ROOF ANCHORING SAFETY
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Anchoring safety |
WORKING ON THE ROOF, ROPE
ACCESS, FALL PROTECTION SYSTEM, FALL ARREST SYSTEM, LADDERS, EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT, RESCUE OPERATIONS AT ON THE ROOF
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Working on roof |
WORKING ON ROOF SAFETY
WORKING ON THE ROOF, ROPE
ACCESS, FALL PROTECTION SYSTEM, FALL ARREST SYSTEM, LADDERS, EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT, RESCUE OPERATIONS AT ON THE ROOF
The following the
roof works:
1.
Edge protection systems (hard barricaded,
railings) shall be installed, inspected, and signed off by a competent person
2.
Full-body safety harnesses shall be made
available where required and employees are trained in their use at the work at
height.
3.
Employees involved with roof working shall be
briefed about hazards and control measures specifically on the safe system of
work.
4.
Rescue arrangements shall be in place to deal
with any employee or person who may fall and become suspended by their safety full-body
harness.
5.
No one-person areas below where roof works are
to be undertaken are barricaded off and warning signs shall be displayed.
6.
Safe access egress shall be provided to each
roof work area.
7.
Adverse weather conditions shall be assessed and
within the limits for work to start safely.
8.
Fragile roof materials shall be identified and
access to these areas is restricted with the use of rigid barriers and warning
signs.
ROPE ACCESS
Rope access techniques on the roof allow access to
structures or equipment that are otherwise inaccessible, unsafe, or impractical
to access using conventional techniques.
Trained workers using industrial rope access techniques
shall be trained and certified to requirements as per BS 7985 - Code of
Practice for the use of Rope Access Methods for Industrial Purposes such as
IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association), SPRAT (The Society of
Professional Rope Access Technicians) or equivalent standards. All rope access
activities shall be conducted in line with the requirements of IRATA
(Industrial Rope Access Trade Association).
Rope Access work
methods ensured:
1.
Provision protection to prevent a rope access
technician from falling, for example, a safety line in conjunction with the
working line on the roof.
2.
The connection to the rope access system or
other personal fall protection system and disconnection from it shall be made
in an area where there is no risk of a fall from a height
3.
The rope access personnel shall be connected to
both the working line and the safety line via a safety full-body harness.
4.
Rope access systems shall be planned to avoid
falls from the work at height. In the unlikely event of a fall, the impact load
on a rope access technician shall never be greater than 6 KN.
INSPECTION AND
MAINTENANCE
Inspection and maintenance all the equipment used during
working at height shall be properly inspected and maintained to minimize the
risk of falls. Ensure inspection and maintenance of equipment shall comply with
this Standard and as per the manufacturer’s recommendation. A thorough visual
inspection and checks on equipment or tools before every usage for ensuring
that the equipment is free from observable defects.
The maintenance
program components:
·
The inventory of equipment that requires regular
maintenance, the frequency, and procedures of maintenance of equipment
·
Periodic / regularly inspections
·
Preventive maintenance, such as servicing,
cleaning, etc.
·
Repair for damaged items if it’s possible
·
Replacement for irreparable items from the work
site
·
Check the lifespan of the equipment as per the manufacturer’s
recommendation instructions
·
Make sure record-keeping such as for damages,
flaws detected any preventive maintenance, repairs, or replacements done of
equipment.
FALL PROTECTION
SYSTEM
Inspection and
preventive maintenance procedure:
·
The equipment manufacturer’s recommendation
instructions should be followed
·
Make sure fall protection equipment shall be
inspected before each use, and also documented inspection at intervals not to
exceed 6 months, or following the manufacturer’s recommendation instructions.
FALL ARREST SYSTEM
·
Ensure any defective fall arrest equipment found
during inspection and maintenance shall be segregated, tagged with a cautionary
Out of Service Tag, and discarded from the work site.
·
Ensure any items found to have been stretched or
damaged shall be replaced before the equipment can be re-used.
·
Make sure personnel performing working at height
shall inspect each of the following items as per the manufacturer’s instruction
before and after use:
Full-body safety Harnesses, lanyards, connectors, ropes,
slings, and any other mobile attachment devices e.g. snap-hooks, karabiners,
rope grabs.
INSPECTION SHALL BE
ENSURED:
1.
Make sure the opening of any equipment where
access for daily inspection is provided, to make sure that internal components
are in satisfactory condition.
2.
Ensure inspections of full body harnesses and
lanyards are conducted every 6 months by a trained and competent person.
3.
Ensure anchorages are inspected and certified
before use after initial installation and inspected every 12 months by a
qualified & experienced rigger, scaffolder, or specialist installer.
4.
Ensure inspection of fall arrest devices is
conducted every 3 months by a trained and competent person to perform the
inspection.
5.
Ensure inspection of horizontal lifelines,
vertical lifelines used with fall arrest devices, and horizontal or vertical
rails to be undertaken every 12 months.
6.
Make sure that fall arrest equipment is stored
and transported in conditions that avoid dampness, heat, and stress on
components.
LADDERS SHALL
·
Have a pre-use daily checks inspection of the ladder
·
Make sure an up-to-date record of the detailed
visual inspection carried out regularly by a competent, trained, and experienced
person shall be done following the manufacturer’s recommendation.
EMERGENCY PLANNING
Proper planning in an event of any emergency during the
activity shall be ensured. The emergency plan shall include but is not limited
to the following:
·
Make sure a written Emergency Response Plan
including rescue from work at height shall be developed.
·
Make sure emergency response equipment shall be
kept on-site and made readily available and accessible identified based on the
risk assessment of work at height.
·
Make sure who to approach or call in the event
of an emergency for work at height.
·
Ensure procedures to follow in event of
emergencies, including those persons suspended in safety harness during fall
arrest system.
·
Assembly points.
·
Ensure first aid shall be made available.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
When a person falls and is suspended in a full-body harness,
it’s important to rescue him or her as quickly as possible because of the
following reasons.
·
The workers may have suffered injuries during
the fall and may need medical attention to the person or worker.
·
When the workers are suspended in their safety
harnesses for long periods, they may suffer from blood pooling in the lower
body. This can lead to suspension trauma.
·
Suspended people or workers may panic if they
are not rescued quickly.
·
The event that led to the fall may create
additional risks that need to be addressed.
RESCUE OPERATIONS
Emergency plan and rescue procedures to recover personnel
suspended in full-body safety harnesses shall consider:
·
Make sure the immediate rescue of a person after
an arrested fall to prevent the onset of potential injuries such as suspension
trauma which can occur when a person is suspended in a full-body safety harness.
·
Make sure the types of equipment required to
carry out a rescue at work at height. Such equipment shall be suitable for use
in all foreseeable situations in the workplace. Ensure existing equipment such
as mobile elevated work platforms and scissor lifts may be used for conducting
rescue if suitable for the work at height on the roof.
·
The installation of individual fall-arrest
systems and individual rope access systems shall be in locations where it is
possible to assist or rescue a person quickly if required.
·
Ensuring that all persons or workers using fall
arrest systems are familiar with devices before the commencement of the work on
the roof.
·
Make sure details of additional support
facilities, including the location, contact information, and availability of
emergency services.
·
Make sure an effective and readily available
means of communication.
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