Crane Assembly/Disassembly

 

OSHA’s subpart CC, Cranes and Derricks in Construction, has specific requirements for the assembly and disassembly of cranes. Employers must comply with all manufacturer prohibitions regarding assembly and disassembly.

Assembly/disassembly responsibilities
Qualified person — a person who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, successfully demonstrated the ability to solve/ resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.

Competent person — one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

The work has to be directed by an A/D (Assembly/Disassembly) director. The A/D director must meet the criteria for both a competent person and a qualified person, or must be a competent person assisted by a qualified person. The A/D director must:
• Understand the applicable procedures.
• Review the procedures immediately prior to beginning work unless he or she understands the procedures and has used them before for that equipment type and configuration.
• Ensure that each member of the crew understands his or her tasks, the hazards of the tasks, and any hazardous positions or locations to avoid.
• Verify all capacities of any equipment used, including rigging, lifting lugs, etc.
• Address hazards associated with the operation, including 12 specified areas of concern: site and ground conditions, blocking material, proper location of blocking, verifying assist crane loads, boom and jib pick points, center of gravity, stability upon pin removal, snagging, struck by counterweights, boom hoist brake failure, loss of backward stability, and wind speed and weather.

Inspection
After assembly, but before use, a qualified person must inspect the crane to make sure it is configured according to the manufacturer equipment criteria. If these criteria are unavailable, the employer’s qualified person, with the assistance of a registered professional engineer if necessary, must develop the appropriate configuration criteria and ensure that these criteria are met.

Ground crew
A crew member who moves out of the operator’s view to a location where the crew member could be injured by movement of the equipment (or load) must inform the operator before going to that location. The operator must not move the equipment until that crew member informs the operator that he or she has relocated to a safe position.

Rigging
All rigging must be done by a qualified rigger. Follow manufacturer procedures when using synthetic slings during assembly or disassembly rigging (even when the employer has developed its own A/D procedure as an alternative to the manufacturer’s other procedures.)
Protect synthetic slings from abrasive, sharp or acute edges, and configurations that might reduce the rated capacity.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Entry Safety in Confined Spaces

 

The old cliche “it is better to be safe than sorry,” was made for confined spaces. Yet workers continue to make the mistake of entering deadly spaces without proper preparation. It is pretty much a given that you can go to your local library any day of the week and find a newspaper reporting on the latest victim of a confined space accident.

What is a confined or enclosed space?
The OSHA regulations for construction define a confined or enclosed space as any space having a limited means of getting out, and which can gather toxic or flammable gases, vapors, or has oxygen-deficient air. Examples of confined or enclosed spaces include storage tanks, process vessels, bins, boilers, ventilation and exhaust ducts, sewers, underground utility vaults, excavations, manholes, tunnels, pipelines, and open top spaces more than four feet in depth, such as pits, tubs, vaults, and vessels.

Confined or enclosed space hazards
What makes a confined or enclosed space hazardous? Many situations and hazards can cause a confined space to become deadly. Materials being used such as cleaning or bonding liquids, work being done such as welding, or the effects of the environment can cause dangerous vapors, gases, and mists to accumulate in these spaces. The result can be fires, explosions, and physical hazards.

Entering confined spaces
If you are required to enter and work in a confined or enclosed space you must first receive instructions on what you might encounter. Your company will train you on:
• What kinds of hazards you might encounter and why those hazards are dangerous.
• The necessary precautions to take for each type of hazard.
• The use of any protective and/or emergency equipment and instruments required.

Often, the confined space you are entering will not appear to be hazardous. It may have been entered on the last shift with no problems, and may not give signs of being dangerous. At other times there may be indications of danger—the distinct odor of toxic atmospheres, arcing of electrical equipment, or the presence of loose material.

You should always follow your company’s confined space program and use protective equipment made available to you. If you follow the safety rules carefully, you will be able to work safely even in confined spaces.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Ventilation Confined Space

 

Ventilation is the best method for making a confined space atmosphere safe and free of hazardous air. Planning the confined space entry operation, and selecting the proper ventilation equipment is critical. It is almost an art form to ensure every nook and cranny of the confined space is continuously ventilated. It also takes a little math to figure out how long it takes to ventilate a certain sized confined space with the equipment you have.

