Dear Sir
Once again thanks for your active come back into the discussions... Please keep on sharing you expertise with us...
I am not fully sure about the answers of the questions which you bring forward... So let me discuss with few civil engineers in my plant and will come back with my answers...
Can you please tell me who should be the "COMPETENT PERSON" when comes to scaffold inspection? Any specific qualification he must be having or what should be the criteria?
During our discussion regarding permits you have given the following definition for Competent Person. Whether the same appliacable here?
"For safety Competent Person means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has absolute authority, responsibility and accountability to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. This is the one person who manages the affairs of the section. Normally the supervisor/Foreman/ Department heads/Engineers/Managers and so on."
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
713Once again thanks for your active come back into the discussions... Please keep on sharing you expertise with us...
I am not fully sure about the answers of the questions which you bring forward... So let me discuss with few civil engineers in my plant and will come back with my answers...
Can you please tell me who should be the "COMPETENT PERSON" when comes to scaffold inspection? Any specific qualification he must be having or what should be the criteria?
During our discussion regarding permits you have given the following definition for Competent Person. Whether the same appliacable here?
"For safety Competent Person means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has absolute authority, responsibility and accountability to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. This is the one person who manages the affairs of the section. Normally the supervisor/Foreman/ Department heads/Engineers/Managers and so on."
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
Dear Dipil,
From your postings I often find you quite enthusiastic in learning things. Your queries are always apt. I feel quite happy to spend few minutes in trying to convincingly clear your doubts though of late time is becoming scarce with me with otherwise busy activities of these days.
Competent person: Definition of competent person will vary depending up on the context in which you use the term.
In dealing with a hazard; it is the competency to identify the hazard, and deal with it safely.
In making a product it is the competency to know the raw materials, equipment, men, environment and process to achieve the best result.
A tea taster is competent to assess the quality of different types of tea on his table.
To say an omelet is good or bad one should be competent enough. He gains his competency only through eating various types in different hotels. But to make a good omelet the cook gains competency only by doing it repeatedly under a good cook.
Thus there is no hard and fast rule. Generally in safety at various places you will find the term in use and often the wording will change. Ultimately the competent person is defined in relation to achieving the target. Competency may be through qualification, experience, expertise and even through just authority.
Regards.
Kesava Pillai
From India, Kollam
From your postings I often find you quite enthusiastic in learning things. Your queries are always apt. I feel quite happy to spend few minutes in trying to convincingly clear your doubts though of late time is becoming scarce with me with otherwise busy activities of these days.
Competent person: Definition of competent person will vary depending up on the context in which you use the term.
In dealing with a hazard; it is the competency to identify the hazard, and deal with it safely.
In making a product it is the competency to know the raw materials, equipment, men, environment and process to achieve the best result.
A tea taster is competent to assess the quality of different types of tea on his table.
To say an omelet is good or bad one should be competent enough. He gains his competency only through eating various types in different hotels. But to make a good omelet the cook gains competency only by doing it repeatedly under a good cook.
Thus there is no hard and fast rule. Generally in safety at various places you will find the term in use and often the wording will change. Ultimately the competent person is defined in relation to achieving the target. Competency may be through qualification, experience, expertise and even through just authority.
Regards.
Kesava Pillai
From India, Kollam
@ Keshav Pillai
Dear Sir
First of all sorry for a late reply... Actually I was little bit busy and took time in discussing the topic with others...
Let me try to answer the questions which you bring for discussion:
1. The maximum (transverse) post spacing or base width for all types of scaffold must not be over:
Answer: 5 feet or 1.5 meters
2. 1. A light duty scaffold, with embossed tubes spaced transversely @ 1.2 meters, must have its corresponding longitudinal spacing of standards (posts) at:
3. 1. The difference between embossed and non-embossed tubes, with respect to standards spacing and structural capability is that:
4. 1. A light duty scaffold, with non-embossed tubes spaced transversely @ 1.0 meter, must have its standards spaced longitudinally @:
Answer: In all the above questions the term embossed and non-embossed coming, which is new for me... Hence I discuss with two of our civil engineer regarding the same, but they also fail in explaining the correct answers as well as explaining whats actually term embossed or non-embossed means... Hence requesting you to explain these two terms?
5. For a light duty scaffold, the max. number of working levels that can be used or planked at the same time is:
Answer: Not more than one
Awaiting to hear the correct answers from yourside with comments...
