel are selected for the job, this is the responsibility of the management. Equipment must be check and maintained in accordance with manufacturers information. Risk assessment must be carried out on all mechanical handling tasks. Maintenance records should be kept for all equipment, whether it is the property of the company of hired, the hirer must ensure that the equipment has been maintained and is in a safe condition at the time of hire, it then becomes the responsibility of the hirer to perform checks to ensure the equipment does not become damaged worn or generally unsafe to use, any defects should be recorded and the equipment labelled as not safe for use until the defect has been rectified. The most common injuries associated with mechanical handling are crushing, broken limbs, cots, falls, drawing in etc. These mainly are caused by firstly operator error and secondly by poorly maintained equipment, guards must be checked on a regular basis for damage especially on hoists, conveyors or any part the equipment which may give rise to risk of injury. The use of powered mechanical handling equipment presents more hazards and again the importance of experienced and trained operatives is essential in there safe use. Forklift drivers should always be vigilant when driving around the site, just because they may be on a roadway doesn't mean pedestrians may not be there, they should be very aware of the load stability and never travel with a raised load. The ground they travel over must be suitable as to the type of forklift being used. Lifts and hoists provide specific hazards as they can be used to transport both people and materials, Lift doors must close correctly and all associated safety systems must be operational, Hoists used for carrying equipment on construction site are commonly fixed either to the structure or scaffolding this must not overload either. Overload of equipment is another major cause of accidents and care must be taken when assessing equipment and load capabilities. Cranes and lifting equipment Lifting operations on sites must be planned before they go ahead, the crane should sufficient for the load it has to lift the equipment should be check and ensure no SWLs are exceeded, all shackles strop, chains and sling should be certificated and this should be inspected before they lift takes place, Properly trained banksmen who are familiar with the correct hand signalling techniques should be employed along with riggers. Mobile cranes should ensure that the ground condition is adequate for the machine; drivers should ensure outriggers are fully extended and all safety equipment i.e. load indicators warning systems are operating they should aware of the slew radius and and obstructions from the jib or the counterweight as slewing takes pale they should leave sufficient room for pedestrians to pass by i.e. 600mm. Towers cranes must also be aware of the load restrictions, weather conditions, 0 and potential obstructions as they cross over the site these can come in all possible shape. Different level in the structure power lines and mobile crane are all hazards that operators should be aware of. Rules for safe Operations of a Crane ALWAYS NEVER Lifting operations should be planned and supervised factors that should be considered when formulating a plan include: There are various appointments with specified responsibilities in order to ensure the safety of lifting operations on site, these are as follows.
Sunday 23 March 2008
Element 4 Manual and mechanical handling hazards and control Part 2
Saturday 22 March 2008
Element 4 Manual and mechanical handling hazards and control part 1
This element looks at the associated hazards of manual and mechanical handling and how to control these.
Manual Handling
Manual handling on a construction is an activity it is impossible to remove, and due to this it is also one that causes more injuries than any other single hazards. Many times people may be unaware of injuries they are causing but will be felt in later life.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations state that manual handling risks should be assessed in a four step approach
L. I. T. E.
Thursday 20 March 2008
Six Pack Regulations
Introduced in 1992, implementing EU H&S directives, and intended to provide a level playing field across Europe. In UK they were already effectively in place under the HSW etc Act 1974.