Types of ventilation
Some confined spaces can be ventilated naturally. This is the case with most excavations. However, any time a naturally ventilated confined space is occupied, adequate precautions must be taken to prevent employee exposure to air containing less than 19.5 percent oxygen and other hazardous atmospheres.

Other confined spaces must be ventilated with mechanical equipment.  

Ventilation is important to:

• Clear the confined space of hazardous air before you are permitted to enter.
• Keep the confined space clear of hazardous air while you are working in the space.
• Keep the confined space comfortable by lowering temperatures and providing fresh air.

Types of equipment

Blowers provide a continuous supply of outside air. Ventilation blowers can work two ways. They can either force fresh air into the confined space or suck the contaminated air out and pull fresh air in. The most popular (and efficient) method of the two is forced air.

Ducting is also important. The positioning can mean proper circulation and venting of the whole confined space or leaving pockets of contaminated air in corners.

If you are using blower equipment in a potentially explosive hazardous atmosphere you must use equipment designed to be spark-proof and have the ability to dissipate static electricity.

Because of the complications of selecting the right equipment, your site’s competent person must know how to evaluate the confined space and select equipment powerful enough to exchange air in the space. The size and configuration of the space and the output of the blower must be evaluated.

Confined space work can be safe. Proper and continuous ventilation is one of the best and easier methods to accomplish a hazard free confined space.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Construction Rescue

 

The OSHA rule at 1926.21(b)(6)(i) says that your employer must instruct you as to the: (1) nature of confined space hazards, (2) precautions to be taken, and (3) the use of protective and emergency equipment required [for rescue]. This toolbox talk concentrates on the rescue aspect of confined space entry.
Some examples of situations where a confined space rescue program is required are:

Open surface tanks—If in emergencies, such as rescue work, it is necessary to enter a tank which may contain a hazardous atmosphere, suitable respirators must be used.

Welding—When a welder enters a confined space...means must be provided for quick removal in case of an emergency. When safety belts and lifelines are used for this purpose they shall be so attached...that a welder cannot be jammed in a small opening. An attendant with a pre-planned rescue procedure must be stationed outside to observe the welder at all times and be capable of implementing rescue operations.

Excavations—Rescue equipment, such as breathing apparatus, a safety harness and line, or a basket stretcher, must be readily available where hazardous atmospheric conditions exist or may reasonably be expected to develop during excavation work. The equipment must be attended when in use. With regard to excavations, OSHA has stipulated that emergency rescue equipment is only required to be readily available where a competent person determines, based on the jobsite conditions, that hazardous atmospheric conditions exist or may reasonably be expected to develop during work in a particular excavation.

Work in manholes—While work is being done in manholes, an employee must be available nearby to give emergency assistance as may be required.

The minimum requirements you should look for in your company’s written emergency rescue procedure is that:
• Trained personnel must be available and stationed outside the confined space with proper equipment to provide for the rescue of persons entering the space.
• The equipment must include a safety harness and lifelines with provisions for hoisting employees from the confined space.
• If entry is required for rescue, the rescue person must be equipped with approved air supplied respiratory equipment and other appropriate personal protective equipment.

Of the approximately 54 workers who die each year in confined space accidents, almost two-thirds result from people attempting a rescue. Never attempt a rescue in a confined space if you are: (1) not trained, (2) do not have the proper equipment.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

OSHA Violations

 

Stairways and ladders are a major source of injuries and fatalities for construction workers. OSHA estimates that there are 24,882 injuries and as many as 36 fatalities each year due to falls from stairways and ladders. Nearly half of these injuries are serious enough to require time off the job.

The OSHA rules specify when stairways and ladders must be provided. The rules do not apply to ladders that are specifically manufactured for getting to and from scaffold working platforms, but do apply to job-made and manufactured portable ladders intended for general purpose use and which are then used for scaffold ladders.

#1 Ladder use—When portable ladders are used to get to an upper surface, the ladder side rails must extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing surface. If this is not possible because of the ladder’s length, it must be secured at the top to a rigid support and a grasping device, such as a grabrail, must be provided to assist in getting on and off the ladder.

The extension must never be so short that ladder deflection under a load will cause it to slip off its support.