The explanations which you gives regarding Competant Person is perfect one and I think there will be no other simplest explanations to this term... Thanks a lot for the same...
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
Dear Sir
First of all sorry for a late reply... Actually I was little bit busy and took time in discussing the topic with others...
Let me try to answer the questions which you bring for discussion:
1. The maximum (transverse) post spacing or base width for all types of scaffold must not be over:
Answer: 5 feet or 1.5 meters
2. 1. A light duty scaffold, with embossed tubes spaced transversely @ 1.2 meters, must have its corresponding longitudinal spacing of standards (posts) at:
3. 1. The difference between embossed and non-embossed tubes, with respect to standards spacing and structural capability is that:
4. 1. A light duty scaffold, with non-embossed tubes spaced transversely @ 1.0 meter, must have its standards spaced longitudinally @:
Answer: In all the above questions the term embossed and non-embossed coming, which is new for me... Hence I discuss with two of our civil engineer regarding the same, but they also fail in explaining the correct answers as well as explaining whats actually term embossed or non-embossed means... Hence requesting you to explain these two terms?
5. For a light duty scaffold, the max. number of working levels that can be used or planked at the same time is:
Answer: Not more than one
Awaiting to hear the correct answers from yourside with comments...
The explanations which you gives regarding Competant Person is perfect one and I think there will be no other simplest explanations to this term... Thanks a lot for the same...
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
@ Keshav Pillai
Dear Sir
One more point from your posting:
"Kindly confirm as to what type of a safety harness can be worn at just above 6 feet and what purpose it serves at that height please?"
We have a standard procedure for work at height which spells out as below:
Working at heights
Elevated working positions (above 1.8 m or 6 feet) where the hazard of a fall exists and where there is no physical protection such as a platform with guardrails.
The typical examples of working at height are: Working from all types of ladders, scaffolds, mechanical lifts, inside confined spaces (silos), sloped roofs, areas where there are no overhead tie-off points.
It's also suggesting to use of full body harness with double lanyard of 1.8M length each, out of which, one has to go to the fixed anchorage and another one for movement. So at any given point in time, one of the lanyards is always tied-off providing tie-off 100% of the time.
We are usggesting to use safety harness above 1.8m. But ensuring to provide a safe anchorage point above atlesat 1m from 1.8m... This will prevent the person to reach the ground in case of fall...
If it's not suggestive to use safety harness above 1.8m, then what height it shoud be? Please give your valuable comment...
I know that you may be quite busy hence not expecting a quick reply... Please send reply whenever you get time... However thanks a lot for finding out little time for us...
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
Dear Sir
One more point from your posting:
"Kindly confirm as to what type of a safety harness can be worn at just above 6 feet and what purpose it serves at that height please?"
We have a standard procedure for work at height which spells out as below:
Working at heights
Elevated working positions (above 1.8 m or 6 feet) where the hazard of a fall exists and where there is no physical protection such as a platform with guardrails.
The typical examples of working at height are: Working from all types of ladders, scaffolds, mechanical lifts, inside confined spaces (silos), sloped roofs, areas where there are no overhead tie-off points.
It's also suggesting to use of full body harness with double lanyard of 1.8M length each, out of which, one has to go to the fixed anchorage and another one for movement. So at any given point in time, one of the lanyards is always tied-off providing tie-off 100% of the time.
We are usggesting to use safety harness above 1.8m. But ensuring to provide a safe anchorage point above atlesat 1m from 1.8m... This will prevent the person to reach the ground in case of fall...
If it's not suggestive to use safety harness above 1.8m, then what height it shoud be? Please give your valuable comment...
I know that you may be quite busy hence not expecting a quick reply... Please send reply whenever you get time... However thanks a lot for finding out little time for us...
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
Dear All Can anyone provide me Safe Work Procedure of Steel Tubular Scaffolding? Anyone if did JSA or any such type of Risk Assessment for Scaffolding please share with me? Regards, Dipil Kumar V
From India
From India
Dear dipil. . . Please find the attached AHA for Scaffolding i hope its help to u. . . Wait for ur commands. . . Thanks & Besafe Raghu
From United States, Fpo
From United States, Fpo
Dear Raghu
Thanks for your AHA for fixed scaffolding... It's really good and helpful one...
Actually we are in the process of making Safe Work Procedure for scaffolding... I can use the AHA you provided as a referance document... Once draft will get ready will share with the forum for comments...
Hope for more participation and discussion related to Scaffolding...
