Tips to Make Sure that Stacking Activities Are Carried Out Safely
- Do a risk assessment to assess the hazards involved in the stacking and unstacking of loads. Consider how workers could be hurt if loads were to fall on them.
- Look at industry guidance on the correct method of stacking for your type of loads, and devise a suitable stacking system for your premises.
- Train employees on how to safely stack loads, including the means of lifting the items into place and the gradients to be used. Remember that unstable items should slope backwards at the top to stop them slipping forwards.
- Make sure that the racking and/or pallets used are suitable for the type and weight of the items they hold.
- If there is a risk of items falling, introduce zoned areas with restricted access to prevent people being in the vicinity of the stacked items. An exclusion zone can be sectioned off by barriers, or if this is not possible by painting a zoned area onto the ground.
- Inform workers about the maximum heights that stacks can reach, and undertake regular checks to ensure that these measurements have not been exceeded.
If proper stacking procedures are not designed and implemented then serious accidents can occur if loads fall. Make sure this does not happen on your premises.
Contact Walker Health and Safety Services Limited if you require advice.
- Do a risk assessment in advance to determine the hazards involved in the work activity. This should involve tasks relating to excavations through to working on or near the cables. Think about how electric cables could be disturbed, perhaps by the use of sharp tools, or by being crushed by machinery.
- Obtain the necessary drawings from the utility company so that you know exactly where the cables are – this should include both buried cables and those overhead. Ensure all parties involved in the work have a copy of the drawings.
- Provide training for workers on scanning and also on what different underground cables look like, from electricity through to gas and even telephone lines. Inform them that they must report any damage to cables that occurs during their work.
- Develop a safe system of work for all workers to follow. Whenever possible arrange for the cabling to be made dead by contacting the supplier.
- Make sure that the work is undertaken by trained workers and that it is always supervised by a competent person. Always ensure that workers dig alongside the cable rather than above it, and that they use insulated tools when digging.
Make sure that you have the necessary procedures in place to prevent an accident like this happening to one of your workers.
Contact us for guidance at Walker Health and Safety Services.
