KATIGBAK, ROLLIE PAOLO Z.

ME 5-4
Case Study

WORKPLACE TRANSPORT
The main causes of injury are people falling off vehicles, or being struck or
crushed by them. There is really a need for every company to help people involved in
workplace transport reduce the chances of accidents happening. It is mainly aimed at
managers but operators and their safety representatives will also find it useful.
Workplace transport is any activity involving vehicles used in a workplace.
Vehicles driven on public roads are excluded, except where the vehicle is being loaded
or unloaded on a public road adjacent to a workplace. It does not include the dangers
associated with driving on public roads, air or rail although loading and unloading
activities on the public highway are covered.
Every year a considerable number of accidents occur resulting in people being
killed or injured in incidents involving vehicles in the workplace. With better organising,
planning, training and awareness in relation to workplace transport safety, employers
can avoid most of these incidents.
When considering the risks it helps to break down your assessment in three
critical areas: vehicles, drivers and site hazards. Drivers and those who have overall
control of sites (site operators) should make sure that coupling and uncoupling areas
are well lit, with firm and level surfaces.
To minimise the risks to those involved in loading and unloading, information
should be provided on the nature of the load and how it should be properly loaded,
secured and unloaded. This information should accompany the load and be available to
those involved in the loading, transportation and unloading activities.
Drivers should be competent to operate a vehicle safely and receive appropriate
information, instruction and training for the vehicle they use. Vehicles should be
maintained in good working order so they remain mechanically sound, and any devices,
such as flashing beacons, function properly.
Some of the things to consider are the following:
A. Visibility - Visibility should be good enough for drivers to see hazards, and
pedestrians to see vehicles. Adequate visibility for drivers is related to vehicle speed
and the distance needed to stop or change direction safely.
B. Speed - Speed limits can also be used, but they need to be appropriate, properly
enforced and, where possible, consistent across the site.

C. Signs, signals and markings - Signs for drivers and pedestrians in a workplace
should be the same as those used on public roads (as shown in the Highway
Code1), wherever a suitable sign exists.
D. Lighting - Every workplace should have suitable and sufficient lighting, particularly in
areas where vehicles manoeuvre, or pedestrians and vehicles circulate and cross &
loading and unloading takes place.
E. Signalling - The job of banksmen (or signallers) is to guide drivers and make sure
reversing areas are free of pedestrians. However, in some industries, such as
quarrying, banksmen are rarely used due to the size of the vehicles involved.
F. Parking - Parking areas should be clearly indicated and there should be separate
parking areas for commercial and private vehicles. There should also be designated
areas where commercial vehicles can be loaded and unloaded.
G. Coupling and uncoupling - Drivers should be properly trained and have their work
monitored by site operators to make sure they follow a safe system of work,
involving the use of trailer and tractor unit parking brakes as appropriate.
H. Loading and unloading - To minimise the risks to those involved in loading and
unloading, information should be provided on the nature of the load and how it
should be properly loaded, secured and unloaded.
I. Maintenance - Vehicles should be maintained in good working order so they remain
mechanically sound, and any devices, such as flashing beacons, function properly.
Vehicles such as lift trucks and those with tail lifts must be thoroughly examined by a
competent person and reports kept.
J. Drivers should be competent to operate a vehicle safely and receive appropriate
information, instruction and training for the vehicle they use. It is particularly
important that younger or less experienced drivers are closely monitored following
their training to ensure they work safely.
K. Training - Training requirements will depend on an individuals experience and the
training they have previously received. Your risk assessment should help decide the
level and amount of training a person requires.
L. Fitness to operate - A persons fitness to drive/operate a vehicle should be judged on
an individual basis but the aim is to match the requirements of the task with the
fitness and abilities of the driver/operator.

KATIGBAK, ROLLIE PAOLO Z.

ME 5-4
Case Study

LOCK-OUT TAG-OUT
The problem with this case was that the millwright was not really supervised
correctly. He also lacks some companion in the workplace that could have helped him
check what he did. He was able to do the the lock-out procedure but there is no one for
him to verify his work. There should be atleast someone around with him to make sure
that every thing will be okay.
He didn't also double check on something that he locked out just before that is
why something fatal happened to him. Considering that he doesn't know the Electrical
Safety Standard and he isn't really trained. Also the equipment was a little on the
corroded side so it isn't really ideal.
What the millwright should have done is to plan and manage work near electric
overhead power lines so that risks from accidental contact or close proximity to the lines
are adequately controlled. Safety precautions will depend on the nature of the work and
will be essential even when work near the line is of short duration. The millwright should
have done some inspection first after locking it out. He should also verified if the deenergization was done perfectly and everything is okay. He should have double
checked the energy isolating device or even at least operate the push button or other
normal controls to verify that all energy sources have been disconnected and the
equipment will not operate.
If there is a possibility of re-accumulation of stored energy, such as an increase in
pressure to a hazardous level, isolation of the equipment must be periodically verified
until the maintenance or repair is completed, or until the possibility of such accumulation
no longer exists. All in all, what we learn to this situation are quite handful. First is that
the personnel that will do a work should be 100% qualified and verified to be fit to work.
Also, all the equipments must have their own periodic inspection to ensure that the
hazards and risk will be mitigated right before a serious maintenance or repair is
scheduled.

KATIGBAK, ROLLIE PAOLO Z.

ME 5-4
Case Study

FALL PROTECTION
The previous page narrates clearly how the incident actually happened. A 40
year old laborer/helper died after he fell from a 27 ft. The workers didn't actually
anticipate that something like this would ever happen during their working hours. And in
this case, that fall incident resulted to the death of the 40 year old laborer.
Falls are among the most common causes of serious work related injuries and
deaths. Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of
overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. Common
causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs. Roof work is high risk and falls
from roofs, through fragile roofs and fragile roof lights are one of the most common
causes of workplace death and serious injury. As well as in construction, these
accidents can also occur on roofs of factories, warehouses and farm buildings when
roof repair work or cleaning is being carried out.
They, the workers, should have used work equipment or other measures to
prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height. It happen because of
miscommunication and lack of use of the proper Personal Protective Equipment.
Working at this heigh was really risky and It should have been apparent for anyone to
use a protective equipment because this was a very high platform to be in.
The part of the roof where the incident happen was the damaged roofing. That
damaged roofing was truly fragile and should never been left unguarded. A fragile
material is one that does not safely support the weight of a person and any load they
are carrying. The fragility of a roof does not depend solely on the composition of the
material in it.
Any work on a roof is high risk because it involves work at height. High safety
standards are essential however long or short term the work is. The nature of the
precautions needed may vary from one job to another. You should carry out a risk
assessment for all roof work. Simple jobs may not require a great deal.
To sum it up, everything that had happened to the poor 40 year old laborer could
have been prevented if they have done some risk assessment, use proper fall
prevention equipment, wear the proper PPEs and develop a better communication
among the workers.