In this edition, we'll be covering the following topics:
- Training Aids: "Better" For Everyone.
- Failure to segregate pedestrians and forklifts lands Bakkavor subsidiary with £176k penalty.
- What are the Fall Protection Requirements When Operating an Aerial Work Platform?
- Ask Bob: Our tech guru addresses a question on training for specific attachments.
- Trench worker injured when struck by a backhoe bucket.
- Two Companies Cited $177,893 After Worker's Fatal Fall from Scissor Lift.
- Last chance to register!
- What's Wrong With This? Photo and answer.
- A selection of interesting articles.
- New testimonials from our wonderful clients.
But first, check out all the places we are delivering training this month...
Training Aids: "Better" For Everyone.
Whenever I have the chance to talk with mobile equipment trainers that have been at it for a while, they often ask the question: how can I make my operator training better? This kind of question always makes me feel good because I think it is great when an experienced trainer looks for ways to improve rather than taking the easier route of slipping into a routine or worse, a rut.
What is "Better"?
My reply to this sort of question usually starts with another question: what do you mean by better? This may sound silly but it really deserves some careful thought. Better for whom, you or your trainees? Are they not getting it or do you get the feeling your training is boring for them or is it you that is having trouble staying interested and/or getting your point across?
Training/Visual Aids are Key
In either case, there is a lot of information out there on how you can spice up your training to make it more entertaining and ‘stick’ with your trainees better but one of the most common solutions is in the use of training aids, or more specifically, visual aids.
It Starts With You
Now before you go running off to buy every gadget out there remember that you already have two of the best training aids available at your disposal already – you and the equipment you are using. As the trainer, you are the focal point of your training programs. When all eyes (and ears) are on you, it is important that you speak and carry yourself dynamically and with confidence. Here are some tips on how you can do this:
- Know your stuff! Knowledge is power so before you even think of trying to train others be absolutely sure that you are comfortable with your knowledge level with the equipment you are dealing with.
- Have a plan. You probably got hammered with this over and over again when you went through the IVES program but a lesson plan is vital for consistency, accuracy and continuity.
- Practice. If you know your stuff and you have a plan it will help you build the confidence needed to dive into the pool so to speak. Once you do that, practice and practice alone will build your confidence.
- Use your voice. Say it like you mean it! Alter your tone and volume to emphasize certain important points.
- Be Dynamic. Don’t just plant yourself on your soapbox and grow roots. The very definition of the term dynamic involves motion so move around. Use gestures and body language to support your speech.
- Engage your trainees. Instead of asking if there are any questions, ask some of your own. Just be careful not to put anyone on the spot or embarrass them. A good way to do this is by asking for opinions. For example: what would happen if you picked up a load and…, what do you think is the right way to do (something), Bill, do you agree with Sue? Why? Why not? Encouraging this kind of group interaction really gets things cooking in the classroom and listening to the responses gives you an excellent gauge as to the level of understanding amongst your trainees.
- Be interested! If you want others to be interested in what you are saying, you must be interested in what you are saying. If you are perceived by the trainees as just giving lip service to the topic, they will give it the same degree of interest that you do. Be passionate about safety and let it show.
Don't Forget the Equipment
Moving on from you as the primary training aid in your programs, let’s talk about the next most important visual aid that you have on hand, the equipment. When it comes to pointing out things like the various components, warnings, and decals on a given machine, there is nothing better to point to than the equipment itself. As soon as you can – get your trainees out of their seats and out to the equipment. A great way to acquaint them with the machine is to conduct a pre-use inspection. After that, you can head back to the classroom with everyone having a clear picture in their minds of all the things you will cover in the classroom relative to the machine.
You Get What You Give
We could go on here with all sorts of methods and information to better your training but it all basically comes down to the ‘garbage in / garbage out’ concept. What you and your trainees get out of a training program is proportionate to what is put in. If you can accept that and put it into practice, the x-factor of your training programs should increase dramatically.
Every Bit Helps
In my opinion, visual aids are a basic component in any operator training program. Materials like our operator reference manuals are a great core source of information and graphics during a program and, as an added bonus, trainees can take them with them to keep and use as a reference long after the program. Supplements like models, videos, electronic training aids and images all enhance the overall learning experience and also serve a valuable purpose in a training program.
More is Not Always Better
There is no doubt that visual aids make a valuable contribution toward enhancing the effectiveness of, and interest in, a training program. However, if they are used incorrectly too much information can overload the trainee and detract from his/her experience rather than enhance it. The use of visual aids should be planned out and timed to make sure their effects are beneficial.
