Monday, May 19, 2014
10 Scaffold Safety Essentials
A lot can go wrong when working on scaffolding. We talked to safety experts about some safety essentials when working from heights. Here are your top 10 tips for scaffolding safety.
1. Ensure everyone is properly trained. Safety regulations require that workers be trained in the design and operation of scaffolding. Training covers important safe work practices such as how to safely get on and off the scaffold (using an access ladder, not the scaffold frame — unless it is specially designed to be climbed and both hands are free to grab the rungs). It should also cover comprehensive fall protection training specific to the type of scaffolding, erecting and dismantling procedures for anyone involved in these activities, and a host of other lifesaving details.2. Take the time for prep work. Before using scaffolding, make sure the base is sound, level and adjusted; that the legs are plumb and all braces in place; that locking devices and ties are secured; that cross members are level; and that planks, decks and guardrails are installed and secure. Check the location for ground conditions, such as slopes, and stay clear away from hazards such as overhead wires, obstructions and changes in surface elevation.
3. Keep it legal. CSA standard committees have identified “rogue employers” as a significant obstacle to scaffold safety. “These are employers who fly under the radar and operate without a license,” says Jeet Tulshi, a CSA project manager. “They get some pick-up truck, rent a unit and hope they don’t get caught. They might import material from offshore and put it together without having it surveyed or reviewed by a professional engineer.”
4. Know and respect the load capacity. According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, failure to consider all the loads to which the scaffold may be subjected is one of the top things that go wrong at the design stage. The scaffold must be strong enough and capable of holding the desired weight, otherwise it could collapse. Don’t try to fit more workers on the platform than it can handle; don’t overload it with equipment and materials; and don’t rest anything on the guardrails.
5. Ensure the scaffold is properly secured. The scaffold must be adequately braced or tied to the building. If it is wrapped in a tarp for protection from the elements, it could blow over if it isn’t secured. According to the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba, “Bracing must be properly secured in place, otherwise scaffold movement may dislodge an end, reducing the stability of the scaffold. There are several different brace retention or locking systems found on scaffolds. These devices must operate freely for ease of assembly and dismantling, and also lock securely to prevent a brace from dislodging. Nails and other miscellaneous odds and ends should not be used in place of proper retention parts supplied by the manufacturer.”
6. Use guardrails. The design of the scaffold must incorporate guardrails on at least the three sides facing away from the building if the scaffold is more than 10 feet above ground. There should be a top rail, a mid rail and a bottom rail (toe board). If you must remove any guardrails while hoisting materials, replace them promptly. Wear fall protection at all times.
7. Inspect and maintain. Scaffolding must be routinely inspected by the supervisor and by a competent person — ideally a professional engineer or a person designated in writing by a professional engineer. In the case of a suspended platform, inspect and test all components including welds, stirrups, connecting pins, connecting plates, trusses, beams and working surface. Check that the lumber is of good quality. If any pieces get broken or damaged, replace them right away. Inspect frames, braces and other components for damage, bends and excessive rust or wear. Also check motors, platforms or wire ropes for damage from chemicals or corrosive material.
8. Good housekeeping. There isn’t much room on a scaffold, so it’s important to store tools and materials in an orderly fashion. Keep the platform free of obstructions. Place debris and waste material in a container or remove it from the platform immediately.
9. Keep your balance. A scaffold and its platform must be perfectly level (CSA standard says it mustn’t deviate from the vertical by more than 12 millimeters per three meters of height) to minimize the risk of workers losing balance and falling off. Particularly on swing stages, there must be an adequately weighted counterweight. Pay attention when working on a scaffold. Any sudden movements, or reaching too far from the platform, can cause a loss of balance.
10. Use appropriate PPE. This includes head protection, non-slip protective footwear and fall protection as required, in the form of a safety harness tied off to a solid structure, such as the building. Ontario’s construction safety regulations indicate that the harness can be tied off to the suspended platform or scaffold only “if all or part of the platform or scaffold has more than one independent means of support and the platform or scaffold is so designed, constructed and maintained that the failure of one means of support will not cause the collapse of all or part of the platform or scaffold.”
With all of these safety practices in place, working on a scaffold can be a high without the dangerous lows.
With all of these safety practices in place, working on a scaffold can be a high without the dangerous lows.
