Is it the use of a Cage or will it be a Cherry picker. The pressure is on !!!
The Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 7(2)(b) places a duty on employers to select the most suitable work equipment for the task to be carried out regardless of the duration of the task.

I have extracted some important statements from Note PM28 but you can get a free pdf file copy supplied by the HSE at the end of this article.

Here is the major change for use of cages as extracted from the new Note PM28.
There is a free down load pdf file link at the bottom of this article.

OCCASIONAL USE
12. The Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 7(2)(b) places a duty on employers to select the most suitable work equipment for the task to be carried out regardless of the duration of the task. Nevertheless, it is foreseeable but unacceptable that people will often use unsafe methods of access to height for short duration and occasional tasks. For example, a substantial number of serious accidents occur when people are lifted on the forks or a bucket and on pallets or stillages placed on the forks of fork lift trucks. To encourage safer working practices, in these exceptional circumstances, occasional use of non-integrated working platforms with forklift trucks is allowed in the UK in accordance with this guidance note. This occasional use is allowed in the UK but may not be allowed in some other EU member states. As such, there is NO free movement of non-integrated working platforms throughout the EU and they MUST NOT be CE marked.

Examples of occasional use are..

  • a. non-routine maintenance tasks for which it is impractical to hire in purpose built access equipment,
  • b. the replacement of light fittings in high rise warehouses if the task is not carried out as part of periodic maintenance operations
  • c. tasks that would otherwise be carried out using less safe means of access such as ladders, because it is impractical to hire in purpose designed people lifting equipment due to the short duration and occasional nature of the task, e.g. clearing a blocked gutter d. checking on high-level damage to racking suspected of causing an immediate risk or checking on the condition of damaged roof lights.

14. Routine or planned tasks particularly those associated with production or pre-planned activities, such as periodic maintenance or stocktaking, are not exceptional circumstances and are thus not examples of occasional use. Generally, non-integrated work platforms do not provide as high a level of safety as purpose built access equipment. Consequently, forklift trucks fitted with non-integrated working platforms are not suitable for order picking, routine maintenance or the transfer of goods or people from one level to another.

Training
34. People expected to work on platforms and truck operators shall be aware of the restricted uses given in paragraphs 13 & 14. They should be properly trained and given full instructions on safe systems of working with platforms, including the action to be taken in the event of an emergency and the dangers associated with leaning out of the working platform.

37. Non-integrated working platforms are not suitable for use on:

  • a. trucks that require manual sequencing of the lift/tilt controls to maintain the working platform horizontal while being lifted;
  • b. trucks with masts that can give erratic movement, e.g. due to sequencing problems during
    lowering;
  • c. trucks that have an actual capacity (paragraphs 10 and 11) of less than 1000kg unless their stability has been verified by testing or calculation verified by empirical data (paragraph 38);
    [Note : Some truck types with an actual capacity of less than 1000 kg may be suitable for use with
    working platforms but the truck manufacturer must be consulted to ensure the stability of the
    truck/platform combination]
  • d. variable reach trucks (telehandlers) that can lift to a nominal height greater than 6m.
    [Note : The use of non-integrated platforms on rough terrain variable reach trucks requires extra care because of the rough terrain environment in which these machines are normally used and the nature of the pneumatic tyres fitted.]
  • e. pallet stackers with wrap over type forks.

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
77.The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) places duties on employers and persons who have control of premises to ensure the safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their work activities. A risk assessment of any work at height shall be carried out under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The assessment shall identify the measures needed to comply with all relevant legislation applicable to the intended work at height.

79. Paragraph 78 indicates that non-integrated working platforms must not carry a CE mark. Previous versions of this guidance note indicated that a CE mark was required but this is no longer appropriate due to the above decision. Users should be aware, therefore, that there are non-integrated working platforms in existence that carry the CE mark. This mark should be disregarded and should not be taken to mean that the equipment complies with a given standard. Such CE marked equipment may, or may not, meet the requirements of this third edition of the guidance note (i.e. PM28).

Work at Height Regulations
88. These Regulations came into force in April 2005. They require all work at height to be properly planned and organised and the risks controlled. This includes the selection and use of appropriate work equipment for work at height. The Regulations maintain existing standards with regard to the control of work at height and reiterate the provisions of PUWER and LOLER.

 pdf file (Size 128k ) Note PM 28
.No Responsibility accepted for the accuracy of this article  (9/09/05)

 

Hanging offence or useful tool
A new European standard for man-baskets suspended from cranes has been published.
Phil Bishop explores the implications

The issue of lifting persons in baskets suspended from cranes has been a hot topic for several years. There is a strong body of thought that argues that cranes aredesigned for lifting goods and not people and therefore is contrary to the EU Use of Work Equipment Directive 95/63/CE 1995.

