2012年02月24日
moving beneath them
In order to ensure the safety of workers at height as well as those moving beneath them, the UK government adopted new European safety regulations back in 2005. Those regulations were amended in 2007 and have since been fined tuned in-line with British Standards and localised dispensation to what we have today. Unfortunately, when talking about at height safety the one component of the equation often forgotten is the worker himself. Yet he is an important part of the safety equation and needs to be considered just as much as safety equipment and the specific tools required.
Since a worker's continued job security and future advancement depends largely on his productivity, it stands to reason that safety may not always be his first priority if it conflicts with productivity. This is not to excuse such an attitude, but rather to suggest that it is reality. Therefore, operator considerations need to be part of the development of job site planning and safety procedure development. Planners must look at all the conditions surrounding the application and what individuals will be exposed to.
Working from MEWPS and in Tight Spaces
One of the most common difficulties experienced by working at height is trying to complete tasks in tight and confined spaces. For example, a worker who is elevated to his work area by powered access only has so much room to move around. If that basket is full of tools at the same time, it may limit his space even further. When a worker is in this type of position he can easily become frustrated and irritable. That can in turn lead to carelessness when it comes to properly securing and using hand tools. A solution to this problem can be to use specialist tool bag attached to the MEWP rail which has the necessary tool anchor points for securing tool lanyards.
Managers may believe that a single type of generic access system is sufficient because it meets the minimum requirements and is the least expensive option. Yet if those supervisors have never worked with that particular type of system in that environment, they may be unaware that it might not be inappropriate. In other words, the cheapest system that meets minimum requirements is not always the best.
Since a worker's continued job security and future advancement depends largely on his productivity, it stands to reason that safety may not always be his first priority if it conflicts with productivity. This is not to excuse such an attitude, but rather to suggest that it is reality. Therefore, operator considerations need to be part of the development of job site planning and safety procedure development. Planners must look at all the conditions surrounding the application and what individuals will be exposed to.
Working from MEWPS and in Tight Spaces
One of the most common difficulties experienced by working at height is trying to complete tasks in tight and confined spaces. For example, a worker who is elevated to his work area by powered access only has so much room to move around. If that basket is full of tools at the same time, it may limit his space even further. When a worker is in this type of position he can easily become frustrated and irritable. That can in turn lead to carelessness when it comes to properly securing and using hand tools. A solution to this problem can be to use specialist tool bag attached to the MEWP rail which has the necessary tool anchor points for securing tool lanyards.
Managers may believe that a single type of generic access system is sufficient because it meets the minimum requirements and is the least expensive option. Yet if those supervisors have never worked with that particular type of system in that environment, they may be unaware that it might not be inappropriate. In other words, the cheapest system that meets minimum requirements is not always the best.
Posted by yooyoo at 13:48│Comments(0)
