Walking and Working Surfaces

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Walking and Working Surfaces

• INSY 3020
• March 8th, 2005
• Adam Piper

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What kinds of Walking/Working Surfaces?

• Floors and Aisles
• Openings, Holes, Vats and Pits
• Runways (Catwalks)
• Stairs
• Ladders
• Scaffolding

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An Unfortunate Accident

• A Florida maintenance worker at a warehouse was
  asked to repair a leaking roof
• The worker was allowed to hire a temp assistant
• He asked his 15 yr old neighbor to help
• They climbed onto this roof using this fixed
  ladder

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An Unfortunate Accident (contd)

• Spent 6 hours repairing the roof
• Worked around these skylights
• The roof is nearly 24 feet from the warehouse
  floor

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An Unfortunate Accident (contd)

• The 15 yr old neighbor fell through this skylight
• He died from his injuries
• This skylight was not guarded or protected by
  railings of any kind

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An Unfortunate Accident (contd)
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What can we do to prevent this kind of terrible
tragedy?
What role should an Engineer play?
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Injury Potential

• Falls from height
• Walking surface failure - planking, scaffolding,
  etc.
• Accidental stepping where no walking surface
  exists.
• Descending stairs and thinking your are at floor
  level when you still have one step left.

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Injury Potential (Contd)

• Stepping into openings, people holes, etc.
• Stepping off loading docks and other elevated
  surfaces - balconies, landings, etc., w/o guards.
  
• Deliberate stepping or jumping where no walking
  surface exists, i.e. suicide.
• Failures of guardrails and other restraining
  devices, such as safety harnesses.

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Injury Potential (Contd)

• Falls from ladders
• Improper use of ladders for purposes for which
  they were not designed, i.e. braces, platforms,
  hoist supports, etc.
• Improper foot wear - cowboy boots, loafers,
  sandals, etc.
• Improper mounting or dismounting the ladder,
  including jumping off ladder and too rapid
  ascent, and descent. Keep hips between rails.

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Injury Potential (Contd)

• Placing ladder on an unstable base - soft, muddy,
  greasy, uneven, etc.
• Hands-full climbing.
• Failure to use safety belts.

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Housekeeping

• Did you know this was the LAW?
• All places of employment, passageways,
  storerooms, and service rooms shall be kept clean
  and orderly and in a sanitary condition.
• Why does OSHA care if your workplace is
  cluttered, dusty or non-orderly?

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Aisles

• Permanent aisles and walkways should be clearly
  marked
• Must be kept clear of obstacles
• Must be designed with adequate space for the
  tasks they are used for
• Forklift operation
• People traffic
• Emergency Egress (Life Safety Code)

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Floor Loading

• The rated load limits for a floor, mezzanine,
  platform, roof, etc. must be
• Determined by a structural professional
• indicated on a permanent plate affixed in an
  obvious place for that working surface
• You must not allow loads above capacity, under
  any circumstances.

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Floor Wall Openings

• Hatchways, ladderways, stairways, skylights,
  pits, manholes, chutes
• Must prevent people and materials from falling
  through
• Even if people cant fit through the opening,
  tools/materials still might
• Can have no more than 1 inch of open space
  without some kind of cover/railing/etc.
• In lieu of a railing/cover, a permanent attendant
  to ensure no one or nothing falls through is
  required

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Stairs

• Fixed stairs are required
• If regular travel from one level to another is
  required
• If daily travel is required to other levels that
  contain harmful substances
• If the daily carrying of equipment, materials or
  tools is required
• Ladders can be used instead if the destination is
  not another level but a tank, crane, platform,
  etc.

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Stairs (contd)

• Stairs must be designed according to strict
  guidelines
• Rise / Tread Run (must have angle 30 - 50)
• Width
• Treads on stairs/steps
• Platforms / landings
• Railings
• Vertical Clearance
• Shape (spiral, winding, etc.)

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Ladders

• Types of Ladders
• Portable
• Stepladders
• Extension Ladders
• Straight Ladders
• Wood, fiberglass, or metal different rules
• Fixed

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Ladders (contd)

• Requirements
• Rungs (12 apart and 16 wide)
• Ladder must reach 3 ft above the surface
• Extension ladder sections must overlap 3 ft (more
  if more than 36 ft long)
• No stepladders can exceed 20 ft. high
• If ladder tips over, it must be inspected
• Must ascend and descend facing the ladder
• If fixed ladders exceed 20 ft, must have a
  landing or platform every 20 ft. (every 30 ft if
  a cage is present)

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Ladders (contd)

• Pitch of a ladder
• 75-90 degrees for portable and fixed ladders.
• Portable - 41 ratio, one foot out at the base
  for every four feet up.
• Fixed Ladders
• 75-90 degrees.
• Clearance between the ladder and the wall - seven
  inches.
• Rear clearance - 30 inches.
• Broken Ladders
• Never used
• Immediately taken out of service until repaired
  or replaced.

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Scaffolding

• Definition
• Any temporary elevated platform and its
  supporting structure used for supporting workmen
  or materials or both.
• Very detailed regulations (33 pages)
• Designed for 4x the intended load
• May not exceed 1x that load
• May not work during storms or high winds
• Must remove from use and inspect/repair if there
  is any reason to suspect damage
• Must be kept clean and free of clutter

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Railings

• Standard Railing
• Top rail mid rail posts
• 42 high (mid rail 21 high)
• Must withstand 200 lb of horizontal force
• Used to guard openings or other places where
  people may fall
• Posts can be no more than 8 ft apart (depending
  on situation, may need to be 6 ft apart)
• Standard Toeboard
• ¼ from floor
• 4 high
• Keeps material from falling on people below and
  people from sliding under mid rail and falling

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Railings (contd)

• Standard Stair Railing
• Used when there is no wall next to the stairs
• Similar to standard railing except in height
• Only 30-34 high
• Standard Handrail
• Used when there is a wall next to the stairs
• 3 from a wall, bracketed to wall every 8 ft
• 30-34 high
• When to use a standard rail or handrail
• If there are 4 or more risers
• At least one handrail on right side of enclosed
  stairs
• A rail on each side of a stairway that is open
• If stair width greater than 44 in., need a
  handrail on each enclosed side and a rail on each
  open side
• If stair width greater than 88 in., need an
  intermediate rail in the middle

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Can you identify what is wrong in the following
pictures?
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