Page 45 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

Chapter 1 Health and safety practices and systems

p Figure 1.20 Two-person lift

Mechanical lifting aids

There are numerous items of small lifting equipment available to assist with
handling materials on-site and in the workshop. Use these only if you are
qualified to do so. These range from small brick lifts, slings, barrows and
dumpers through to mechanical forklift trucks.
● A pallet truck (Figure 1.21) can be used on hard areas for moving heavy loads.
● Barrows are the most common form of equipment for moving materials on-site.
● A sack truck (Figure 1.22) can be used for moving bagged materials, heavy
boilers and other heavy pieces of plumbing materials.
Most large construction sites will have a hired crane of some description, p Figure 1.21 Pallet truck
whether it is a fixed crane or a mobile crane. These are sometimes the only
method of getting heavy equipment and appliances to where they are needed.
They are operated by trained personnel only.

For very large sites, the crane operator will be guided by a ‘banksman’, who uses
hand signals to the crane operator to guide the load to its destination.
Care should be taken if cranes are on-site, and you should be aware of where
the jib (the lifting hook) is when you are walking to and from different areas of
the site; the area it covers should be off-limits to all non-essential personnel.

4 RESPONDING TO ACCIDENTS

First-aid provision in the workplace
p Figure 1.22 Sack truck
People at work can suffer injuries or fall ill at any time. The most important
thing is that they receive immediate and appropriate attention. First aid covers
the arrangements that should be made to ensure this happens. It can prevent
minor injuries from becoming major incidents, and can often save lives.

What the law requires
Health and safety regulations require the provision of adequate and appropriate
equipment, facilities and personnel to enable first aid to be given if an employee
suffers an accident or injury or falls ill at work. While different working p Figure 1.23 Mobile crane

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