30.06.2009

PAIG warns on overhead obstacles

The Powered Access Interest Group (PAIG), a joint committee of the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) and the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), has called on companies to take extra care when using aerial lifts in confined overhead areas. This type of work has increased in recent years and led to a number of accidents.

PAIG is currently producing a best practice guide on the use of aerial lifts in such applications. The guide will draw on the work that IPAF has done with the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) to develop guidance on the safe use of MEWPs in constructional steelwork.

The initiative follows incidents in several countries where operators became trapped between the guardrails of their platform and an overhead object, such as a beam. In a number of cases the operator has been pushed onto the controls resulting in crushing injuries or in the worst case a fatality.

IPAF notes that such accidents should not occur if operators and management follow safe operating procedures that are covered by IPAF or other industry training programmes. In spite of this IPAF has reviewed its training programme to increase operator awareness of such risks and the measures they should take to avoid them.

Additional graphical material is being produced for use by IPAF instructors to reinforce the existing message on good and bad operating practices and continual awareness of the potential trapping hazards created by overhead objects and obstructions, particularly when working in confined overhead areas. Additional material is also being included in the IPAF Operator’s Safety Guide that is given to all operators who attain a PAL Card (Powered Access Licence).

Managers should also be aware of specific precautions and procedures when planning and supervising work in confined overhead areas. To assist them, additional material is being prepared for use in the IPAF MEWPs for Managers course.

Finally the IPAF Manufacturers’ Technical Committee is assessing the possibility of operators becoming trapped against the platform controls and looking at potential design developments that can help to protect against the sustained involuntary operation of platform controls.

Gil Male, IPAF’s technical officer says: “It is important to identify when operators are at risk and for site management to take particular care when work is planned in confined overhead areas. Site risk assessments, advice on the selection of MEWPs and method statements for operating in areas where trapping risks are present are all measures that can help. The planned best practice guidance to be produced by PAIG will address these issues.”

Vertikal Comment

The number of overhead crushing incidents with aerial work platforms are thankfully few and far between and in the vast majority of cases down to operators not spotting or being aware of an obstacle until it is too late.

While the number of occurrences is very low, there are several each year and they are invariably identical to ones that have gone before. Given this it makes good sense to focus more attention on the subject and to look at practical, workable ways to improve the operating controls.

However at the end of the day, as with driving a car, the best way to avoid such incidents is for the operator to be alert and well trained, who properly assesses the work area before going up- not via a load of paperwork, but by a good physical/sight survey of the work area, which takes minutes at most.