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Michelle Morra is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Toronto. You may contact Michelle at writemorr@yahoo.ca
Michelle Morra is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Toronto. You may contact Michelle at writemorr@yahoo.ca
Hydrogen Sulfide (Different health effects on different concentrations)
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula H2S. It is a color-less gas with the characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs; it is heavier than air, very poisonous, corrosive, flammable, and explosive. (Wikipedia)| Concentration in parts per million (ppm)* | Observations and health effects |
| Less than 1 | Most people smell “rotten eggs.” |
| 3 to 5 | Odour is strong. |
| 20 to 150 | Nose and throat feel dry and irritated. Eyes sting, itch, or water; and “gas eye” symptoms may occur. Prolonged exposure may cause coughing, hoarseness, shortness of breath, and runny nose. |
| 150 to 200 | Sense of smell is blocked. |
| 200 to 250 | Major irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs occurs, along with headache, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Prolonged exposure can cause fluid build-up in the lungs (pulmonary edema), which can be fatal. |
| 300 to 500 | Symptoms are the same as above, but more severe. Death can occur within 1 to 4 hours of exposure. |
| Above 500 | Immediate loss of consciousness. Death is rapid, sometimes immediate. |
* 1 ppm = 1 part of gas per million parts of air by volume
Friday, May 2, 2014
ISO 14001 revision is underway
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| Katie Bird (Head Communication and Content Strategies) ISO +41 22 749 0431 bird@iso.org |
ISO 14001, the world’s most popular standard for environmental management, is now under review, with an update version due to be available in early 2015.
Over 250,000 organizations are certified to ISO 14001 and while it continues to be as relevant as ever, the revision will take into consideration a number of issues to ensure organizations are able to grow in a sustainable way.
ISO 14001, one of ISO’s most successful management system standards, is shortly to undergo its second revision to ensure that it remains relevant over the next two decades. Since it was first published in 1996, ISO 14001:2004, Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, has been adopted by well over 250 000 certified users in 155 countries worldwide.
Recently, over 40 experts from some 25 countries, members of ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, the ISO technical committee that developed ISO 14001, gathered atthe Berlin headquarters of DIN, the German Institute for Standardization, to discuss key issues related to the mandate for WG 5, the working group responsible for the revision process. Following is a report of recommendations and early accomplishments.
Two significant actions
The mandate requires the WG to consider two significant pieces of work. First, the work of the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) Joint Technical Coordination Group (JTCG) on the High Level Structure for Management System Standards (MSS), covering identical text, common terms and core definitions.
Its aim is to standardize the structure and core requirements of MSS to facilitate the integration of multiple MSS into an organization’s management system. Although new standards have been developed using this structure, the revision of ISO 14001 will be the first in which an existing MSS has been recast into the standardized format and text.
Second is the final report of the ISO/TC 207 SC 1, Environmental management systems, Future Challenges for EMS Study Group, which evaluated the potential implications of evolving stakeholder expectations and new developments in the field of environmental management systems (EMS) since 1996. Eleven themes were analyzed, including sustainable development, environmental performance improvement, legal compliance, strategic business management, conformity assessment and national/international policy agendas. The study group also analyzed the obstacles and opportunities to increase uptake of ISO 14001 in small organizations, to control environmental impact in the value/supply chain, engage stakeholders, and communicate externally. In addition to these two significant actions, the mandate requires the basic principles and existing requirements of ISO 14001:2004 be retained and improved.
Early accomplishments
The initial Berlin meeting of ISO/TC 207 summarized the ISO standards development process for WG members, established a timeline and code of conduct, reviewed details in the two key reports forming the basis for the revision, and provided guidelines on writing standards – particularly taking into account the needs of SMEs. Among early accomplishments of the meeting, the WG :
Developed draft operating principles
Began the process of integrating ISO 14001:2004 requirements into the JTCG MSS structure and text
Brainstormed key issues and concerns related to each clause. These will be discussed at future meetings and evaluated for inclusion in the next revision.
Working at height A brief guide by Health and Safety Executive
This brief guide describes what you, as an employer, need to do to protect your
Following this guidance is normally enough to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR).
Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. Common causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs. The purpose of WAHR is to prevent death and injury from a fall from height. Work at height means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. For example
you are working at height if you:
■ are working on a ladder or a flat roof;
■ could fall through a fragile surface;
■ could fall into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground.
Take a sensible approach when considering precautions for work at height. There may be some low-risk situations where common sense tells you no particular precautions are necessary and the law recognizes this.
There is a common misconception that ladders and stepladders are banned, but this is not the case. There are many situations where a ladder is the most suitable equipment for working at height.