Use Wisely
To maximize the benefit of your visual aids, try using these guidelines:
- Choose Your Moment - Your trainees are subject to the phenomenon known as Circadian Rhythm. The amount of information on this topic is immense but to boil it down, circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that roughly follow a 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. They are found in most living things, including animals, plants and many tiny microbes. Things like eating and/or being inactive for prolonged periods also have an effect on physical and mental alertness. So what does this mean to you as a trainer? Don’t show a video right after lunch unless you want everyone to fall asleep!
- Shut it Off - If you are using an electronic visual aid (like our Digital Training Aids) and projecting them onto a screen, put the projector on standby or somehow block the image if you know you will not be referring to it for any length of time over a minute or so. People will stare at a screen with an image forever if you let them, and then they are not focused on you or what you are saying.
- Put Them Down - If you pick up a model to point something out, remember to put it down when you are done. If not, you will find that some trainees will continue to focus on it rather than you. In fact, sometimes I find it more useful to refer to the model without actually picking it up. I find this to be the case particularly with the stability pyramid model used in forklift classes. Sometimes, just having it sitting there in full view of all the trainees while you are discussing the stability triangle/pyramid is enough.
Summary
Every trainer that cares about what they do wants to become better at it, which is a natural and admirable trait. However, before a trainer goes about trying make him/herself or the program better, some careful thought is required as to just what ‘better’ actually is. Training / visual aids are a very common solution that many trainers turn to, to enhance the enjoyment and effectiveness of their programs from the perspective of the trainees. Trainers must always bear in mind that they are the focal point of the program regardless of the type and number of supplements used and as such, they become the primary visual aid of any program. It is also advisable for trainers to keep in mind that the benefits realized by themselves and their trainees are often based upon the effort invested. The equipment addressed during a given program is also an invaluable resource that can and should be utilized as a visual aid. Other training / visual aids can also enhance the learning experience of trainees but must be selected and used wisely, otherwise they could have the opposite effect to what is desired. The bottom line on the use of training / visual aids: by all means use them – but use them well.
Rob Vetter
Director of Training
IVES Training Group
Failure to segregate pedestrians and forklifts lands Bakkavor subsidiary with £176k penalty.
A division of Bakkavor which makes ready meals for retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose has been sentenced after an employee was killed at its factory in West Lothian, Scotland.
The worker was unloading empty food trays when the accident happened on 22 March 2016.
Falkirk Sheriff Court was told that a forklift driver hit a stack of empty trays, which toppled on to the worker. He hit his head as he fell over and died from his injuries two weeks later.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Bakkavor Foods had failed to provide enough clearance between pedestrians and workplace vehicles.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £176,000 ($228,000 USD).
HSE inspector Stuart Easson said: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable incident caused by the failure of the host company to implement safe systems of work. This risk was further amplified by the company’s failure to undertake safety measures including segregating vehicles and employees.”
Bakkavor Foods is a wholly owned subsidiary of microwave meal giant Bakkavor Group that has manufacturing sites in the UK, US and China. Accounts for the year to 31 December 2017 showed the group’s turnover stood at £1,814.8m ($2,359.2m USD).
Bakkavor Foods was fined £2m ($2.6m USD) last May after a yard supervisor was crushed to death when a 723 kg (1,600 lb.) waste plastic bale fell 3 m (10 ft.) and landed on him in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
Source: www.ioshmagazine.com
What are the Fall Protection Requirements When Operating an Aerial Work Platform?
The number one priority on any aerial jobsite should be to promote a safe workplace for both the operators and the equipment. To do this, it is important for everyone onsite to follow safety rules and regulations set forth by industry agencies such as ANSI and OSHA, as well as outlined in the equipment manufacturers’ guidelines.
Fall protection, such as wearing a harness and lanyard, is crucial for operator safety when working on aerial equipment such as articulating, telescopic and trailer-mounted booms. To prevent incidents and mishaps from happening on an aerial jobsite, it is important that you proactively make sure everyone who comes in contact with your aerial work platform understands and adheres to all fall protection requirements.
Different types of aerial work platforms have specific requirements for fall protection, here’s what you need to know:
Fall Protection Requirements on Manually Propelled and Scissor Lift Products:
Standards for Manually Propelled Elevating Work Platforms (ANSI A92.3 and CSA B354.7) and Self-Propelled Elevating Work Platforms (Scissor lifts) (ANSI A92.6 and CSA B354.7) do not require the use of PFPE in addition to guardrails.
Fall Protection Requirements on Booms:
Use of approved Personal Fall Protection Equipment (PFPE), in addition to a guardrail for operator fall protection, is required in the U.S. and Canada for boom-mounted aerial platforms. All occupants in boom‐supported aerial work platforms must wear personal fall protection, with the lanyard attached to the designated anchorage, whenever they are in the platform.