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
Thanks for your AHA for fixed scaffolding... It's really good and helpful one...
Actually we are in the process of making Safe Work Procedure for scaffolding... I can use the AHA you provided as a referance document... Once draft will get ready will share with the forum for comments...
Hope for more participation and discussion related to Scaffolding...
Regards,
Dipil Kumar V
From India
Dear diplil, Its my pleasure to share. . . I was tried to post AHA word document but there is some error.If u need word document post ur mail ID i will send to u. . . Thanks & Besafe Raghu
From United States, Fpo
From United States, Fpo
Dear Reghuvaran Raghavan,
Good that you posted the AHA on scaffolding.
It clearly shows how serious we are with regard to following the set procedures. As I see everything is there except the spirit with which the procedure is drawn.
Some of our experts have drawn certain procedures like safety audit, hazop, analysis, JSA, AHA etc. with the best of intentions. If we religiously follow these we are sure to win against accidents. But unfortunately we lack that understanding.
Nowadays especially in construction – client may ask for JSA, JHA or AHA as the case may be. One may go on delaying it. In construction time is important. Then urgency clause comes in. They have to start the work. At any cost delay will not be tolerated. Every body is for safety at least in lip service. Under the circumstances every one will urge “get the AHA” and then only start the work. Finally it is written.
AHA is received. Now who cares? Who scrutinizes it? How seriously? After starting the work who bothers to check whether AHA is strictly adhered to or not ?
Work will go on. The AHA will be in the file.
Who prepares an AHA ?
Is he trained to do it ?
Does he understand the spirit of preparing an AHA ?
Though exemptions are there and it is safe with some of the safety officers who make it a point to master the trick, quite often it is not so. Management personnel think that a Safety Officer is jack of all trades and will ask him to do it. He will attempt to prepare something….! I pity up on such S. Officers who are forced to attempt it though not competent enough.
It can be seen from most JSA or AHA received that one has to understand the very many terms used in safety like Accident, Injury, Disease, Danger, Risk and Hazard, Energy, etc.
Analyze the proposed activity. Divide activity to various steps sensibly. It need not be too elaborate but also not limited to two or three to combine so many major activities in to one.
We can use additional columns if required. In the column –hazards identify only hazards and nothing else. You may add if so desire a column for possible accidents/results etc.
Here the difference between Hazard, Danger Accident, Result etc becomes so important.
Is it strictly the hazard that is mentioned in the column? Often it is not.
Recommendations - write only what is exactly needed. Remember to whom the recommendations are addressed to.
Going through the AHA really I am a little disappointed. We can do better with little more pain.
Good wishes,
Kesava Pillai
From India, Kollam
Good that you posted the AHA on scaffolding.
It clearly shows how serious we are with regard to following the set procedures. As I see everything is there except the spirit with which the procedure is drawn.
Some of our experts have drawn certain procedures like safety audit, hazop, analysis, JSA, AHA etc. with the best of intentions. If we religiously follow these we are sure to win against accidents. But unfortunately we lack that understanding.
Nowadays especially in construction – client may ask for JSA, JHA or AHA as the case may be. One may go on delaying it. In construction time is important. Then urgency clause comes in. They have to start the work. At any cost delay will not be tolerated. Every body is for safety at least in lip service. Under the circumstances every one will urge “get the AHA” and then only start the work. Finally it is written.
AHA is received. Now who cares? Who scrutinizes it? How seriously? After starting the work who bothers to check whether AHA is strictly adhered to or not ?
Work will go on. The AHA will be in the file.
Who prepares an AHA ?
Is he trained to do it ?
Does he understand the spirit of preparing an AHA ?
Though exemptions are there and it is safe with some of the safety officers who make it a point to master the trick, quite often it is not so. Management personnel think that a Safety Officer is jack of all trades and will ask him to do it. He will attempt to prepare something….! I pity up on such S. Officers who are forced to attempt it though not competent enough.
It can be seen from most JSA or AHA received that one has to understand the very many terms used in safety like Accident, Injury, Disease, Danger, Risk and Hazard, Energy, etc.
Analyze the proposed activity. Divide activity to various steps sensibly. It need not be too elaborate but also not limited to two or three to combine so many major activities in to one.
We can use additional columns if required. In the column –hazards identify only hazards and nothing else. You may add if so desire a column for possible accidents/results etc.
Here the difference between Hazard, Danger Accident, Result etc becomes so important.
Is it strictly the hazard that is mentioned in the column? Often it is not.