The six pack are
Typical Examination Questions based on Element 3
1. Outline the measures to be taken to prevent falls associated with stairwells and other holes in (8) The provision of guard rails for stairwells and lift shafts, hand rails on stairs, fixing covers over other holes in floors, providing adequate levels of lighting, ensuring a good standard of housekeeping and a high level of supervision and control. 2. Outline the hazards associated with small dumper trucks. (8) Hazards include, amongst others: collisions with pedestrians, other vehicles or structures; overturning due to uneven ground or excavations; falls of materials or persons from truck; contact with moving parts or hot surfaces; and noise and vibration. 3. A significant number of the accidents associated with work on construction sites are associated with plant and vehicle movement. Outline the control measures that should be adopted to prevent such accidents occurring. (8) Control measures such as site planning and maintenance of traffic routes to segregate pedestrians and vehicles; imposing site speed restrictions and preventing unauthorised use or movement of plant; compliance with general safety requirements in respect of all plant and machinery such as the proper selection of equipment, the need to ensure that dangerous parts of machines were properly guarded, and that a regime of planned inspections and maintenance and procedures for reporting defects was put in place and finally ensuring that all operators were competent to perform the tasks allotted to them. 4. Outline a hierarchy of measures to minimize the risks from reversing vehicles on a construction site. (8) One of the first measures is to eliminate or reduce the need for reversing by introducing a one way system and providing turning circles or loading/unloading areas. In circumstances where this might not be possible, it would be necessary to ensure that safe systems of work were in place and followed. Such systems would include the exclusion of pedestrians from site traffic areas, the use of banksmen, the provision of information, instructions and training and the mandatory wearing of hi-visibility clothing. The vehicles would need to be fitted with audible/visual reversing warning devices and features such as CCTV and Fresnel lens and mirrors 5. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require that work equipment used in hostile environments is inspected at suitable intervals. Identify the items on a small dumper truck that should be the subject of such an inspection. (8) Items include the provision and condition of roll over protection and driver restraints (e.g. seat belts); the condition of the bodywork and seats; the condition of the tyres; the effectiveness of the braking system, steering and warning devices; the performance of the bucket release and tilt mechanisms; the integrity of fuel, oil and hydraulic systems and the legibility of labels and signs.
floors during the construction of a multi-storey building.
Element 3 Movement of People and vehicles – Hazards and Control
Element 3 Movement of People and vehicles – Hazards and Control This Element of the NCC1 over how to recognise and control hazards associated with the movement of vehicles and people around a construction site. Movement of People One of the hazards that is associated with the movement of people, is falls and can be caused by trips on uneven surfaces or trips from cables , kerbs, no guard rails on scaffolding or missing / displaced covers over holes along with the human factors of not paying attention, being distracted etc. Provision of proper access and egress from work station, provision of dedicated walkways or routes and good housekeeping can help avoid these. Person being struck by objects can be avoided, again if good housekeeping philosophy is in place along with the correct prevention methods for scaffolding (toe boards, brick screens, nets etc,) storage of material in safe place with correct stacking can also help avoid accidents. A good general site control strategy for the site is required segregating the movement of people and vehicles. Movement of Vehicles The major hazards provided by vehicles on a construction site include, speeding, tipping or toppling over, collisions, which in turn may be caused by having poor roads, bad site lighting and signage, poor maintenance of vehicles and untrained operatives. Suggested control measures include a risk assessment covering the purchase, maintenance and use of site vehicles. A strict traffic management regime which includes speed limit , correctly signed, designated areas for loading and unloading, the use of correctly marked parking areas and encourage people to reverse park. Keeping of a site accident log and publication of the stats can help raise awareness of traffic movement dangers, correct and adequate selection criteria of driver based on competence to carry out the tasks etc. Site vehicles such as dumper truck are one of the main contributing vehicles to site accident often caused by untrained drivers (accidental use of controls), driving too close to edge of excavations. Travelling with high lift skip raised, or driver thrown when travelling over rough ground The law requires that hirers and users of site dumpers both have legal duties to ensure that the equipment should be in a safe condition at all times and the risks are assessed and a safe system of work in place which driver are required to follow , all site workers should be aware of the SSW and follow them Driver protection for site dumpers include rollover bars, seatbelts Site management requires that all vehicles are maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, site rules which detail the hazards and their control measures. Security of site vehicles when not in use (immobilised) Driver daily checks and safe driving practices. Read the instruction manuals. Understand the difference in braking response of laden and un-laden vehicles, wear appropriate PPE i.e. goggles ear defenders against noise high visibility jackets, keep to designated routes, care when approaching excavations on slopes or embankments, load only at ground level and never travel with a raised load, use correct towing pins and stop and apply park brake before tipping loads. Drivers should never carry passengers, operate the dumper controls unless seated, drive with raised skip, and operate with tyre pressures outside manufactures specifications. Some applicable legislation The New Roads and Streets Works Act (NRSWA) 1991 Code of practice Safety at Street works and Roadwork's Can be viewed here
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