Health and Safety

[davidk65]

Does anyone know what the regulations are concerning the use use of a "staging board" (work platform) used to bridge a pit?
The staging board is standard construction industry equipment and is 6.5 meters long and 450mm wide.
The pit is rectangular approx 3 meters wide and the same in depth and is some 20 meters in length . An item of equipment, 9 meters long x 4 meters high, occupies the front end of the pit. The remainder of the pit is unoccupied and is open at all times and has to remain so.
The staging board overhangs the pit on each side by about 1.8 meters so we are able to walk from solid ground across the pit. The ground around the pit is good, being level concrete.
When it is necessary to work on equipment in the pit, the staging board is slid across the pit at the rear of the equipment and we work on the equipment, which is then directly in front of us, standing with our backs to the remainder of the open pit.
The question is; is it safe to use as described or should it have any additional safety features.
Note: To date I am not aware of any accidents e.g. someone falling of the board into the pit.

[jackthehat]

Perhaps it would be prudent to ensure that there was some sort of guardrail at the edge of the staging board in order to prevent falls ?

[TonyV]

seems like a dangerous work enviriourment - you just need to do risk assecessment - will tell you what is needed to prevent accident or injury

[buildersmate]

Undertaking the risk assessment doesn't give you the answer - it assesses the problem in a structured manner.
You need to urgently familiarise yourself with the Working at Height Regulations 2005. They are here. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf
That will tell you what the minimum safety guard system you must put in place.
But in summary you either need a suitable guarding system to prevent a fall OR a harness system. You don't need to do both - but having both reduces the potential for accident even further. Risk is not a 'digital' thing (an activity is never either 'safe' or 'risky').

[bednobs]

the first resort should be a fixed working platform with handrails - fall arrest equipment (such as harnesses; airbags etc comes much later if the risk can't be mitigated in another way.) I would say ideally you need some sort of fixed scaffolding platform round the equipment. How do people get accross the pit when you are working on the equipment?

[bednobs]

ps you can get youngman boards with handrails

[TonyV]

buildersmate - risk assessment will delilver answers if you look at rpn number and react appropriatley

[susanlappin31]

your employer should be providing his employees the desired equipments and a safe workplace to ensure that accident at work is lessen or prevented.