To fail to plan…

Brian Parker discusses why companies must have an
emergency rescue plan in place when using mobile
elevating work platforms

Iwould never go up in a Mobile
Elevating Work Platform if I didn’t
know how to get myself down again or
if there was no-one available on the
ground who knew how to safely lower the
platform should I become injured or ill.

Unfortunately many operators and
companies do put themselves in such
potentially dangerous situations. It’s not
enough for someone to pass an operator
course and think they can suddenly work
on any machine – with hundreds of
different types of MEWPs on the market
how can they possibly know the detailed
operation of each.

It is therefore vital that operators have
familiarisation training on the actual
machine that will be used (information on
machine familiarisation can be found in the
technical guidance notes in the publications
section of the International Powered Access
Federation website, www.ipaf.org).

It is equally important that someone is
always on the ground close by who is also
familiar with the machine and capable of
bringing the platform down if the operator
is not in a position to rescue himself.

If you don’t know where the
emergency controls are on a MEWP don’t
think you can just refer to the operating
manual – most of the time those manuals
are kept in the basket, so in an emergency
they will be out of reach.

Legal requirement
To avoid such situations occurring, it is
imperative that companies have a
documented and detailed emergency rescue
procedure in place. Indeed this is a legal
requirement under the Management of
Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999
and the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Most main contractors have emergency
rescue plans, but the majority of small
companies hiring on a one-off or irregular
basis do not tend to be aware of the need
for a plan or what the plan should
include. They think that an incident will
never happen to them. Even where a plan
is in place, in many cases it is too general
to be of real value in an emergency.

This is one of the reasons why the
Strategic Forum for Construction Plant
Safety – a group comprising contractors,
hire companies, the HSE, IPAF and
MEWP manufacturers – has recently
produced the ‘Best Practice Guide For
MEWPs Avoiding Trapping /Crushing
Injuries To People In The Platform’.

Part 1 of the guide is for planners,
managers and trainers. It provides
information on hazards, risk assessments,
controls and responsibilities. It also gives
detailed information to help people
identify trapping risks and to plan and
manage work activities to protect against
entrapment accidents.

Part 2 is aimed at those using and
supervising MEWPs and who are
responsible for rescuing anyone trapped
on a MEWP platform. This section of the
guide has been designed to be used in
briefings or toolbox talks for supervisors
and MEWP operators.

The Strategic Forum was made up of
companies and organisations from across
the industry, and has enabled the industry
to receive valuable first hand experiences
of incidents that had occurred.

Advice on rescue plans given in
the guide includes :
In extreme cases and/or where an
operation involves repeatedly working
close to an obstruction, an observed
‘dry run’ could be appropriate to look
for potential entrapment risks that
could result in a rescue being required.

The ground key for the MEWP should
ideally be left in the base unit where
this is practicable, or at least quickly
available at ground level if not.

While the MEWP manoeuvre is taking
place at least one (and as many as is
appropriate) designated ground rescue
person should be appointed who knows
the rescue procedure and has been
familiarised with the MEWP being used
(including emergency rescue controls).

They should always be readily available
in the event of an emergency.

A system must be in place to identify
that an operator may have become
trapped, particularly for lone workers
working close to an overhead structure.

This needs very careful consideration if
the operator cannot be seen from the
ground. Operators must take advice if
such a system has not been put in place
when a risk of entrapment is present.

Decide who should effect the rescue
and how: this depends on the
complexity of the operation and
therefore the relative risk of effecting a
rescue from the ground compared to
the risk of an operator, possibly in a
state of panic, trying to rescue himself.

It also depends on how the controls for
the specific MEWP being used function
if the load cell has been activated.

To download a copy of the Best Practice
Guide go to: www.afi-uplift.co.uk
Brian Parker is health, safety & environmental
quality manager for powered access hire
specialists AFI-Uplift.