The safety message of the week
These are all the posts that mention “The safety message of the week”
Safety Focus of the Week: Small Tools (Revisited)
Small tools are used everyday on our job sites: hilti-drills, circular saws, grinders, powder-actuated tools, small pneumatic tools, etc.
- Select the proper tool and blade (abrasive disc, etc) for the application.
- Inspect the tool before each use: look for damage, frayed power cords, sharpness/integrity of blade, and missing guards.
- Set yourself up with the proper PPE, which may include: safety glasses, hearing protection, leather gloves, face shield, etc.
- Set up your work area to support your work (vice/clamps/sawhorses, etc.).
- Verify that the power supply is protected with a ground fault circuit interrupt.
- Understand manufacturers instructions.
- Powder-actuated tools require that the user be certified.
- Remove the power supply when changing blades, abrasive tooling, belts, etc.
OSHA has a standard on small tools: OHSA Small Tools
Safety Focus of the Week: Driving Sheet Piling
Our work sometimes involves driving and extracting steel sheet piling with our vibrator hammers. This work involves special safety considerations and planning:
- Crane Operations:
- Lift Capacity at required radii
- Duty Cycle considerations (duty cycle crane or reduced crane chart)
- Rigging types (shackles, cable slings, ground release shackle, etc.)
- Crane Hazards (OH Electric, Firm Ground, etc.)
- Crane Signals
- Planning:
- Crane Position & Reach
- Support Equipment (vibro, power pack/hoses, manlift, etc.)
- Material Staging (sheeting handling)
- Operations:
- Overhead hazards (falling material)
- Sheeting fatigue at jaw grip (sudden release of energy)
- Extraction Forces (high potential energy condition)
Safety Focus of the Week: Being Prepared for a Safety Compliance Inspection (Revisited)
A good way to manage your construction site is with the assumption that there could be a safety compliance inspection at any time, whether from our safety department, our clients, or OSHA.
Always being ready means the following:
- Maintain a clean and organized site, including safe access/egress to the site, excavations, traffic work zones, confined spaces, etc.
- Properly notify our workers of the potential hazards to themselves and the traveling public with the daily Job Hazard Analysis. Provide the appropriate systems for their protection and verify they have the appropriate training, understand the need, maintenance, and proper use.
- Have all safety documents completed and available (Job Hazard Analysis, SDS sheets, ECI Safety Manual, trench box certifications, material labeling, etc.)
- Tag out-of-service equipment appropriately and remove from service.
- Store and label hazardous materials (such as flammable liquids and gases) appropriately.
- Make certain that any subcontractors are follow both their own and ECI’s safety program.
If your site is visited by OSHA officers then please use the following protocol:
- Request that they stay at the edge of our site while you get our JHA form to do a safety briefing.
- Immediately call the ECI Safety Director so that he can be available to discuss any observations made by the officers.
- Provide the OSHA officers with our JHA and require the appropriate level of PPE.
- Request that they wait for our Safety Director if they don’t mind.
- Notify our client when appropriate.
- To the extent possible, always accompany the officer so that we observe and document the same conditions.
Safety Focus of the Week: Respiratory Protection
This week we are focusing on respiratory protection which is described well in the following OSHA webpage:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/respiratory/respirator_basics.html
The basics covered include:
- Respirator Users
- Medical Requirements
- Maintenance and Care of Respirators
- Fit Testing
- Written Program
- Voluntary Use of Respirators
Safety Focus of the Week: Demolition Plans
“Before the start of every demolition job”, OSHA requires that the contractor prepare a demolition plan (1926.850(a)). This very broad requirement appears to be applicable for any engineered structure such as: houses, silos, barns, towers, dams, bridges, etc. OSHA is likely to include even the most basic of structures if an incident occurs related to the demolition.
In most cases, a rather simple plan would be sufficient, provided that it contains a risk assessment and a plan to address the identified risks. Therefore, a typical demolition plan might include:
- Method of Demolition – Equipment, Waste Handling, etc.
- Engineering Survey – To assess the potential and take measures to prevent pre-mature collapse
- Exclusion Zone – To keep workers and the public out of the danger zone.
- Hazard Material Assessment – To verify that the waste won’t include lead, asbestos, etc.
- Personal Protective Equipment – for the potential hazards
- Verification of Utility De-Energizaton – gas, propane tanks, electric, water, etc.
- Emergency Plan – PD/FD/Rescue Call Numbers, 1st Aid Kit Locations, Emergency Meeting Place
- Special Blasting Procedures – if blasting used
The demolition of a complex structure, especially ones involving: demolition equipment on the structure, blasting, in-close demolition of tall structures, or piece-by-piece structural removal would involve a very detailed plan involving engineered procedures and bracing systems.
This link is a training guide from OSHA discussing the hazards:
http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/demolit.html
Please notify the safety department when your project involves demolition for further assistance in preparing a demolition plan.
