Maintenance Safety

1
Maintenance Safety
2
Maintenance Problems

• Operative usually works in dangerous areas from
  which others are usually excluded by various
  safety barriers
• Emergency repairs are particularly dangerous
  because work is usually performed under stress,
  with the offending plant still hot, cold or stuck
  in some phase of its operating cycle

3
Maintenance Problems

• No safe system developed or used
• No means of isolation to lock-off plant and
  machinery or power supplies
• Lack of understanding of risks by maintenance
  workers
• Lack of training and lack of supervision

4
Maintenance Hazards

• Confined spaces e.g. vessels, tanks, pipework,
  chambers, machines
• Work on tanks, pipes or vessels which may contain
  a hazardous substance e.g. hot cutting or welding
  a silo containing explosive dust
• Construction/demolition of structures and work at
  heights e.g. use of scaffolding and access
  platforms, excavations, roof maintenance, work on
  overhead cranes

5
Maintenance Hazards

• Work on plant, machinery or equipment which is
  connected to a power source
• Work in plant, boilers, silos etc where entry of
  free-flowing solids or liquids is a possibility
  e.g. water, grain etc.
• Work in plant where entry of toxic or hazardous
  materials is a possibility e.g. carbon monoxide,
  methane etc.
• Asbestos is frequently encountered in maintenance
  operations