Page 83 - 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

● Boards must rest evenly on their supports.
● No board must project more than four times its thickness beyond its end
support, and no less than 50 mm.
● All board ends should be bound with a steel strap to prevent splitting.
● Split or damaged boards must not be used.

Mobile elevated working platforms
Mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) include cherry pickers, scissor lifts and
vehicle-mounted booms. MEWPs can provide a safe way of working at height.
They:
● allow the worker to reach the task quickly and easily
● have guardrails and toe boards, which prevent a person falling
● can be used indoors or out.
Your employer should:

● choose the right MEWP for the job
● identify and manage the risks involved with working from MEWPs.

However, if used improperly or poorly maintained, these devices can cause
serious injury or death. For this reason, you need to be properly trained in their
use. Safety checks that should be carried out before use are as follows.

● The mid and top chains, railing and gate enclosures must be in the closed
position before elevating the device.
● To prevent movement of the MEWP after it has been moved into the final
work position, the control panel must be turned off.
● The maximum operating weight capacity must not be exceeded (including
personnel, equipment, supplies and tools).
● Personnel must not work on MEWPs when exposed to high winds or storms,
or when the equipment or materials are covered with ice or snow.
● MEWPs must not be used as cranes.
● No MEWP must travel with personnel in the basket while it is elevated,
unless the equipment is designed for this activity and operations are
conducted in accordance with the regulations and standards.
● MEWPs must be operated on stable, flat and structurally sound flooring or
ground only.
● Where moving vehicles are present, the work area must be marked with
warnings such as flags or roped-off areas, or other effective means of traffic
control must be provided.
● Unstable objects, such as barrels, boxes, loose brick, tools and debris, must
not be allowed to gather on the floor of the MEWP. p Figure 1.50 MEWP in use

Using safety lines, harnesses and nets

Equipment that prevents falls, such as safety harnesses, restraints and safety
nets, should be used only as a last resort when the risk cannot be eliminated by
other means. They should be used only by operatives trained in their use, and
must be inspected and tested at regular intervals.

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