Month: April 2019

All fire extinguishers must be inspected monthly by a site employee that has been trained in the inspection routine. The routine is as follows:

1. Location in designated place
2. No obstruction to access
3. Operating instructions on the name plate or readable and facing outward
4. Safety seals and tamper ring are not broken or missing
5. Examination for obvious physical damage, corrosion, leakage, or clogged nozzle.
6. Pressure gauge reading or indicator in operable range or condition

The employee who inspects the units should fill in the logbook in Appendix 3.

All fire extinguishers should have an Aluminum 4-year inspection tag attached.

All employees are expected to be trained on the proper usage of a fire extinguisher.

1. Recognize the unit as the appropriate extinguisher for the type of fire.
2. Pull the Pin
3. Aim the discharge nozzle at the base of the fire
4. Squeeze the handle

All facilities are required to provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting.

Additional training must be given to employees that are required to perform the monthly inspections. There should be a minimum of two employees trained to do inspections.

 

A JSA will be written, as appropriate, after an incident/ accident has occurred in the facility. If a JSA already exists, then it will be reviewed and updated as necessary.

a) A simple rule for setting up a ladder at the proper angle is to place the base a distance from the vertical wall equal to one fourth the working length of the ladder.
b) Only one person shall be allowed to work from a ladder.
c) Ladders shall be placed in a manner that will not allow slipping.
d) Ladders shall be tied off at the top to prevent falling. A second person must hold the ladder while the ladder is being tied off. If the ladder cannot be tied off, a second person shall hold the ladder.
e) Ladders shall not be placed in front of doorways unless the door is locked, blocked or guarded.
f) Ladders shall extend three feet six inches above roofing or work platforms to assist in access.
g) Ladders shall not be placed on boxes, barrels or other unstable objects to achieve greater height.
h) Ladders shall not be used if any component is damaged or broken.
i) Aluminum ladders shall not be used near electrical equipment or in areas where electrical hazards are present.
j) Ladders shall have non-slip bases/pads on feet.
k) Tools and equipment should not be carried in hands while climbing a ladder. Use a hand line.
l) Wooden ladders will not be painted.
m) If working at a height greater than 4 foot, a fall protection harness must be worn.

Ladders must be inspected for defective conditions prior to each use. The user is responsible for ladder inspection at the time of use. Such conditions include:

a) joints between steps and side rails must be tight
b) free of splinters, burrs and corrosion
c) safety feet present and in working condition
d) free of bent or broken rungs
e) free of splits or cracks in side rails
f) rungs and side rails free of oil and grease
g) metal spreader must be in working condition on step ladders
h) wooden ladders must not be painted
i) on extension ladders, the halyard, rope and pulley shall be in working order
j) on extension ladders, the locking paws shall be in good working condition
k) ladders with defects shall be removed from service immediately. Defective ladders shall be destroyed.

a) The top two rungs of a step ladder shall not be used. Follow manufacturer’s use instructions.
b) The bracing on the back legs of stepladders shall not be used for climbing.
c) Wooden ladders will not be painted.
d) Aluminum ladders shall not be used near electrical equipment or in areas where electrical hazards are present.
e) Step ladders are not to be used on scissor lifts to achieve greater height
f) If working at a height greater than 4 foot, a fall protection harness must be worn.

To get the maximum serviceability, safety and to eliminate unnecessary damage to equipment, good safety practices in the use and care of ladder equipment must be employed by the users. The following rules are essential to the life of the equipment and safety of the user.

a) Ladders shall be maintained in good usable condition at all times
b) If a ladder is involved in any of the following, an immediate inspection is required:
i) tip over, inspection of side rail dents or bends, or excessively dented rungs; check all rung-to side rail connections; check hardware connections; check rivets for shear
ii) Oil and grease exposure: Equipment shall be cleaned of oil, grease or other slippery material.

Defective ladders shall be taken out of service. Employees shall not be allowed to take defective ladder out of the facility for home use.

Plant managers are responsible for ensuring that sites comply with this guidance, and audit against it, as part of their basic site SHE improvement plan. Required resources necessary to achieve and maintain compliance are to be considered.

Plant Superintendents ensure that –

• Permit-to-work systems are in use, and their effectiveness periodically audited
• Individuals involved with the system have received adequate training
• Individuals authorized issuing and accept permits have been appointed
• ensuring permits are carried out according to the agreed upon procedures
• Only authorized individuals approve the permits-to-work.
• All affected personnel are adequately trained to identify permit required tasks and situations.

Permit Issuer ensures that-

• The persons doing the permitted work understand the hazards and have adequately addressed them.
• Those signing off on the permit are aware of the meaning of their signature.
• The procedure has been followed in its entirety.

A training program for using ladders shall be provided so that employees can recognize hazards related to ladders and know the procedures to be followed to minimize these hazards.

The information provided in this program will be covered in the initial training and in subsequent retraining as necessary. The training shall be provided to all employees at least yearly.

• Clear and complete description or work to be done : allow anyone to identify all the work being carried out in a given area at a time. The permit should be readily available to those on the job site (e.g. clearly displayed on the job site.)
• Unique: only one permit for a given piece of equipment. The permit must have a unique identifier (e.g. a serial number).
• Have a single Acceptor. If multiple functions are involved, each function should countersign the permit, signifying that they understand all terms of the permit.
• Define a limited period of validity. This would end when:
  • Defined work is complete (as agreed by issuer and acceptor).
  • Work outside the scope of original permit is required.
  • Circumstances arise which invalidate original risk assessment.
  • The permit validity period is exceeded (Normally, permits should be renewed daily at a minimum).

If the work isn’t finished at the end of permits validity, the current state of the equipment is to be recorded on the permit, prior to returning it to the issuing authority.

• All known hazards (residual chemicals, high voltage, fire hazards, confined space etc) that could reasonably be foreseen.
• The precautions to be taken to address these hazards (PPE required, fire watch, oxygen or LEL monitor), as well any other special preventative measures (lockout/tagout list of isolations etc.)