Asphalt Review - Feb/March 2013 - Australian Asphalt Pavement ...

ASPHALT REVIEW
Temporary public access is always required and on this project
they will be established to a high standard of surfacing to accommodate
disabled persons, elderly and those with need for wheeled walkers
and prams. The new public access paths have been well delineated
and signed.
High security type fencing has been deployed on site to better
contain and separate the public from road construction plant and
vehicles. This is more effective than para-webbing or bunting flags in
the containment of pedestrians and is less prone to weather damage.
Public walkway on right behind security fence
A motorised wheel chair passes over the temporary walkway without difficulty – the
surfacing will be further sealed.
The safety challenge presented by work near
overhead and underground services
Most utility services are placed in the road reserves and contact with
underground and overhead utility services was far too frequent in past
years during road construction and similar works.
Activities which have shown the potential to strike services include:
• Excavation works with excavators or backhoes;
• Scraping or grading works;
• Pile and post driving;
• Coring and geotechnical studies;
• Auger works; and
• Steel pickets
It was also common practice prior to 2004 to use plant such as
excavators and backhoes to probe for underground services, often with
predictable negative consequences and damage to services.
VicRoads worked with our contractors in the major projects area
to identify controls and best practice approaches in the civil road
construction area, applying the WorkSafe Framework and Supporting
Publications as the foundation guidelines.
The VicRoads Worksite Safety Newsletter and Safety Alerts were used to
communicate identified best practices for the benefit of the construction
industry and this has significantly eliminated contacts as a result.
Individual behaviour remains the major cause of incidents and this
presents a major challenge.
What was evident during the development of the WorkSafe
Framework was the significant dependence on behavioural controls
in this area. Under the hierarchy of safety controls, behavioural or
administrative controls are clearly the least reliable and effective.
However, higher level controls need to be practical and available in
construction equipment to remove our reliance on human behaviour.
For overhead electrical assets the WorkSafe Handbook for Using
Earthmoving Equipment near Overhead Electrical Assets describes the
hierarchy of controls and gives examples applicable to this equipment
which is frequently involved in contacts with overhead services.
Elimination of the risk through relocation of services prior to road
construction work commencing is now frequently used, but does
require cooperation by the relevant asset owner. Isolation of services is
also used where practical, particularly where works could intrude into
the No Go Zone for overhead electrical services.
There have been innovations in the engineering control areas with
respect to height limiters of excavators which show promise, but may
require a different approach to the task if they cannot reach high
enough to load trucks directly.
Underground service contact incidents have been more prevalent
than overhead services in VicRoads’ experience although both have
significantly reduced in general.
Actions required by contractors to
comply with WorkSafe Framework
The best practice approach to excavation work must follow the
WorkSafe Framework for Undertaking Work near Overhead and
Underground Assets. Industry standards for construction works have
not yet been agreed so in the interim the best practice approach as
detailed in the WorkSafe Framework must be followed or exceeded.
Contractors’ documented safe working procedures must reflect the safe
systems of work specified in the WorkSafe Framework. These detailed
procedures must clearly describe how the system of work will comply with
the WorkSafe Framework and include as-constructed drawings rather than
schematics when possible or a larger size plan that is easy to read.
Permits to Excavate are now commonly required by the principal
contractors to ensure that all safety procedures have been
implemented prior to the works commencing. The procedures should
include requirements to:
• Dial before You Dig;
• “Prove” the location of services using appropriate non-destructive
excavation technology;
• Positively mark the services locations when they have been positively
“proved”;
• Record new locations when services are relocated for future
reference;
• Not permit machines to work closer than the distances listed in the
WorkSafe Framework unless permission has been given by the asset
owner;
• Not assume services are laid in a straight line or that the depth will
be consistent;
• Undertake non-destructive proving excavation if some services are
not traceable;
28 ROADS FEB/MARCH 2013