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

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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 <strong>2013</strong>
• Engage trained personnel competent in safety precautions and SWMS for this work; and • Notify EnergySafe, WorkSafe and/or the asset owner as required within required timeframes should any electrical cables or gas pipes be struck or damaged. Work near overhead electrical services On a recent VicRoads project, an excavator engaged in auger drilling works was being relocated (tracking) from one work area to another on a construction site and contacted live power lines. Fortunately no one was injured, but power was cut and caused major traffic delays for a number of hours as a result. The movement of powered mobile plant on site is classified as High Risk Construction Work under the OHS Construction Regulations 2007, Regulation 5.1.3. This requires a SWMS to identify plant movement hazards such as power line contact and effective controls to prevent this contact. Ideally, the controls should not depend significantly on administrative or behavioural controls. Excavators and other earthmoving equipment with a design envelope which can reach into the No Go Zone and/or the Limits of Approach must comply with the WorkSafe Handbook for Using Earthmoving Equipment near Overhead Electrical Assets. The risks from contact or arcing are more significant in this situation and higher order controls under the hierarchy of controls are now expected by WorkSafe. The SWMS for this type of work should document: • the heights and voltages of overhead electrical assets; • the height of the earthmoving equipment being used; • the need for a trained designated Spotter; and • any other high risk hazards associated with the works including work near traffic. The Handbook provides guidance in this high-risk construction work which if implemented will be deemed to have met an employer’s obligation regarding the risks of working near overhead electrical assets. The Handbook also identifies the hierarchy of control for this work and recommends a higher level of control when working within the No Go Zone and Limits of Approach as defined, if the machines operating envelope will reach into either of these areas. This supports the Act and Regulations which mandate that hazards be controlled by elimination or via the hierarchy of controls applicable to the hazard, so far as reasonably practicable. Higher level controls include power isolation, smaller excavator or excavator height limiting devices fitted to the equipment. The Limit of Approach may be specified within the asset owners required permit or in the WorkSafe Handbook. Moving forward – focus areas Further to the safety challenges presented to the construction industry discussed in this paper, the following table shows the top seven areas of incident prevalence on VicRoads major project sites since 2003. Behavioural type controls dominate in most areas at present, although this is changing as the hierarchy of controls is identified for the specific high-risk works area. Red indicates serious injury or fatality experience, orange indicates a significant number of incidents without serious injury and green indicates good experience largely due to the implementation of higher level controls. This paper has described most of the major areas where, because of the high risks and incident experience, safety innovation has been a priority. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and not necessarily those of VicRoads. HIGH RISK WORK AREA COMMENTS DOMINANT CONTROLS 1. Plant / Reverse over No incidents on major project sites. One fatality and one serious leg injuries on short term regional site. At least 5 recent fatalities around the country. Is a major cause of serious injuries around the world. Behavioural 2 Worksite Traffic Management – Short Term. Serious Leg Injuries on major project short term site during lane closure removal. However, the challenge is greater where short term works are involved whether static or mobile and a greater use of crash attenuators / TMAs is indicated. Lane closures and signs dominate on small projects TMAs Behavioural 3 Plant Rollovers No fatalities. No incidents for a number of months but has been a major incident area particularly after the drought finished. Behavioural 5 Overhead & Underground Services Contacts No fatalities or serious injuries. Contacts have significantly reduced due to WorkSafe Framework uptake and systems in place, but have recently shown a small increase in incidents. Behavioural 6 Falls No fatalities or serious injuries for 10 years. Requires continuous attention. 7 Excavations No incidents or serious injuries for 10 years. Step batters dominate as an engineering control, followed by shields. Requires continuous attention. Guardrails, No Go Zones. Engineering, Behavioural 8 Worksite Traffic Management – Long Term No fatalities for 10 years. The hierarchy of safety controls and the Worksite Safety – Traffic Management Code has made a significant difference to longer term projects. The top 3 controls dominate: road closure, barriers, TMAs. Road closure, ROADS FEB/MARCH <strong>2013</strong> 29
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