What are the general mechanical hazards associated with the movement of machinery parts?
- Entanglement
- Friction or abrasion
- Cutting
- Shearing
- Stabbing or puncture
- Impact
- Crushing
- Drawing in
- Ejection
What factors need to be considered when selecting work equipment?
- Its’ initial integrity and conformity with any national requirements
- Where it will be used, what it will be used for
- Ergonomic factors, to avoid undue strain on the user
- The need for adequate space and safe access, including maintenance activities
- The forms of energy used or produced (e.g. electricity, hydraulic, pneumatic, vibration, noise)
- The substances used or produced (e.g., fumes, which might highlight a need for good ventilation)
What are the immediate dangers of falling into water?
- Shock of sudden immersion in cold water
- Weight of waterlogged clothing
- Incapacity following injury caused by striking an object during the fall or while in the water
- Fatigue or hypothermia where rescue is not immediate
What are the control measures associated with the use of a cartridge operated tool?
- Operated only by competent, trained people
- Never leave a tool loaded or walk around with a loaded gun
- Secure storage of cartridges
- Wear suitable PPE (eye protection; ear protection)
- Follow manufacturers’ instructions in the event of a misfire
What are the basic requirements for guards and protective devices?
- They must be of robust construction
- They must not give rise to any additional hazard
- They must not be easy to bypass or render non-operational
- They must be located at an adequate distance from the danger zone
- They must cause minimum obstruction to the view of the production process
- They must allow for essential work to be carried out - if possible, without the guard having to be removed or protective device having to be disabled
What are the non-mechanical hazards associated with the use of an electrical powered sander?
- Noise and vibration
- Dust
- Electricity
- Trailing cables (unless battery operated)
What control measures would be suitable when using a petrol driven cement mixer?
- PPE to include respiratory and eye protection; impervious gloves; overalls when loading and mixing, (ear protection if noise levels are excessive)
- Operators to be competent to use
- Regular inspection and maintenance of the cement mixer
- Fuel to be stored in suitable containers
What are the potential hazards associated with the use of a cartridge operated tool?
- Using tools on unsuitable materials
- Ricochet of fastener
- Misfiring
- Operating near explosive materials
What will determine the frequency of maintenance for a piece of work equipment?
- Statutory requirements
- The manufacturer’s recommendations
- The intensity of use
- Operating environment (e.g. the effect of temperature, corrosion, weathering)
- User knowledge and experience
- The risk to health and safety from any foreseeable failure or malfunction
What general precautions should be observed by users of hand-held power tools?
- Never carry a tool by the cord or hose
- Never yank the cord or the hose to disconnect it from the receptacle
- Keep cords and hoses away from heat, oil, and sharp edges
- Disconnect tools when not in use, before servicing and when changing accessories such as blades, bits, and cutters
- Secure work with clamps or a vice, freeing both hands to operate the tool
- Tools should be maintained
- The proper apparel should be worn. Loose clothing, ties or jewellery can become caught in moving parts
- Where appropriate guards should in place before use
- All portable tools that are damaged should be removed from serviced and quarantined until repaired
Give some examples of typical work equipment used on a construction site?
- Excavators
- Backhoes
- Cranes
- Dump trucks
- Scaffolding
- Ladders
- Compactors
- Piling machines
What are the mechanical hazards associated with the use of an electrical powered sander?
- Contact/abrasions
- Nips
- Ejection
What control measures would be suitable when using LPG driven road marking equipment?
- All moving parts to be enclosed
- Suitable road warning signs to be installed to warn vehicle users (and lights where appropriate)
- LPG cylinders to be in an upright condition
- PPE: High visibility and/or overalls as a minimum
- No naked flames or smoking
- Operator/users to be competent
What is the preferred hierarchy when guarding dangerous parts of machinery?
- Fixed enclosing guards
- Other guards (e.g. adjustable, self-adjusting) or protection devices (e.g. interlocks, trips)
- Protection appliances (e.g. push sticks, jigs)
- The provision of information, instruction, training, and supervision
Under the Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), what is the meaning of work equipment?
“Any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work, whether exclusively used at work or not”.
What control measures would be suitable when using a petrol driven plate compactor?
- Selection of low vibration models
- Hold-to-run controls
- Enclosure of drives and moving parts of the engine
- PPE: Ear and eye protection, safety footwear
- Proper storage for fuel
- Users/operators to be competent
What are the general non-mechanical hazards associated with electrically driven machinery?
- Noise
- Vibration
- Electricity
- Hazardous substances
- Ergonomics
- Hot/cold temperatures
What control measures would be suitable when using a petrol driven industrial strimmer?
- PPE to include ear and eye protection (face shield), support harness, safety footwear
- Operators to be competent to use
- Regular inspection and maintenance of the strimmer
- Fuel to be stored in suitable containers
