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SAFETY MOMENT, JULY 27

Never stand under a load

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Safety moment, July 27

Never stand under a load

Cranes lift and swing heavy loads near workers and power lines, often on ground that can shift. When something goes wrong, it happens fast. The operator is not the only one at risk: riggers, signal persons, laborers and anyone walking by can be struck, crushed or caught under a load.

SAFETY MOMENT

July 27

The hazard

Cranes lift and swing heavy loads near workers and power lines, often on ground that can shift. When something goes wrong, it happens fast. The operator is not the only one at risk: riggers, signal persons, laborers and anyone walking by can be struck, crushed or caught under a load.

The action

The fall zone is wherever a load could fall if something fails, not just the spot below it. In construction, while a suspended load is not being moved, only workers hooking, unhooking or guiding it, making its first connection, or working a concrete hopper or bucket may be in the fall zone. When a load is being landed, only the workers needed to receive it may be there (29 CFR 1926.1425(d)). Everyone else walks around, never under. (29 CFR 1926.1425(b))

ASK THE CREW

Who is our signal person, and what does the emergency stop signal look like?

From the talk: Crane safety. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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