Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165927
out Tear this with are and shr crew you safety watch | by Amy Materson AMaterson@randallreilly.com Demo woes The accident: A seven-member crew was performing demolition work on the eighth floor of a building. A worker who was removing windows and taking down interior walls was throwing debris through a window opening. He fell out of the opening, falling more than 80 feet to the ground below. He landed on a debris pile, surviving the fall with multiple fractures and lacerations. The bottom line: A post-accident investigation determined the window openings as well as floor holes were unguarded, and the subcontractors involved had no coordinated plan to protect workers from the many hazards of the demo site. Also, the companies were found to have no material chute in place for debris removal. High alert Demolition sites are often busy, loud and confusing, and present multiple hazards. Before beginning work, your supervisor should make the results of the site survey clear to you, and inform you of dangers present on the site. Furthermore, your company's competent person should be continually Illustration by Don Lomax Tear along perforated edges Be aware of the multiple dangers present at demolition sites evaluating the site during the job, and let you know when situations change. Openings and holes Some of the biggest dangers of a demo site are the holes you create. Once you make an opening, it must be covered or guarded: • If your employer uses covers over openings, each cover must be secured and color-coded, or marked with the word "hole" or "cover." • Floor hole covers must support two times the weight of anything that will be placed on top of the cover, including personnel, materials and equipment. • Window openings must be guarded with standard guardrail systems. If you're working on a site where holes are present that would allow you to fall more than 6 feet to a lower level, wear a personal fall arrest system. In the event an opening is inadequately covered, the fall protection system will keep you from falling to the level below. Debris removal The contractor in this case was cited because the employees were throwing debris out of the window, which presents a range of hazardous situations. When performing demolition on upper floors, a material chute should be used to remove debris. Never drop material from an open window to the ground below. EW0913 Information for this Safety Watch was taken from an accident, the state of Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Center for Disease Control's NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program. It is meant for general information only. Sponsored by Date of safety talk: Attending: EW0913_Safety Watch.indd 74 Leader: 9/5/13 10:19 AM