Card 03.01 Common areas, management and behaviour
THE RISKS:
- Dangers caused by objects and material falling from heights (due to careless handling;inadequate shelf fixing and support breaking)
- Bumping/entangling to things or people
- Worker's falling (even from heights) /slipping/stumbling ((due to lack of parapet, wrong ladder use, lack of order and cleansing and distraction
- Truck overturning (lack of internal circulation respect and superficiality)
- Self and others intoxication (caused by lack of hazardous product isolation, lack of return time respect and inadequate notification)
- Worker coming into contact with live electrical parts
- Damages caused by sudden fall of unstable structures (lack of notification and barrier insufficiency)
It is necessary to remind that:
Employer shall improve common areas (practicability, farmyard, accessible facilities etc) as well as workers and all other people shall display
good behaviour respecting prohibitions, keeping order and standard of cleanliness and remembering everyone has the right to stay or move safely
through the area.
PRACTICAL AND OPERATING INDICATIONS:
Facilities shall be safe and met generic minimum requirements imposed by hygiene at work norms.
Operators shall be given protective clothing in hot/cold transitional rooms.
Scheduled maintenance shall be carried out on each facility and its parts (roofs, chimneys, floors, frames, walls, systems etc).
Artificial and natural lighting shall be improved with emergency light installation, were it necessary (secluded spots, cellars etc), and kept in good functioning.
Rooms shall be ventilated, maintaining a good relation between temperature and humidity avoiding therefore accumulation of hazardous vapours/gasses.
Floor shall not be affected by subsidences, protrusions, holes, and dangerous sloping surfaces.
Both floors and walls shall be cleaned, were it necessary. Their impermeability and wash ability shall be guaranteed.
Sunken tanks shall be protected with security fences and wells shall be closed with padlocks or irremovable covers.
In elevated areas a two rails parapet (height of the upper one=120cm)with base piers shall be placed, as well as warning signals and the maximum load (in kg/m2).
Passages shall not be blocked up with materials obstructing the normal circulation.
During machines movements, drivers shall watch out for people or animals, especially when they insert the reverse gear. They shall verify passages practicability and people's presence before starting vehicles.
Users shall clean and put each used object/tool back.
Rooms shall always be neat and clean.
Workers shall not leave hazardous and/or oily unattended product remains (in work places, in passages, on ladders etc).
FURTHER INDICATIONS AND ADVICE
- Areas put at worker's disposal shall be kept clean (changing rooms, basins and toilets).
- Restricted areas shall be kept closed.
- Dangerous situations linked to closing systems shall be reported and ameliorated (e.g. gates: non-working photocells; doors and shutters: hinge failure; rolling shutters: difficult sliding).
- Shelving shall be fixed to a wall or to the floor in a way they will not topple over. The maximum load of each shelf shall always be indicated in kg/m2.
