QUALITY &
SAFETY ASSURANCE PLAN FOR INSPECTION OF LIFTING TOOLS AND TACKLES
PPE
1. PPE is mandatory
for inspection of lifting tools and tackles.
2. Company provides
Helmets, Safety Glasses, Gloves and Full Body harness to its inspection
personnel.
SAFETY
A safe system of
work should be developed to ensure the safety of personnel engaged in the job
in addition to carrying out of a good quality and accurate inspection,
examination or test. Legally, every employer must ensure the safety and health
at work of all his employees. He should provide and maintain a safe system of
work that is safe and without risk to health. The safe system of work should be
worked out under the advice of a registered safety officer.
The system should
include the following main ingredients:
•
site conditions;
•
weather conditions;
•
test weights;
•
procedure and safety precautions ;
•
prevention from swinging or wheeling outwards of loads;
•
competence of operator engaged in examination or testing;
•
use of information;
•
emergency procedure; and
•
administration of the safe system of work.
Site Conditions
When a lifting
appliance or lifting gear is to be examined or tested in a site or inside a
workshop, due consideration should be given to the condition of the site or
premises where examinations or tests are to be conducted.
Whenever possible,
the lifting appliance or lifting gear should be examined and tested in open
area or workshop where no other work activities are carried out concurrently.
The ground or structure for support the
lifting appliance should be well consolidated, structurally stable and capable
of withstanding the loads that would be applied to it. Care should be taken to
ensure that there are no hidden hazards in the vicinity such as cable ducts,
drains, pipes, back-fill areas, cellars or other underground weakness when
testing of a lifting appliance is conducted. Lifting appliances should not be
examined or tested in the vicinity of overhead power
lines. In general, brick or masonry work, metal or bamboo
scaffolding, or
temporary structure or working platforms should not be used
as a test site
during the proof load test.
The site where the
test is conducted should be of sufficient area and have unrestricted overhead
clearance to allow the unobstructed movement of the lifting appliance and load
throughout all its appropriate test movements.
It should also keep
in mind to ensure all personnel not involved in the test be kept away from the
test area. Particular care should be taken when a mobile crane or a tower crane
is tested near a public area, highway, or occupied buildings. Appropriate time
and date should be arranged with all relevant parties to keep away traffic and
pedestrians during the test.
Weather Conditions
If the test site is
situated in an open area, examinations or tests should not be carried out in
adverse weather condition. Gusting wind may introduce an additional adverse
effect on the safe handling of the load and the safe operation of the lifting
appliance. Accident may happen to the personnel involved in the examination or
test as rainy weather may increase the slipperiness of the frame structure of
the lifting appliance on which they may walk. Suitable safety precautions
should be devised if examinations and tests in such weather condition could not
be avoided.
Test Weights
The test weights
used should comply with the following requirements:
• weights of proven
accuracy within +/- 1.0%,
• weights proven on
a weighbridge, the weighbridge has been calibrated within the last 12 months,
and
• weights suspended
from a calibrated weighing device, the weighing device has been calibrated
within the last 12 months.
The suspended test
weights should be kept as close to the ground as possible, such as in the range
of 100mm to 200mm above ground. Safety precautions should be taken to ensure
the work safety of the personnel involved in the proof load test if the test
weights are required to be hoisted or travelling along a path.
Test weights should
be made up of concrete/metal blocks/plates, preferably with markings to show
their actual weights. Under no circumstances, should reinforcement bars, wooden
planks or life load be used as test weights.
Procedure and Safety Precautions
A proper procedure
should be worked out to clearly define the sequence and the responsibility of
each personnel engaged in the inspection, examination or test of a lifting
appliance or lifting gear. It should set out which tests to be carried out
first and what follows a non-destructive test. It is important to note down all
safety precautions from relevant codes of practice, national/international standards
and the manufacturer's operation and maintenance manual, and if appropriate,
incorporate them into the safe system of work. The proper procedure and safety
precautions for manually handling heavy test weights, equipment and lifting
tackles should be laid down. If it involves working at height, relevant safety
measures to prevent fall of persons should be adopted, including the provision
of safe access and egress, proper working platforms and personal protective
equipment such as independent life lines and safety harnesses, etc.
A briefing session
to explain and highlight the procedure and precautions should be conducted to
ensure that every personnel is fully familiar with this topic.
Prevention from Swinging or Wheeling outwards of Loads
When a lifting
appliance operates with various SWLs at different working radii, adequate
precautions should be exercised during the proof load test to prevent the load
from swinging or wheeling outwards in order not to overload the lifting appliance.
In case of a horizontal jib crane with trolley, suitable device should be
fitted at the maximum radius of the jib, e.g. clamps to prevent the trolley from
moving beyond this point.