Safety Focus of the Week – Silica Exposure (Revisited)
Silica dust exposure is a concern where construction materials are cut, ground, drilled, or crushed. The best protection from silica dust exposure is by wetting the product. If not effective, then it is necessary to wear a respirator for further protection. As always, your PPE (in this case the respirator) should be considered a secondary line of defense after the engineering controls (wetting, vacuuming away the dust, etc.).
This is one of our biggest potential exposures to a chronic health hazard, which we take very seriously. Silica Dust can cause silicosis, lung cancer, and other systemic diseases. Silica Dust exposure is from inhalation of microscopic particles. Visible dust is not small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and therefore is not a potential exposure. However, visible dust typically contains invisible size particles that can cause health effects.
The OSHSA guideline is a useful reference:
Safety Focus of the Week: Fire Safety
This week’s safety focus is Fire Safety, which is an important consideration at all jobsites, in the shops, in our office, and at home. It is particularly important when we are doing hot work like torch work, arc welding, thermite welding, etc.
The physics behind fire protection is understanding the fire triangle which consists of fuel, oxygen, and heat. Fighting a fire, and preventing a fire, involves removing one of the three from the process.
Fires are classified as:
A – Trash/Wood/Paper
B – Flamable Liquids including petroleum products, paints, and propane
C – Involving Energized Electrical Equipment or Wiring
D – Reactive Metals (for example: thermite welds)
K – Cooking Oils
Make sure that the fire extinguisher is rated for the type of fire. Using the wrong extinguisher can spread the fire or cause electrocution in the case of a type C fire. Many of ECI’s extinguishers are ABC for any of these three types.
Finally, take the time today to do the following for all extinguishers in your work area:
- Check for the proper charge (check monthly)
- Familiarize yourself with the type of extinguisher and consider whether it is appropriate for the types of potential fires in your work area.
- Verify that the tag has not expired. Return expired extinguishers to Stu/Matt for replacements.
This reference link provides a handy reference for fire safety: www.fireextinguisher.com
Safety Focus of the Week: More on Traffic Control Plans & The MUTCD
This week we are continuing our discussion on Traffic Control Plans. Our go-to resource for traffic control is the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (2009 Edition), a document published by the Federal Highway Administration. The MUTCD contains guidelines for arrangements of traffic control devices for nearly every potential arrangement (shoulder closures, lane closures, lane shifts, detours, blasting operations, etc.) on nearly every type of roadway (rural road, urban streets, divided highways, railroad at-grade crossings, etc.). Devices are considered to be signage, cones, barriers, flaggers, signals, programmable message boards, etc.
MUTCD Section 1A.02-02 Principles of Traffic Control Devices offers the following guidance on devices:
To be effective, a traffic control device should meet 5 basic requirements:
A. Fulfill a Need
B. Command Attention
C. Convey a Clear, Simple Meaning
D. Command Respect from Road Users, and
E. Give Adequate Time for Proper Response
The MUTCD is available for free on the following FHWA weblink:
https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2009r1r2/pdf_index.htm
Safety Focus of the Week: Traffic Control Plan (revisited)
Many of our projects require a formal written traffic control plan. Obviously it serves as a guide for us. But frequently the roadway owner (city or state) wants to know the details of our plan and to provide concurrence and approval prior to installation. Additionally, VTrans typically requires the Traffic Control Plan to be prepared by a registered professional engineer.
The following components and details should be provided in a Traffic Control Plan:
- Title Sheet – Project Name, Roadway Name, Mile Post, Client Name, Roadway Owner, Contractor Name, Designer, Date
- Project Background and Description
- Project Schedule, Sequence, and Phasing
- Traffic Control Requirements (detour, lane closures, lane width restrictions, shoulder closures, etc.)
- Special Safety Measures (UTOs, speed limit reductions, lighting, etc.)
- Duties and Authority of Specific Personnel (or Subcontractor) for Installation, Maintenance, Inspection
- Plan with Details (sign descriptions and locations, flagger locations, cone/barrel locations, etc.)
- Site Specific Traffic Control Devices (radar speed detectors, programmable message boards, crash attenuators, jersey barriers, etc.)
Safety Focus of the Week: Working Around Heavy Equipment (Revisited)
The typical rules for working around heavy equipment include:
- Be Visible! Wear hi-viz clothing and be where you are visible to the equipment operator.
- Stay out of the swing area of an excavator. Do not approach the swing area without signalling the operator of your intentions and receiving his acknowledgement.
- Watch and understand the equipment movement patterns before entering onto a job site.
As an operator:
- Always lock-out hydraulics and set parking brake before stepping out of equipment or allowing someone to approach your cab.
- Follow a predictable movement pattern (swing directions, truck turn-around pattern, etc.)
- Always check behind yourself when backing. Use your mirrors and do a visual scan.
- Never assume it is clear behind with visually confirming.
- Minimize backing movements.
- Park facing out when practical.
One great new feature in some equipment and even automobiles is a rear-view camera that engages when the vehicle is put into reverse. We can expect to see the cameras on more equipment, and trucks in the future.