ASU334 Lecture-01 PDF

Tutorial Material for Mandatory Basic Safety Training Course (Construction Work) 1 Branch Occupational Safety and Health Labour Department 1. General Safety No....

Tutorial Material for Mandatory Basic Safety Training Course (Construction Work) 1 Branch Occupational Safety and Health Labour Department 1. General Safety No. Key Learning Points 1 The purpose of stipulating the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance is to protect the safety and health of employees at work. 2 Employers should contribute to safety and health by ensuring the safety and health of the employees during work. Employees should contribute to safety and health by taking care of the safety and health of himself and others at the workplace. 3 According to the "General Duties" provisions, proprietors shall provide employees with a safe and health working environment and necessary safety information, instruction, training and supervision, and safe access to and egress from a workplace. 4 The main pathways for chemical substances to enter a worker’s body are swallowing, skin contact and inhalation. 5 Studying the label content outside a container is the proper way for identifying the name, classification, risks and precautions of the chemical in the container. The compulsory information of a chemical label includes the chemical name, classification, particular risks and safety precautions. 6 The following terms are used to classify the properties of chemicals: explosive, oxidizing, flammable, toxic, harmful, corrosive and irritant. In handling chemicals, an employee should properly use the protective clothing and equipment provided by the employer. 7 Safety practices on construction sites:  Store loose substances and construction materials properly at designated and secure locations.  Place materials far from a floor opening. 4 No. Key Learning Points  Don’t throw materials from height.  Don’t work near a floor edge or a floor opening without guardrails.  Don’t place materials on passageways.  Timber with projecting nails should be flattened or extracted immediately.  Wear approved eye protectors when conducting welding work.  Never work under goods in suspension. 8 A construction site with 5 workers or more employed shall be provided with a first aid box. The number of first aid facilities required depends on the number of workers employed. Wording of “first aid” shall be clearly marked on the first aid box. The booklet “Hints on First Aid” published by the Labour Department and the substances required statutorily shall be placed in the first aid box. 9 A construction site with 30-99 workers employed shall have a person trained in first aid. 10 The principal contractor of a construction site with 100 or more workers employed shall employ a full-time registered safety officer. 11 An employer shall provide his employees with potable water. 12 An employer shall report a dangerous occurrence happened in a workplace to the Labour Department with 24 hours. 13 “Mandatory Safety Training” courses shall be recognized by the Commissioner for Labour. 5 2. Work at Height No. Key Learning Points 1 Most fatal accidents in the construction industry are imputed to working at height. Adopting working platforms should be of the first priority while working at height. 2 Scaffolds (including working platforms) should be erected by trained scaffolding workmen. A competent person should inspect a scaffold and issue a Form 5 to state the scaffold is in safe condition within 14 days before the scaffold is used and at least every 2 weeks. 3 A working platform’s safety design includes guardrails and toeboards. The main function of guardrails at a working platform is to prevent fall of workers. The main function of toeboards is to prevent fall of persons, objects and tools. 4 The minimum width of a working platform is 400mm. The height of the top guardrail on the working platform shall be 900-1150mm. The height of toeboards on the working platform shall not be less than 200mm. The boards forming working platform should not be less than 200mm in width and not less than 25mm in thickness or not be less than 150mm in width and not less than 50mm in thickness. 5 Before using a safety harness, whether any suitable anchorage, independent lifeline and fall arresting device is available should be considered. When it is required to use a safety harness as a fall preventive measure, the harness should be attached to a secure anchorage or an independent lifeline. 6 No. Key Learning Points 6 When a worker conducts scaffold maintenance work at an external wall, the most suitable safety harness anchorage is an independent lifeline. The most appropriate safety harness anchoring method is to anchor it at a level higher than the user’s waist. 7 At least 3 anchor bolts should be used to fix each metal bracket of a truss-out scaffold onto the external wall of a building. 8 When a ladder is used for access or egress, it should be ensured that the ladder is stable and resting on an even and solid ground. Never joint short ladders to form a long one for use. The top of a ladder should protrude the landing platform at least 1.0 metre as a handrail. 9 Workers working at a gondola shall wear safety belts anchored to independent lifelines. 10 The minimum depth of a cage or receptacle used for carrying persons is 900mm. 11 When somebody has fallen from height, inform the first aider immediately and look after the injured person. Do not move the injured person. 12 A scaffold with suitable working platform and safe means of access and egress should be provided to workers to ensure the cleaning work at height can be conducted safely. 13 Ladders should be regularly inspected and maintained. 14 A suitable working platform with guardrails and toe-boards should be used while installing electrical conduits on ceiling at height. 7