Juliano, Emijane E.

ME 5-4

Case Study
WORK PLACE TRANSPORT

During my On-The-Job Training last summer of 2016 at MHPS (Philippines) Inc.,

Ive learned some of the things a Mechanical Engineer in the industry is doing. In line
with this, some of the things are safety related. One of those safety things that has been
discussed to us during the orientation process will be discussed in the space below.
Workplace transport is any activity involving vehicles used in a workplace.
Vehicles driven on public roads are excluded, except where the vehicle is being loaded
or unloaded on a public road adjacent to a workplace. It does not include the dangers
associated with driving on public roads, air or rail although loading and unloading
activities on the public highway are covered.
In addition to the physical injuries and psychological effects that can be caused
by an accident involving workplace transport, the employer may also suffer financial
loss through prosecution and compensation or loss of business through reputational
damage. In some cases, the damage caused to company property or vehicles in the
accident may also lead to additional financial loss for the employer.
To manage workplace transport effectively, there are three key areas to consider
when carrying out your risk assessment:
safe site (design and activity);
safe vehicle;
safe driver.
Drivers and those who have overall control of sites (site operators) should make
sure that coupling and uncoupling areas are well lit, with firm and level surfaces.
Parking areas should be clearly indicated and there should be separate parking
areas for commercial and private vehicles. There should also be designated areas
where commercial vehicles can be loaded and unloaded.
To minimise the risks to those involved in loading and unloading, information
should be provided on the nature of the load and how it should be properly loaded,
secured and unloaded. This information should accompany the load and be available to
those involved in the loading, transportation and unloading activities.
Vehicles used in the workplace should be suitable for the purpose for which they
are used.
Vehicles should be maintained in good working order so they remain
mechanically sound, and any devices, such as flashing beacons, function properly.
Vehicles such as lift trucks and those with tail lifts must be thoroughly examined by a
competent person and reports kept.

Drivers should be competent to operate a vehicle safely and receive appropriate

information, instruction and training for the vehicle they use. It is particularly important
that younger or less experienced drivers are closely monitored following their training to
ensure they work safely.
A persons fitness to drive/operate a vehicle should be judged on an individual
basis but the aim is to match the requirements of the task with the fitness and abilities of
the driver/operator.
Employers and the contractors they use have duties under health and safety law.
When using contractors, you should:
take into account their skills, knowledge and experience;
provide them with relevant information, such as vehicle and pedestrian traffic routes,
speed limits, designated loading, unloading and parking areas and site rules. Make
sure you consider foreign drivers, eg provide information in other languages;
liaise with them to consider the risks from each others work activities and
agree how the work will be undertaken;
monitor them to ensure they work safely and comply with the site rules;
set up any arrangements for co-operation and co-ordination;
ensure action is taken when they operate in an unsafe manner.

Juliano, Emijane E.
ME 5-4

Case Study
LOCK-OUT TAG-OUT

In the problem from the previous page, I think the real problem is the millwright.
He didn't really double check on something that he locked out just before that is why
something fatal happened to him. He also lacks some companion in the workplace that
could have helped him check what he did. Also the equipment was a little on the
corroded side so it isn't really ideal.
The repairmen was also insufficiently trained because he lacks the Electrical
Safety Related Work Standard. He should have been authorized to lockout machines or
equipment and perform the service and maintenance operations need to be trained in
recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources in the workplace, the type and
magnitude of energy found in the workplace, and the means and methods of isolating
and/or controlling the energy.
He assume that all overhead wires are energized at lethal voltages. Never
assume that a wire is safe to touch even if it is down or appears to be insulated. He
should never repair electrical cords or equipment unless qualified and authorized. If an
overhead wire falls across your vehicle while you are driving, stay inside the vehicle and
continue to drive away from the line. If the engine stalls, do not leave your vehicle. Warn
people not to touch the vehicle or the wire. Call or ask someone to call the local electric
utility company and emergency services.
Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kills people and causes many
serious injuries every year. People are also harmed when a person or object gets too
close to a line and a flashover occurs.
What the millwrightt should have done is to plan and manage work near electric
overhead power lines so that risks from accidental contact or close proximity to the lines
are adequately controlled. Safety precautions will depend on the nature of the work and
will be essential even when work near the line is of short duration.
He should do this after ensuring that no workers can be injured, operate the push
button or other normal controls to verify that all energy sources have been disconnected
and the equipment will not operate. If there is a possibility of re-accumulation of stored
energy, such as an increase in pressure to a hazardous level, isolation of the equipment
must be periodically verified until the maintenance or repair is completed, or until the
possibility of such accumulation no longer exists.

Juliano, Emijane E.
ME 5-4

Case Study
FALL PROTECTION

In the problem from the previous page, a 40 year old laborer/helper died after he
fell from a 27 ft. Falls are a leading cause of injury in the construction industry. Even
from a relatively low height, a fall can cause death or injury such as fracture, spinal cord
injury, concussion and brain damage. And in this case, that fall incident resulted to the
death of the 40 year old laborer.
Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major
injuries. Common causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs. Roof work is
high risk and falls from roofs, through fragile roofs and fragile roof lights are one of the
most common causes of workplace death and serious injury. As well as in construction,
these accidents can also occur on roofs of factories, warehouses and farm buildings
when roof repair work or cleaning is being carried out.
In this problem, they should have used work equipment or other measures to
prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height. It happen because of
miscommunication and lack of use of the proper Personal Protective Equipment.
Working at this heigh was really risky and It should have been apparent for anyone to
use a protective equipment because this was a very high platform to be in.
The incident happen only because some of the safety precautions was not
present during their working time. The workers were working in a very high platform and
during the night and they dont have the audacity to use some safety equipments like
body harness, warning signs, guard rails, catch platforms, eave barriers, roof jacks, and
safety nets.
Whether conducting a hazard assessment or developing a comprehensive fall
protection plan, thinking about fall hazards before the work begins will help the
employer to manage fall hazards and focus attention on prevention efforts. If personal
fall protection systems are used, particular attention should be given to identifying
attachment points and to ensuring that employees know how to properly use and
inspect the equipment.
This incident should have been mitigated if the workers really pay attention on
safety equipments and personal protective equipment. There is also the
miscommunication of the workers was also something to blame. The worker who went
out and left the damaged roof unguarded should have left something like an indicator or
a warning that he left the damaged roof unguarded to at least warn anyone who will be
caught in the area.