Site Safety

CRANES

Hazard: Significant and serious injuries may occur if cranes are not inspected before use and if they are not used properly. Often these injuries occur when a worker is struck by an overhead load or caught within the crane's swing radius. Many crane fatalities occur when the boom of a crane or its load line contact an overhead power line.

Solutions:

Check all crane controls to insure proper operation before use.
Inspect wire rope, chains and hook for any damage.
Know the weight of the load that the crane is to lift.
Ensure that the load does not exceed the crane's rated capacity.
Raise the load a few inches to verify balance and the effectiveness of the brake system.
Check all rigging prior to use; do not wrap hoist ropes or chains around the load.
Fully extend outriggers.
Do not move a load over workers.
Barricade accessible areas within the crane swing radius.
Watch for overhead electrical distribution and transmission lines and maintain a safe working clearance of at least 10 feet from energized electrical lines.

Trenching

Hazard: Trench collapses cause dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year. Trenching deaths rose in 2003.

Solutions:

Never enter an unprotected trench.
Always use a protective system for trenches feet deep or greater.
Employ a registered professional engineer to design a protective system for trenches 20 feet deep or greater.
Protective Systems:
- Sloping to protect workers by cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation not steeper than a height/depth ratio of 11 2 :1, according to the sloping requirements for the type of soil.
- Shoring to protect workers by installing supports to prevent soil movement for trenches that do not exceed 20 feet in depth.
- Shielding to protect workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins.
Always provide a way to exit a trench--such as a ladder, stairway or ramp--no more than 25 feet of lateral travel for employees in the trench.
Keep spoils at least two feet back from the edge of a trench.
Make sure that trenches are inspected by a competent person prior to entry and after any hazard-increasing event such as a rainstorm, vibrations or excessive surcharge loads

FALL PROTECTION

Hazard: Each year, falls consistently account for the greatest number of fatalities in the construction industry. A number of factors are often involved in falls, including unstable working surfaces, misuse or failure to use fall protection equipment and human error. Studies have shown that using guardrails, fall arrest systems, safety nets, covers and restraint systems can prevent many deaths and injuries from falls.

Solutions:

Consider using aerial lifts or elevated platforms to provide safer elevated working surfaces;
Erect guardrail systems with toeboards and warning lines or install control line systems to protect workers near the edges of floors and roofs;
Cover floor holes; and/or
Use safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems (body harnesses).

Safety Equipment Provided on Demand (Contact To Buy Your safety Equipment)

Site Safety

CRANES

Trenching

Fall Protection

FALL PROTECTION

Source: OSHA Technical Manual