Before working at height you must work through these simple steps:
■ avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so;
■ Where work at height cannot be avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment;
■ minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated.
You should:
■ do as much work as possible from the ground;
■ ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height;
■ ensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly; make sure you don’t overload or overreach when working at height;
■ take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces;
■ provide protection from falling objects;
■ consider your emergency evacuation and rescue procedures.
Who do the Regulations apply to?
If you are an employer or you control work at height (for example if you are a contractor or a factory owner), the Regulations apply to you.
How do you comply with these Regulations?
Employers and those in control of any work at height activity must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. This includes using the right type of equipment for working at height. Low-risk, relatively straightforward tasks will require less effort when it comes to planning. Employers and those in control must first assess the risks. Take a sensible, pragmatic approach when considering precautions for work at height. Factors to weigh up include the height of the task; the duration and frequency; and the condition of the surface being worked on. There will also be certain low-risk situations where common sense tells you no particular precautions are necessary.
How do you decide if someone is ‘competent’ to work at height?
You should make sure that people with sufficient skills, knowledge and experience are employed to perform the task, or, if they are being trained, that they work under the supervision of somebody competent to do it.
In the case of low-risk, short duration tasks (short duration means tasks that take less than 30 minutes) involving ladders, competence requirements may be no more than making sure employees receive instruction on how to use the equipment safely (eg how to tie a ladder properly) and appropriate training. Training often takes place on the job, it does not always take place in a classroom.
When a more technical level of competence is required, for example drawing up a plan for assembling a complex scaffold, existing training and certification schemes drawn up by trade associations and industry is one way to help demonstrate competence.
What measures should you take to help protect people?
Always consider measures that protect everyone who is at risk (collective protection) before measures that protect only the individual (personal protection). Collective protection is equipment that does not require the person working at height to act to be effective, for example a permanent or temporary guard rail. Personal protection is equipment that requires the individual to act to be effective. An example is putting on a safety harness correctly and connecting it, via an energy-absorbing lanyard, to a suitable anchor point.
When a more technical level of competence is required, for example drawing up a plan for assembling a complex scaffold, existing training and certification schemes drawn up by trade associations and industry is one way to help demonstrate competence.
What measures should you take to help protect people?
Always consider measures that protect everyone who is at risk (collective protection) before measures that protect only the individual (personal protection). Collective protection is equipment that does not require the person working at height to act to be effective, for example a permanent or temporary guard rail. Personal protection is equipment that requires the individual to act to be effective. An example is putting on a safety harness correctly and connecting it, via an energy-absorbing lanyard, to a suitable anchor point.
What do you need to consider when planning work at height?
The following are all requirements in law that you need to consider when planning and undertaking work at height. You must:
■ take account of weather conditions that could compromise worker safety;
■ check that the place (eg a roof) where work at height is to be undertaken is safe. Each place where people will work at height needs to be checked every time, before use; stop materials or objects from falling or, if it is not reasonably practicable to prevent objects falling, take suitable and sufficient measures to make sure no one can be injured, eg use exclusion zones to keep people away or mesh on scaffold to stop materials such as bricks falling off;
■ store materials and objects safely so they won’t cause injury if they are disturbed or collapse;
■ plan for emergencies and rescue, eg agree a set procedure for evacuation.
Think about foreseeable situations and make sure employees know the emergency procedures. Don’t just rely entirely on the emergency services for rescue in your plan.
How do you select the right equipment to use for a job?
When selecting equipment for work at height, employers must:
■ provide the most suitable equipment appropriate for the work;
■ take account of factors such as:
■ the working conditions (eg weather);
■ the nature, frequency and duration of the work;
■ the risks to the safety of everyone where the work equipment will be used.
If you are still unsure which type of equipment to use, once you have considered the risks, the Work at height Access equipment Information Toolkit (or WAIT) is a free online resource that offers possible solutions. It provides details of common types of equipment used for work at height. HSE has also produced a guide on the safe use of ladders and stepladders (see ‘Further reading’).
How do you make sure the equipment itself is in good condition?
