Control, Safe Use and Operation of Chain Saws, Clearing Saws and Strimmers

Transcription

1 Control, Safe Use and Operation of Chain Saws, Clearing Saws and Strimmers

2 Page 1 of 11 Part A Synopsis A standard detailing the requirements for control, safe use and operation of chain saws, clearing saws and strimmers. Approval and authorisation Signatures removed from electronic version Submitted by: Approved by : Nominated responsible manager Chairman, Civil Engineering Subject Committee Authorised by : Board Member, Engineering Control, Safe Use and Operation of Chain Saws, Clearing Saws and Strimmers This document is the property of the, it shall not be reproduced in whole or in part, nor disclosed to a third party, without the written permission of the Director, Engineering Standards. Copyright 1994 Published By s Macmillan House Paddington

3 Page 2 of 11 Issue / Revision record

4 Page 3 of 11 This standard will be updated when necessary by distribution of a complete replacement. Amended or additional parts of revised pages will be marked by a vertical black line in the adjacent margin. Issue Rev Date Comments 1 A Feb. 94 Original document incorporates and supersedes CESM G9 Responsibilities and distribution To all parties responsible for the operation and use of chain saws, clearing saws and strimmers including employees of BR, franchisees and other private parties operating on railway operational land. Implementation The provisions of this standard are mandatory and apply immediately. Contents Section Description Page No. Part A Synopsis 1 Approval & authorisation 1 Issue/Revision record 2 Responsibilities and distribution 2 Implementation 2 Supply 2 Contents 2 Part B Supply Controlled and uncontrolled copies of this standard may be obtained from the TDCC Manager, Document Services, Railway Technical Centre, London Road, Derby, DE24 8UP. 1 Purpose 3 2 Scope 3 3 Acquisition 3 4 Registration 3 5 Maintenance 3 6 Modification 4 7 Statutory Requirements 4 8 Training and Authorisation 4 9 Safe System of Work 7 10 Personal Protective Equipment 10

5 Page 4 of 11 Part B 1 Purpose To specify to managers, supervisors and operators, factors that must be considered for controlling, safely using and operating chain saws, clearing saws and strimmers, in the railway environment. 2 Scope This instruction applies to all managers responsible for the operation of electric, hydraulic or internal combustion engined chain saws, clearing saws and strimmers used in the pursuance of railway business on railway property. 3 Acquisition 3.1 All chain saws must conform to the requirements listed below:- BS Must be fitted with a chain brake (except hydraulically powered machines). Electrical equipment must have a maximum operating voltage of 110 V. and conform to the relevant section of BS All clearing saws and strimmers must be of a proprietary type and be of a specification suitable for the type of work being done. Electrical equipment must have a maximum operating voltage of 110 V. and conform to the relevant section of BS Registration All equipment must be uniquely numbered and registered for ownership and maintenance purposes.

6 Page 5 of 11 5 Maintenance All equipment must be subject to maintenance in accordance with manufacturers recommendations. This must be recorded and an indication of that maintenance having been carried out must be apparent to the user on site by a next maintenance due label. When equipment is hired and the hire company undertakes to perform maintenance, it is the hirers (users agent) responsibility to ensure that a satisfactory maintenance programme exists and that the equipment is made available for it to be implemented. Chain saws must receive maintenance at least every 3 months. Chain saw maintenance must include at least the following: Operation of chain brake (when fitted) Chain Tension Chain condition Functional testing 6 Modifications Modifications to equipment that affect safety or the parties operating the equipment must be approved by the manufacturer. 7 Statutory Requirements Health & Safety at Work Act In the event of an accident or dangerous occurrence, the requirements of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR) and The Railways (Notice of Accidents) Order 1986, must be complied with. 8 Training and Authorisation 8.1 General Operators must receive formal training, be assessed in the operation of the equipment and must carry an authorisation certificate while operating. 8.2 Selection of Personnel

7 Page 6 of 11 Persons selected for training to operate shall have the following attributes:- Be a minimum age of 18 years at the time of the assessment. Be fit, with regard to eyesight, hearing and reflexes (i.e. must meet the requirements of GO/ZT Medical Fitness of Persons Competent in Personal Track Safety). Able to judge distances, heights and clearances. Physically capable of operating the equipment. Chain saw operators must meet the selection requirements of HSE Guidance Note GS Training The operator training and assessment must at least include the relevant aspects of the following:- Function of all operator controls. The safe system of work (detailed in this standard). British Rail Rule Book. Personal Track Safety/Track Safety Handbook. Personal Protective Equipment. Safety precautions to be taken when working in the vicinity of overhead electric supply lines (Group Standard GC/OG0020). AC and DC electrified line instructions as appropriate. Requirements when working with an adjacent line open to traffic. Operator servicing and pre use checks. Reporting of defects Additional training for chain saw operators Operators will be trained in one of two classes:- a) General Railway Work Operators will be restricted to machines with a maximum cutter bar length of 15 ins. The scope of the work will be limited to:- Felling of sapling trees of up to 450 mm. girth at ground level, working at ground level only. Cutting of dead wood, sleepers and wheel timbers.

