Access Safety – Ahead for heights
Half of all injuries on worksites in the UAE occur at height. It is a staggering statistic and one that tragically when it is examined more closely suggests that the majority of those accidents could be avoided
Mobile powered access platforms are often the kit of choice when it comes to getting to height on second phase or fit-out stages of construction projects as well as frequently being deployed by FM companies and building services operators later on down the line. Despite their seemingly relatively simple design – compared to a tower crane, for instance – a panel hosted by CMME revealed that workers are often being let down by a lack of training and a misunderstanding of how to use the equipment properly.
Mark Robinson, IPAF’s chairman, UAE Country Council says that we need to go back to basics when it comes to the machines used to get access to height.
“We need to make sure that we have the right selection of equipment for the users operating that equipment,” he begins. “Now that can start with educating the managers on the correction selection. They need the training so they understand what the operators are going to do on site. They need to be able to identify whether the operators are competent at working at height. Are they scared of working at height?
“Then we need to start looking at the ground on which they will be set-up on. There’s a myriad of hurdles we need to go through. The machines are very safe but if they are not used properly then they can be very dangerous. But through the right training, supervision and continuous education. We don’t want to just forget about the operators after we’ve done a one- or two-day course with them. We need to follow-up with talks on site.”
One of the major challenges is ensuring that what is learned in a control environment is then continued to be applied when back on-site. According to Robinson, this is why it is essential that managers as well as operators receive the right level of training.
“We need to train the managers because when we train the operators and start sending them back to the sites they are working on, (untrained) managers can start thinking well they’ve been trained on a 3B which is 10m mobile boom so they can be put on-site in a 50m boom. Quite frankly they will not have any idea of how to operate that machine safely.”
Robinson adds that further training does not necessarily need to be given by a return to the schoolroom: “Again it is back down to the basics from the rental companies – and there’s quite a few certified rental companies in the UAE – providing familiarisation on site.”
Before the units arrive on-site it is the job of a third party to ensure the units are fit for purpose in the UAE. Once on-site it will also be the task of a supervisor or logistics manager to ensure that the equipment is in the condition required for the work ahead before passing over to the final link in the chain, the operator. Robinson says he has learned that many companies conducting daily checks of their equipment are failing to do it properly.
“What we find is that daily checks are often too generic,” he states. “We need to make sure that the people checking them are using the right check sheet for the right machine. Emergency descent checking is one of the things that I believe is being failed on. That is something that I have seen over the years that people are not checking properly. It is another key component of the training we need: managers and operators should be able to ensure there is a person on the ground should there be a problem at height.”
Matt Cox is a risk specialist and he says that it is critical that the right equipment is used for the right task.
“Typically the first criteria is selecting the right equipment but until people are educated sufficiently on what they need for a given task, you forever run the risk of accidents.”
Accidents on sites can cause pauses in work and in the case of fatal injuries long delays, so it is crucial that they are minimised. In his lists of potential accidents Cox includes overloading, not using the equipment properly, overreaching the machine and adds that the consequences can often go beyond the obvious risks of injury.
“You’ve got recruitment, re-training and medical costs, etc. But it is the unknown and hidden costs to any respectable company that they need to be looking at. These are things like prosecutions from authorities, penalty notices, delays to projects – all of these are critical. If you look at Dubai, it has boomed massively over the last few years but if a project is delayed due to a fatality, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dirhams.”
Despite construction sites being fraught with danger, Cox argues that risks are often higher once the building is in operation. He sends a warning to facility management companies.
“You have lots people that are multi-skilled, but they don’t have the robust training from a licensed, registered training such as IPAF. They get the two-hour familiarisation from a rental company but they are not really competent operators.”
According to Cox there are different levels of responsibility when it comes to minimising accidents in the working environment.
“The individual is clearly responsible for his own actions, but they shouldn’t be doing things they are not trained to do. The employer has a responsibility to provide a safe working environment. The levels of responsibility go right through to ensure there is the right regulation in place so we are sure the equipment is being used safely in the workplace.”
Jason Woods of IPAF has worked closely with the team at the ministry of labour led by Dr Ali Salem and he says that work behind the scenes has been successful but there is still some way to go before the two organisations can be sure that mobile access platforms are being used safely on sites.
“We still have a milestone to get over in the sense of education and making sure the end-users understand that training is available. There are still a lot of levels that we have to target. The ministry of labour has put a lot of effort behind the scenes in promoting best practice. They believe that – because IPAF has been so successful worldwide – this is the route they would like to go through.”
IPAF provides training for both companies and inspectors, it also provides certification for companies like rental firms wishing to be able to employ their own training staff.
“We’ve gone down to the ministry of labour inspectors to give them workshops so they can get a feel for what should be expected when they do site visits. They like that every course we run is very thorough. Every training centre we run has a strict criteria for gaining certification.”
Rental companies are a critical link with this type of equipment, often recommending whether or not a vertical lift or a boom should be used. The ideal scenario to Woods is that all people involved in the discussion are able to have an informed opinion. Fortunately, he says that he is seeing a real change in the way that safety at height and the equipment that is used to get there is viewed.
“The rental companies were among the first members of IPAF within the UAE but we are now being approached by end-users to become members. There are a lot of changes coming on. Pushed from the ministry to start with but the end-users are moving towards more training.”