When crane hire company NMT offered rides in a basket suspended from a crane to visitors to the 2002 SED show, the International Powered Access Federation swiftly called in the Health & Safety Executive. After some discussion the authorities put a stop to the rides (which, it should be added, were merely to raise funds for charity). The basis for stopping NMT was that it was deemed to be using the crane and basket as a fairground ride rather than as industrial equipment. It is, in fact, perfectly legal in the UK to ride in a man-basket suspended from a crane, although some crane owners feel that clearer guidance is required from the HSE.

The HSE says that its attitude to riding in baskets suspended from cranes is very similar to its attitude to the use of work platforms attached to forklifts. In each case, LOLER says that it may be done only in "exceptional circumstances". In effect, this means where a risk assessment has demonstrated that there is not a more appropriate, safer alternative readily available. This is also in line with the Work at Height Regulations' hierarchy of risk.

There is also a requirement that the basket is designed for the purpose, firm guidance on the design and use of man-baskets suspended from cranes comes with the publication of EN 14502-1 Cranes - Equipment for lifting persons - Part 1: Suspended Baskets. This European Standard was approved by CEN on 25 May 2005 and will be published by BSI within the next few weeks. The new standard has not been mandated under the Machinery Directive, which means that it takes the form of guidance rather than a legally binding document. However, anyone facing a law suit will be in a weak position if they have not adhered to published best practice, which the standard represents.

Nor does the standard take precedence over national laws governing the use of man-baskets on cranes (France, for example, takes a much stronger line than the UK against the practice).

Among the demands of EN 14502-1 for the design of baskets are the following key points:

Suspended baskets shall be incombustible and protected against corrosion.

The basket shall have a minimum free standing height of two metres

When the suspended basket is designed to be used in situations where falling objects may be a hazard, the basket shall have a roof, able to withstand the impact of a steel ball weighing 7kg, falling from a height of two metres.

When calculating the rated capacity, the weight of each person shall be taken as at least 80kg plus at least 40kg of equipment for each person.

A safety factor of at least two must be used in design calculations.

The basket must be attached to the crane hook with either steel wire rope slings according to EN 13414-1 or chains according to EN 818-4.   with a safety factor of at least:
                    Eight for chains, and 10 for wire ropes, including the end termination.
                    Slings shall be fitted to the basket in such a way that they can only be removed with tools.

The vertical distance between the floor of the basket and the crane hook shall be no more that three metres.

The floor of the basket shall be secured to the frame by welding or some other equally effective means.

The floor must be slip resistant and have drainage.

Free space on the floor shall be at least 600mm x 600mm for one person, and at least 400mm x 400mm more for each additional person.

Suspended baskets must be designed so that if a load 1.5 times the rated capacity is applied at the worst position on the floor, any resulting inclination shall not exceed 20°

Any gate shall not open outwards and shall have an automatic catch to prevent it from being opened inadvertently.

Baskets shall have anchorage points in accordance with EN 795 for personal protective equipment and people in the basket shall wear a harness with lanyard.

The standard also sets out detailed requirements for hand rails and contents of the instruction manual.

The manual must state that the suspended basket shall only be used in combination with cranes which are designed for the lifting of persons.
The only clue as to which cranes are considered "designed for the lifting of persons" comes with the proviso that cranes must have powered lowering and not free-fall winches.

The manual must also state that:
                    The crane and the suspended basket shall only be operated by people trained in the safe use of the combination, including the procedures for   egress in case of power supply failure or control failure.

A crane driver should always be present at the normal crane control station when the basket is occupied.

Visible and audible communication should exist between the persons in the basket and the crane driver at all times during the lifting operation.

The required equipment necessary to perform an emergency rescue shall be available throughout the lifting operation.

During operation the employer should not require the crane driver and signaller to do other work at he same time, or direct a second crane and/or Basket.

Lifting slings for suspended baskets should not be used for any other purpose.

 Suspended baskets should not be used in wind in excess of 7m/s (25km/h), electric storms, ice, snow, fog, sleet, or other adverse weather conditions that could affect the safety of personnel.

Machines which can be operated simultaneously in the same place with risks of collision should be stopped.

Unintended movement of the basket should, where possible, be prevented e.g. by means of guide ropes or anchoring.

The suspended baskets, hook, catch, and fixed load lifting attachment should be inspected prior to each use.

The hook must have a safety catch.

The basket shall be positioned on a firm surface when entering or exiting.

The lifting and supporting should be made under controlled conditions and under the direction of one appointed person.

Although many in the powered access industry would doubtless like to see a ban on the use of cranes for lifting people, Peter Oram, the UK's representative on the crane committee that produced the standard, says such a step would be madness. "I'm a realist," he says. "You'd grind industry to a halt. You'd have no Channel Tunnel for a start and you’d have no imports because you wouldn't be allowed to have anyone on spreader beams on containers.

Oram does say, however, that industrial machines like cranes should not be used to lift people for entertainment purposes. This suggests that all those who use cranes to offer bungee jumping may soon find themselves targeted by the HSE.

This article may be down loaded as a PDF File Here (143k)     Crane & Access March 2006
No Responsibility accepted for the accuracy of this article  (25/03/06)

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