8 Page 7 of 11 Clearing of wind blown timber, working at ground level only. Training will at least include:- Pre use preparation and maintenance of chain saws. Basic operation of chain saws. Clearing wind blown timber. Cutting of sleepers at ground level and in wagons. Following training the operators will be assessed by a competent instructor. b) All work outside the scope of category (a) Operators must be trained to the relevant Appendices of HSE Guidance Note GS 48 and issued with a certificate of competency to the relevant part of Appendix 1 of HSE Guidance Note GS 48. For both classes, supervision of trainees, training and the competency of instructors will be as specified in HSE Guidance Note GS Additional training for clearing saw and strimmer operators Training should include the details specified in the Arboricultural Safety Council document ASC 43 "Clearing saws brush cutters and strimmers-safety Guide". 8.4 Authorisation If the trainee is deemed competent by the examiner, the trainees manager may give full authorisation to operate the equipment and issue an Authorisation Certificate which must contain the following information: Persons full name. Employers name and address. Type of equipment. Date of Issue and date of expiry (Certificate must expire no later than 2 years after issue). Class of operation a/b (chain saws only, as defined in section 8.3.1) Examiners name, company address and signature. Authorising Manager name, address and signature. The training, assessment and authorisation must be recorded for audit purposes.

9 Page 8 of 11 Operators must be re-assessed and re-authorised every two years Operators must be reassessed and re authorised if they have not operated the equipment for a period of 12 months. 8.5 Persons required to supervise the on-site operation of equipment Such persons must have a working knowledge of the relevant sections of this standard. 9 Safe System of Work 9.1 A safe system of work, which takes account of a risk assessment in the local operating environment must be identified, communicated and implemented. 9.2 Appropriate supervision must be provided. The site of work must be visited during daylight to inspect the operators working environment. The safe system of work shall encompass any lookout protection requirement and safety of the line, which may need protection as under Section T of the B.R. Rule Book. The supervisor must check, before any work is undertaken, the following:- The operator has his authorising certificate to operate the equipment. The operator has his full complement of protective equipment. A safe system of work has been agreed. That only a lookout man (by touch) or persons directly involved in chain sawing work are allowed within 2 metres. The chain saw selected is to have the minimum length cutter bar consistent with the work to be undertaken and for class (a) work does not exceed 15 inches. That no persons are allowed to approach within 10m. of a working clearing saw. 9.3 The operator must check that the chain saw is not defective and is not over due for maintenance. 9.4 Further special considerations will have to be made when felling trees, these must include exclusion zones and protection of the line.

10 Page 9 of The work area must be cleared of obstructions as far as is reasonably practical and the operator must have a free area to work in, together with a firm foot hold. 9.6 Careful inspection of the timber to be cut must take place to locate any embedded foreign matter e.g. nails, staples, bolts, stones etc., cutting into this type of foreign matter must be avoided by removal or relocation of the proposed cut. 9.7 The method of work must be so arranged as to prevent a saw becoming pinched, during cutting, by timber movement. When cutting wooden sleepers, precautions must be taken to prevent digging the blade into the ballast and the striking of any metal item attached to a sleeper. 9.8 A chain saw operator must not, under any circumstances, work alone. 9.9 For sawing work a member of the working group must be a First Aid at Work (FAW) First Aider. First Aid equipment must be available at the site of work and the supervisor must be aware of how to contact emergency services If work has to take place in the hours of darkness lighting MUST be provided, without which the operation is prohibited Only authorised persons may handle chain saws with the power source operational Saws may only be carried between work areas once the equipment has stopped, the cutter cover fitted and with chain saws, the guide bar to the rear Operators may be handed a chain saw at their position of work but the power source must be shut down/off When using saws care must be taken not to cut semi-hidden equipment e.g. S&T cables, junction boxes, signal wire and any of the machines own control system e.g. hoses, electric cables Petrol driven equipment must not be used in confined spaces or below ground unless adequate ventilation is provided to prevent a build up of toxic fumes.

11 Page 10 of Fuelling of Petrol driven equipment The engine must be stopped before refuelling takes place. Care must be taken to release tank pressure slowly and not to spill fuel over hot engine parts. Smoking, naked lamps or flames are not permitted within 10 metres of the fuelling point. The equipment must not be started within 10 metres of the fuelling point. Fuel containers must be of an approved type, maximum capacity 9 litres (2 gallons), leak proof with secure caps and correctly labelled as to their contents All work near Electrified Lines must be in accordance with the Working Instructions for AC/DC Electrified Lines as appropriate. Reference must also be made to "Plant Working in the Vicinity of Overhead Electric Supply Lines" GC/OG0020. Where there is a possibility that trees when cut may fall across a live conductor, electrical isolation of the line must be arranged In the event of an accident or dangerous occurrence, where the cause is attributed to the equipment and which can not be readily rectified the equipment must be immediately withdrawn from service, suitably labelled and the incident reported at once to the on-site supervisor, users manager and maintainer.

12 Page 11 of Personal Protective Equipment 10.1 Chain saws Operators, lookouts by touch, staff working within 2 metres of a chain saw must wear suitable foot, leg, head, face, eye, hand and ear protection equipment. Any staff working within 2 to 5 metres of a chain saw must wear suitable foot, eye, ear and head protection equipment. Loose clothing must not be worn when operating chain saws Operators must wear suitable foot, head, face, eye, hand and ear protection equipment. Loose clothing must not be worn when operating clearing saws and strimmers.