Work equipment, for example scaffolding, needs to be assembled or installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions and in keeping with industry guidelines. Where the safety of the work equipment depends on how it has been installed or assembled, an employer should ensure it is not used until it has been inspected in that position by a competent person. A competent person is someone who has the necessary skills, experience and knowledge to manage health and safety. Any equipment exposed to conditions that may cause it to deteriorate, and result in a dangerous situation, should be inspected at suitable intervals appropriate to the environment and use. Do an inspection every time something happens that may affect the safety or stability of the equipment, eg adverse weather, accidental damage. You are required to keep a record of any inspection for types of work equipment including: guard rails, toe-boards, barriers or similar collective means of protection; working platforms (any platform used as a place of work or as a means of getting to and from work, eg a gangway) that are fixed (eg a scaffold around a building) or mobile (eg a mobile elevated working platform (MEWP) or scaffold tower); or a ladder. Any working platform used for construction work and from which a person could fall more than 2 metres must be inspected:
■ after assembly in any position;
■ after any event liable to have affected its stability;
■ at intervals not exceeding seven days.
Where it is a mobile platform, a new inspection and report is not required every time it is moved to a new location on the same site. You must also ensure that before you use any equipment, such as a MEWP, which has come from another business or rental company, it is accompanied by an indication (clear to everyone involved) when the last thorough examination has been carried out.
What must employees do?
Employees have general legal duties to take reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions, and to co-operate with their employer to enable their health and safety duties and requirements to be complied with. For an employee, or those working under someone else’s control, the law says they must:
■ report any safety hazard they identify to their employer;
■ use the equipment and safety devices supplied or given to them properly, in accordance with any training and instructions (unless they think that would be unsafe, in which case they should seek further instructions before continuing).You must consult your employees (either directly or via safety representatives), in good time, on health and safety matters. Issues you must consult employees on include:
■ risks arising from their work;
■ proposals to manage and/or control these risks;
■ the best ways of providing information and training.
Employers can ask employees and their representatives what they think the hazards are, as they may notice things that are not obvious and may have some good, practical ideas on how to control the risks.
What must architects and building designers do?
When planning new-build or refurbishment projects, architects and designers have duties under The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, to consider the need for work to be carried out at height over the lifespan of a building, eg to clean, maintain and repair it. They should design out the need to work at height if possible.Do the new Work at Height Regulations 2005 ban the use of ladders?
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 do not ban ladders. They require that ladders should only be considered where a risk assessment has shown that the use of other more suitable work equipment is not appropriate because of the low risk, and short duration of the task or considerations of where the work is located.
HSC accepts the practicalities of the use of ladders for work at height, and the fact that they are commonly used in a wide variety of situations. Ladders are used in almost all employment sectors, sometimes for purposes other than those for which they were designed.
Schedule 6 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 deals with the requirements for ladders and states:
’Schedule 6 Requirements for Ladders:
- Every employer shall ensure that a ladder is used for work at height only if a risk assessment under regulation 3 of the Management Regulations has demonstrated that the use of more suitable work equipment is not justified because of the low risk and -
- the short duration of use; or
- existing features on site which he cannot alter.
- Any surface upon which a ladder rests shall be stable, firm, of sufficient strength and of suitable composition safely to support the ladder so that its rungs or steps remain horizontal, and any loading intended to be placed on it.
- A ladder shall be so positioned as to ensure its stability during use.
- A suspended ladder shall be attached in a secure manner and so that, with the exception of a flexible ladder, it cannot be displaced and swinging is prevented.
- A portable ladder shall be prevented from slipping during use by -
- securing the stiles at or near their upper or lower ends;
- an effective anti-slip or other effective stability device; or
- any other arrangement of equivalent effectiveness.
- A ladder used for access shall be long enough to protrude sufficiently above the place of landing to which it provides access, unless other measures have been taken to ensure a firm handhold.
- No interlocking or extension ladder shall be used unless its sections are prevented from moving relative to each other while in use.
- A mobile ladder shall be prevented from moving before it is stepped on.
- Where a ladder or run of ladders rises a vertical distance of 9 metres or more above its base, there shall, where reasonably practicable, be provided at suitable intervals sufficient safe landing areas or rest platforms.
- Every ladder shall be used in such a way that -
- a secure handhold and secure support are always available to the user; and
- the user can maintain a safe handhold when carrying a load unless, in the case of a step ladder, the maintenance of a handhold is not practicable when a load is carried, and a risk assessment under regulation 3 of the Management Regulations has demonstrated that the use of a stepladder is justified because of -
- the low risk; and
- the short duration of use.’ Reference: Work at Height Regulations 2005. The Statutory Instrument can be downloaded from Her Majesty's Stationery Office
website. HSE has produced a free leaflet entitledThe Working at Height Regulations 2005: A brief guide
(INDG401). Alternatively, hard copies are available from HSE Books.
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