Competence of Operator Engaged in Examination or
Testing
The safe system of
work should specify the competence of the operator who is engaged in the
functional test or proof load test. The operator should be familiar with the
characteristics of the lifting appliance, the safety precautions in handling
overloading and the limitation of the lifting appliance in the brake test,
functional test and proof load test. He should be able to put the lifting appliance
under control at any time during the examination and testing work.
The operator should
hold a relevant certificate, if required under the law, to qualify him in
operating the lifting appliance. He should fully understand all signals given
by the competent examiner to operate the lifting appliance smoothly and
accurately.
Use of Information
The length of time
that a piece of lifting appliance or its component will last is important.
There are three engineering factors that influence the lifetime, namely deformation,
wear and corrosion.
Nearly everything
wears, and wear will usually develop significantly on moving parts such as
bearings, gears, pistons, seals and on parts to which there are relative
motions with other components. Not every wearing part is required to be removed
and replaced, but there is a limitation to the degree of wear for each
component. To use equipment with excessive wear developed in certain components
is dangerous. The equipment would fail unexpectedly at any time if such
situation exists.
Machine members
will deform when they are subjected to loading. For example, when an overhead
travelling crane is used for lifting a load, its bridge span will deform. A maximum
vertical deflection of 1/750 bridge span is allowed when the crane is lifting
its maximum SWL at the centre of the bridge. However, undesirable excessive
deformation may be resulted if components or structure are irregularly loaded,
excessively overloaded or the material of the component has changed its normal
working state.
Competent persons
and competent examiners should assess materials, tolerances, and assembly of
moving parts, gaining an impression as to whether any undesirable conditions
exist which will produce unacceptable wear and deform rates. This is an area
where it is necessary to rely heavily on manufacturer's specifications. No
doubt, the party who is most familiar with the characteristics, performance and
limitation of equipment is the manufacturer.
Every lifting
appliance comes with a manufacturer's specifications, and an operation and
maintenance manual when it is newly purchased. For thorough examination or an
ETE of a lifting appliance, the examiner has to make good preparation, and
cannot finish the job simply by just a proof load test. A thorough examination
or an ETE needs good preparation. Access to the right information is the most
important first step for the job. Such information include:
• the
specifications of the lifting appliance as stated in the manufacturer's specification
sheets;
• the ‘Do’ and
‘Don't’ and the ‘Caution’ statements in the operation and maintenance manual;
• the relevant
documents such as standards or codes of practice;
• maintenance
records; and
• accident history.
The safe system of
work should therefore include such information to make an examination and test
complete and reliable to ensure that the lifting appliance can be used safely
before the next examination and testing.
Emergency Procedure
An emergency procedure
should be developed and included in the safe system of work. The procedure
should specify the equipment for handling the collapsed lifting appliance,
removing of test weights, assignment of personnel in charge of the emergency
procedure. It is also important to secure medical assistance within the
shortest possible time for medical treatment in case of a mishap.
Administration of the Safe System of Work
The safe system of
work should be written in simple language. It should be passed to all personnel
engaged in the inspection, examination or testing job.
It should be
properly executed and administered by a responsible person such as a registered
safety officer, a competent examiner, a plant/factory manager or a site agent,
who should also help to revise and update it from time to time to meet the
demand of the industry.
METHODOLOGY
1. The company’s
inspection procedure is in line with the requirements of Factories Act
1948 and Gujarat
Factory Rules 1963 wherever possible, we augment it further with
Non-destructive testing (NDT) if required.
The decision to
carry out additional tests or inspection is based on the engineer’s judgment.
2. The company has developed
checklists for various equipment. These checklists identify individual elements
of the lifting machine or tackles to be checked. Checklists though proprietary
may be shared with client as field reports.
3. Load testing of
equipment is carried out wherever possible. In case dead weights are available
with the client, these may be used for load testing. The lifting equipment like
Chain Blocks, Slings, D’Shackles, etc is tested using a calibrated tensiometer/
Load Cell. Typically, load testing is carried out at the rated SWL. If code or
rules prescribe a higher load, then the same is applied.
IDENTIFICATION
1. Recommends a colour coding system for identification of equipments that have been
tested. The colour decided in consultation with the client.
REPORTING
1. Inspection
findings are recorded in the respective checklist; additionally an abnormality
report is given to the client to take immediate action. The equipment after
Repairs/Rectification is examined again.
2. Reports in
FORM-10 are made available to the client in due course.
REJECTED ITEMS
Equipment found
unfit for use are retained and destroyed.
ENVIRONMENT
Our personnel are
trained and specifically instructed to care for the environment.
Waste Diesel,
Grease, Paint and contaminated cotton rags are disposed according to the
client’s environment policy.
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