Recommendations - write only what is exactly needed. Remember to whom the recommendations are addressed to.
Going through the AHA really I am a little disappointed. We can do better with little more pain.
Good wishes,
Kesava Pillai
From India, Kollam
Dear Kesav,
First I say thanks for Ur consideration sir.
As per Ur previous reply u mentioned
Nowadays especially in construction – client may ask for JSA, JHA or AHA as the case may be. One may go on delaying it. In construction time is important. Then urgency clause comes in. They have to start the work. At any cost delay will not be tolerated. Every body is for safety at least in lip service. Under the circumstances every one will urge “get the AHA” and then only start the work. Finally it is written.
AHA is received. Now who cares? Who scrutinizes it? How seriously? After starting the work who bothers to check whether AHA is strictly adhered to or not ?
Work will go on. The AHA will be in the file.
Who prepares an AHA?
Is he trained to do it?
Does he understand the spirit of preparing an AHA?
Yes Ur right sir. When I am in working in India. I am not prepare/Submit JSA, JHA or AHA because my client side they didn’t ask they didn’t care about safety. He operates me like a doll. (I am not say all over India some places / some projects / some company’s (construction) it’s happened)
But here in overseas we follow the rules specially US corps of engg jobs we follow the rules & regulation compare to my previous projects now it is the best.
In my site whenever we start work at least one week before project engineer / superdent prepare work plan and send to safety/me .Then safety/myself we analyze the hazard on work plan then we start to prepare AHA for all jobs. Then we send that AHA to our client safety manager for approval. Once they approved then we conduct prefatory meeting to especially who involve the job this is the process.
Its happened in my previous site due to our schedule without my knowledge & AHA they start painting work i ask/raise questions to my site supervisor he simply said go and talk to manager .I ask manager he simply said don’t make a issue ,don’t stop the work now u prepare the AHA. I can’t do anything that time due to work schedule
Safety officer is the responsible to prepare AHA if he is not experienced means project manager have to prepare AHA.
Here is format for AHA was issued by US corps of engg we can’t modify that one sir. Because world wide corps of engg jobs they used same format.(As per ur comment we add one column for possible Accidents / results I am sure its give the good result but we cant .I am playing in US corps of engg own pitch sir)
Thanks & Besafe
Raghu
From United States, Fpo
First I say thanks for Ur consideration sir.
As per Ur previous reply u mentioned
Nowadays especially in construction – client may ask for JSA, JHA or AHA as the case may be. One may go on delaying it. In construction time is important. Then urgency clause comes in. They have to start the work. At any cost delay will not be tolerated. Every body is for safety at least in lip service. Under the circumstances every one will urge “get the AHA” and then only start the work. Finally it is written.
AHA is received. Now who cares? Who scrutinizes it? How seriously? After starting the work who bothers to check whether AHA is strictly adhered to or not ?
Work will go on. The AHA will be in the file.
Who prepares an AHA?
Is he trained to do it?
Does he understand the spirit of preparing an AHA?
Yes Ur right sir. When I am in working in India. I am not prepare/Submit JSA, JHA or AHA because my client side they didn’t ask they didn’t care about safety. He operates me like a doll. (I am not say all over India some places / some projects / some company’s (construction) it’s happened)
But here in overseas we follow the rules specially US corps of engg jobs we follow the rules & regulation compare to my previous projects now it is the best.
In my site whenever we start work at least one week before project engineer / superdent prepare work plan and send to safety/me .Then safety/myself we analyze the hazard on work plan then we start to prepare AHA for all jobs. Then we send that AHA to our client safety manager for approval. Once they approved then we conduct prefatory meeting to especially who involve the job this is the process.
Its happened in my previous site due to our schedule without my knowledge & AHA they start painting work i ask/raise questions to my site supervisor he simply said go and talk to manager .I ask manager he simply said don’t make a issue ,don’t stop the work now u prepare the AHA. I can’t do anything that time due to work schedule
Safety officer is the responsible to prepare AHA if he is not experienced means project manager have to prepare AHA.
Here is format for AHA was issued by US corps of engg we can’t modify that one sir. Because world wide corps of engg jobs they used same format.(As per ur comment we add one column for possible Accidents / results I am sure its give the good result but we cant .I am playing in US corps of engg own pitch sir)
Thanks & Besafe
Raghu
From United States, Fpo
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.
Ladder Safety Tips.zip
Safety-safetydr iving_111.pps
Write-your-name _130.jpg