A Great Workforce A Great Workplace Case Studies … Case...A Great Workforce A Great Workplace 5...

© 2010 Government of Singapore

A Great Workforce A Great Workplace

1


Alan Chan 03 Sept 2015

Case Studies and Inspection Findings on Poor Housekeeping



2

Housekeeping – Is it just child’s play?



3

Housekeeping – Or a potential hazard at work?



4

Why do we need to do housekeeping?

Helps eliminates many workplace hazards. Increases productivity and quality management. Effective housekeeping helps work to be completed in a safe and efficient manner.

What is effective housekeeping?

Effective housekeeping is not just about cleanliness, but also includes workplace traffic management, proper storage and disposal of goods and tools, as well as adequate workplace illumination.

Housekeeping



5

The deceased and a co-worker had proceeded to dismantle a tower scaffold which was used as an access to replace a high bay light lamp.

During dismantling process, the deceased fell off the scaffold and hit his head against a metal pipe on the floor and subsequently passed away.

Case Study 1 - Brief



6

Deceased, who was a supervisor, was tasked together with another co-worker, to carry out the replacement of high bay light lamps located at the warehouse of the premises.

The deceased was familiar with the work area and had already replaced 2 such lamps earlier in the day. Tower scaffold was used as access. The goods and boxes below the 2 lamps were shifted away with the use of a trolley.

Case Study 1 - Findings



7

At the accident location, the goods and boxes were too heavy and bulky to be shifted by two persons.

Deceased then instructed co-worker to place the tower scaffold frames on top of a wooden crate which was directly underneath the high bay light lamp.

Deceased successfully replaced the lamp, and was in the midst of dismantling the tower scaffold frames when he lose his balance and fell, hitting his head against a metal pipe.




8

Deceased 1 and Deceased 2 were part of a 3 man team tasked to remove marble slabs from a twenty foot container. During the removal process, the bundle of granite slabs suddenly toppled, pinning both Deceased 1 and Deceased 2 between an A-frame and another bundle of granite slabs behind them. Both deceased persons had to be extricated from underneath the granite slabs and conveyed to hospital where both subsequently passed away.




9

The toppled bundle, which consisted of 13 pieces of granite slabs, was leaning against an A-frame trolley.

Each slab weighed about 200kg.

Employer did not conduct a specific risk assessment for the high-risk activities involved with the unloading of the granite slabs. A generic risk assessment for the general work activities in the worksite was conducted.




10

2 workers were returning to work after lunch when they noticed that the door of the container store was open and one of the rack had toppled. When the workers looked inside the container, they noticed the deceased trapped between two metal storage racks. The co-workers managed to extricate the deceased and send him to the hospital where he succumb to his injuries and subsequently passed away.




11

Investigations revealed that the storage rack used was unsafe as it was without diagonal bracings and thus susceptible to failure.

The said storage rack had only horizontal bracings and was neither bolted to the floor nor secured to the wall of the container store.

The container store were left to the workers to arrange and upkeep. There was no control over the types of materials to be stored in the containers nor the manner of storing such materials.




12

No one was tasked to oversee or check on the condition or stability of the storage facilities in the container store.

Safety inspections conducted by the accused company did not include the container store.




13

It is critical for the Management of the company to be commitment and put in place an effective workplace safety and health management programme.

Ensure that proper planning is carried out before start of any work. Risk assessment must be carried out to identify and eliminate any potential hazards. Control measures and safe work procedures must be established, communicated and implemented to ensure the safety and health of the workers involved.

Housekeeping - Summary



14

Storage systems (if any) must be properly designed, installed and used in accordance to the manufacturer’s instructions. Safe Working Load (SWL) of the storage system should be displayed and visible to all. Periodic inspection and maintenance should be carried out on the storage systems.

Heavier items should be stored at the lowest racks to create a lower centre of gravity and provide additional stability to the racking system.

Housekeeping - Summary



15

Available Online Resources



16

Further Information

Workplace Safety and Health Act (Chapter 354A) Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations Fire Safety (Petroleum and Flammable Materials) Regulations Environmental Protection and Management Act Environmental Public Health Act Approved Code of Practice on Workplace Safety and Health Risk Management WSH Circular: Safe Use of Storage Racks Workplace Safety & Health Guidelines UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – Warehousing and Storage, Keep it Safe



17

A Great Workforce A Great Workplace Case Studies … Case...A Great Workforce A Great Workplace 5...

Documents

Transcript of A Great Workforce A Great Workplace Case Studies … Case...A Great Workforce A Great Workplace 5...