#2 Stairrails and handrails—Stairways having 4 or more risers or rising more than 30 inches, whichever is less, must be equipped with: (1) at least one handrail, and (2) one stairrail system along each unprotected side or edge.

When the top edge of a stairrail system also serves as a handrail, the top edge must not be more than 37 inches nor less than 36 inches from the upper surface of the stairrail to the surface of the tread, in line with the face of the riser at the forward edge of the tread.

#3 Ladders must only be used for the purpose for which they were designed—§1926.1053(b)(4)

#4 Access points—A stairway or ladder must be provided at all employee points of access where there is a break in elevation of 19 inches or more and no ramp, runway, sloped embankment, or personnel hoist is provided.

#5 Training—As necessary, your employer must provide a training program for employees that use ladders and stairways. The program must enable you to recognize hazards related to ladders and stairways and must train you in the procedures to be followed to minimize those hazards.

You must be trained by your company’s competent person.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Confined space Handout

 

The OSHA definition of a confined or enclosed space for construction activities is a space that:
• Has limited means of getting out, and
• Is subject to the accumulation of toxic or flammable gases or has an oxygen deficient atmosphere.
Normally excavations are not considered confined spaces because they are usually subject to natural ventilation. Sometimes, however, excavations qualify as confined spaces if natural ventilation does not occur.

Hazardous atmospheres
Sometimes, you do find hazardous atmospheres in excavations. If so, a competent person must test excavations where oxygen deficiency (atmospheres containing less than 19.5 percent oxygen), or a hazardous atmosphere exists or there is a chance it could exist. If that is the case, the air in the excavation must be tested before you enter any excavation more than four feet deep.

Also, adequate precaution must be taken to prevent your exposure to air containing a concentration of a flammable gas greater than 20 percent of its lower flammable limit.
Excavations that could raise a red flag as “could reasonably be expected to exist” are excava¬tions in landfill areas, areas where hazardous substances are stored nearby, hazardous waste cleanup sites, and underground storage tank digs.

Engineering controls
If hazardous conditions exist, controls such as proper respiratory protection or ventilation must be provided.
 

Ventilation is probably the best and most effective method of controlling a hazardous atmo¬sphere. In numerous places throughout the OSHA regulations it says you must engineer or administrate out hazardous atmospheres before resorting to respiratory protection.
 

When controls, such as ventilation, are used to reduce atmospheric contaminants to accept¬able levels, the atmosphere must be tested as necessary to ensure it remains safe.

Rescue operations
Where adverse atmospheric conditions may exist or develop in an excavation, the employer must provide and ensure that emergency rescue equipment (e.g., breathing apparatus, a safety harness and line, basket stretcher, etc.) is readily available. This equipment must be attended when used.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Compressed Gases

 

Overview
Compressed gases are extremely useful in our lives. At the same time, if not handled, stored and used properly, compressed gases can be hazardous.

Compressed gases can be hazardous because they may be:

• Stored under high pressure: When a high-pressure cylinder accidentally ruptures or when a valve assembly breaks off, rocketing can occur. A compressed gas cylinder has enough stored energy to blast through a concrete wall.

• Flammable: Flammable gases catch fire easily and burn quickly. Adding flammability to a compression hazard can create an extremely dangerous situation.

• Asphyxiant (inert): Inert gases can displace oxygen needed for breathing, leading to suffocation of exposed employees.

• Oxidizing: Oxidizing gases can explode violently when they come into contact with organic and combustible materials. Containers of oxidizing gases must be kept free of oils, greases, and other hydrocarbon-based materials.

• Corrosive: Corrosive gases attack exposed tissues and other materials. Special PPE and a self-contained breathing apparatus is required when handling these gases. Know the location of eyewashes and emergency showers.

• Toxic: Poisonous gases which should only be handled by specially trained workers. Appropriate PPE is always required when handling toxic gases.

• Cryogenic: Extremely cold gases or liquids which can cause frostbite or burned skin if they come into contact with exposed skin. These gases can also displace oxygen causing an asphyxiation hazard.

What must my employer do?
Your employer will:

• review the appropriate procedures for handling pressurized gases, and work practices in your workplace.

• demonstrate the appropriate use of PPE for the gases used in your workplace.

• show and explain the meanings of any hazardous warning signs used at the workplace.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com