DAMIREZ, VON ERIC A.

ME 5-4

WORKPLACE TRANSPORT
Research on different guidelines on workplace transport done in the company you
spent your on the job training. Comment and revise if necessary.
To manage workplace transport effectively, there are three key areas to consider when carrying
out your risk assessment:

safe site (design and activity);

Every site is different and likely to present different hazards and risks. However, a welldesigned and maintained site with suitable segregation of vehicles and people will make
workplace transport accidents less likely. The most effective way of ensuring pedestrians and
vehicles move safely around a workplace is to provide separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic
routes. Where possible, there should also be a one-way system as this will reduce the need for
vehicles to reverse, and will help pedestrians and drivers.
Your circumstances might mean that complete segregation is not possible, so you would need
to have clearly marked pedestrian and vehicle traffic routes, using measures such as barriers and
signs. There should be separate entrances and exits for vehicles and pedestrians, and vision
panels should be installed on doors that open onto vehicle traffic routes. Where pedestrian and
vehicle traffic routes cross, they should be clearly marked using measures such as dropped kerbs,
barriers, deterrent paving etc, to help direct pedestrians to the appropriate crossing points.

safe vehicle;

Vehicles used in the workplace should be suitable for the purpose for which they are used.
You should carefully consider the working environment in which a specific vehicle will be used
and the suitability of that vehicle for the people using it. Consulting with those who will use it is a
key part of developing a vehicle specification. The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use)
Regulations 1986 set the standard for the design and construction of vehicles used on public
roads. Most vehicles used in the workplace should meet this standard, but in some cases there
are specific supply standards for mobile plant (eg some lift trucks). Warning devices such as
rotating beacons and reversing alarms are often fitted, and conspicuous painting and marking can
be used to make a vehicle stand out to pedestrians. Drivers should be able to see clearly around
their vehicle, so consider measures such as CCTV and special mirrors where visibility is restricted.
Vehicles should be designed so that, wherever possible, those who use them can do their work
from the ground. Where people have to work at height on vehicles, suitable means of safe access
onto and around vehicles should be provided.

safe driver.

Drivers should be competent to operate a vehicle safely and receive appropriate information,
instruction and training for the vehicle they use. It is particularly important that younger or less
experienced drivers are closely monitored following their training to ensure they work safely.

DAMIREZ, VON ERIC A.

ME 5-4
Case Study I
Working at Heights

Any area that is at risk of falling objects from work done at height should be clearly indicated
and unauthorized persons kept out of it.
This sign, or something very like it should be prominently displayed around the area that is
being fenced off. As well as ensuring that access to high working places is safely and responsibly
managed, thought should also be given to the surrounding areas. Nothing should be thrown or
tipped from a height if it is likely to injure anyone, or stored in such a way that if it is moved, it is
likely to injure anyone.
It seems from the falling number of deaths and serious injuries over the past years that
campaigns to raise awareness seem to be bearing fruit, but fast as the figures are falling, there is
the very valid point, that One Death is Too Many. Some people may say that deaths and serious
injuries can never be wholly eliminated in what is a dangerous world but merely because we
cannot do everything does not mean that we should do nothing. There is no acceptable level of
death and injury; every incident should serve as a shocking reminder of what can go wrong, and
the steps that must be taken to ensure that it does not go wrong again. When working at height
the safest and most appropriate working platform must be used.
Key steps to prevent objects falling
Follow these key steps to reduce the risks:

Platforms should be made so that materials or objects can't fall and cause injury to
anyone or anything below. Close-boarded platforms are usually safe enough.
Toe boards also prevent items from being kicked off the edge of platforms.
Providing a covered walkway is another way to protect people below.
If you're using a cradle, harness or mobile elevated working platform, mesh or netting
can be used underneath the equipment to prevent anything falling.
Tools such as drills and trowels can be attached to safety lines. If they're accidentally
dropped, the line prevents them falling below the work area.

DAMIREZ, VON ERIC A.

ME 5-4
Case Study II
Working at Heights

This man failed to follow ladder safety guidelines, including footing of the ladder, its angle
of incidence and - it is possible due to the fact that it broke under the weight of one man conducting an inspection of the ladder before beginning the job. As can be seen from this Case
Study, an equipment inspection can often save a person from serious injury. Even if the equipment
is in good working order and operated correctly, workers should nevertheless be aware of the
environment in which they are going to be operating.
If there is no reasonably practicable alternative to working on a fragile surface, those involved
should ensure that suitable platforms, coverings, guard rails and the like are provided. Again, the
role of protective equipment is vital and cannot be overstated.
In many cases where a person falls from height, safe access has not been provided. All
operations requiring work at height require risk assessment and proper management of risks. The
need for access to height should be designed out wherever possible. For example:
1. on plant, machinery or road tankers sampling, checking and control operating points can
often be located at ground level
2. cleaning of plant might be carried out from ground level using a foam jet cleaner or
cleaning might be reduced by better extraction of dust, fume etc.
Measures must be in place whenever there is a risk of a person or object falling a distance
that may cause harm to others or property. If a mobile elevated working platform is selected then
you must ensure the following:

Only a suitably trained and competent person operates the platform

That fall arrest equipment is provided and used by the person or persons inside the
platform
No one in the platform will climb out over the guard rails unless the platform is specifically
designed to allow this
All hand tools are secured to the platform with safety ropes to prevent them falling should
they be dropped

DAMIREZ, VON ERIC A.

ME 5-4

PRESSURE EQUIPMENT
Write down a pressure equipment safety guideline used in the company where you
spent your on the job training. Comment and revise if necessary

Assess the risks

You need to assess the levels of risk when working with pressure equipment. The level of risk
from the failure of pressure systems and equipment depends on a number of factors including:

the pressure in the system

the type of liquid or gas and its properties
the suitability of the equipment and pipework that contains it
the age and condition of the equipment
the complexity and control of its operation
the prevailing conditions (eg a process carried out at high temperature)
the skills, knowledge and experience of the people who maintain, test and operate the pressure
equipment and systems

Basic precautions
To reduce the risks you need to know (and act on) some basic precautions:

Ensure the system can be operated safely, for example without having to climb or struggle
through gaps in pipework or structures
Be careful when repairing or modifying a pressure system. Following a major repair and/or
modification, you may need to have the whole system re-examined before allowing the system
to come back into use
Ensure there is a set of operating instructions for all of the equipment in the system and for the
control of the system as a whole, including in emergencies
There should be a maintenance programme for the system as a whole. It should take into
account the system and equipment age, its uses and the environment in which it is being used

Written scheme of examination

A written scheme of examination is required for most pressure systems:

This should be drawn up (or certified as suitable) by a competent person someone who has
the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to carry out the work safely
It must cover all protective devices, every pressure vessel and those parts of pipelines and
pipework which, if they fail, could be dangerous
The written scheme must specify the nature and frequency of examinations, and include any
special measures that may be needed to prepare a system for a safe examination
Remember, a statutory examination carried out in line with a written scheme is designed to
ensure your pressure system is suitable for your intended use. It is not a substitute for regular
and routine maintenance