This requirement is mandated by the standards for Boom-Supported Elevating Work Platforms (ANSI A92.5 and CSA B354.7) and Vehicle-Mounted Elevating and Rotating Aerial Devices (ANSI A92.2 and CSA C225) and enforced by OSHA (USA) and Provincial (Canadian) authorities.
If an operator is required to use PFPE, Genie provides approved lanyard attachment points in every aerial work platform it manufactures.
Personal Fall Protection Requirements on Boom‐Supported Aerial Work Platform:
The following is a general summary of fall protection requirements as discussed above for boom-supported aerial work platforms:
- An employer is responsible for providing approved fall protection for all employees/operators.
- A personal fall arrest system used on a boom type aerial lift cannot allow the operator to fall more than 6 ft, exceed 1,800 lb arresting force or allow the operator to come into contact with any lower surface.
If you have questions regarding fall protection requirements for your aerial work platforms, we encourage you to contact the Product Standards and Compliance Group at 800-536-1800.
Source: www.aerialpros.genielift.com
Ask Bob
Q. We have a customer that uses a Case 590SM3 as a forklift (loader with fork attachment). Our IVES instructors are not authorized to deliver loader backhoe classes, only front end loader classes. If the company does not use the equipment as a backhoe, are our instructors authorized to deliver loader with fork attachment training and issue cards? If so, what should the operator card state to describe that the operator is authorized to run the piece of equipment as a loader only?
A. You have pretty much answered yourself here, but I will confirm for you. Good job, by the way!
Yes, they can train on the machine with the sole focus of using it as front end loader (ONLY) with forks as the attachment. When they issue the cards, they can write on the back of the card under equipment type: Front end loader with forks. You should also add something like, “Not trained or authorized to use backhoe attachment” in the “Additional Comments” section of the Record Sheet on the back of the Compliance Folder.
Finally, I would suggest to also make it clear on the backside of the practical evaluation form that covers the hoe part of the unit by marking that section with a big “X” across and noting “N/A”. That way there is no confusion, they were not trained or evaluated on the hoe part. Sound good?
Trench worker injured when struck by a backhoe bucket.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA has started a new investigation after a worker was injured in a Blue Springs trench on Monday.
The unidentified worker was struck by the bucket of a backhoe while he was in the trench.
According to OSHA Spokesman Scott Allen, the injured worker is currently hospitalized with a broken leg.
Allen said C & C Ditching and Grading is the company responsible for digging the trench for the plumbing job. That company has no prior history of OSHA violations or penalties.
A truck at the scene also said Bright Plumbing. The 41 Action News Investigators placed a call to that company. A man who identified himself as Jake declined to comment on the incident.
According to Assistant Chief Eddie Saffel with the Central Jackson County Fire Department, the backhoe's bucket struck the worker.
Central Jackson County Fire Department Assistant Chief Eddie Saffel also said there was no shoring to prevent the trench from collapsing.
And he said the worker wasn't wearing a helmet when the fire department came to rescue him so one was sent down to him.
OSHA standards include having some type of shield, shoring or sloping of the trench when it's more than five feet deep.
Saffel estimates the trench where the rescue took place is 15 feet deep.
OSHA also recommends a warning system when equipment like a backhoe is being used near the trench edge because the operator may not have a complete view of the trench.
By law, OSHA has six months to complete its investigation.
Source: www.oshatoday.com
Two Companies Cited $177,893 After Worker's Fatal Fall from Scissor Lift.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Hammers Construction Inc. and Montes Construction LLC after a fatal fall at a Greenwood Village, Colorado, worksite. The companies face proposed penalties of $177,893.
OSHA inspected the worksite in March 2018 after an employee fell while installing metal roofing panels on a storage unit building. OSHA cited the two construction companies for failing to use adequate fall protection and restrict employees from standing on the mid-rails of scissor lifts. OSHA also cited Montes Construction LLC in January 2018 for failing to provide fall protection, and now faces a willful citation.
“These employers failed to protect their employees from well-known and preventable fall hazards,” said OSHA Area Director David Nelson, in Englewood, Colorado. “This tragedy could have been prevented if they had met their obligations and provided the required fall protection.”
Hammers Construction Inc. and Montes Construction LLC have 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
Source: www.osha.gov
What's Wrong With This? Photo
Can you tell what's going wrong in this photo?
Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!
Answer to Last Month's WWWT? Photo
Here's what Vertikal.net had to say about it:
Received from a reader in the USA – a photo of a trailer lift setting up over an empty swimming pool, the chances of the set up working with the cribbing used have to be pretty low.
We have no indication of when and where exactly this photo was taken, it is clearly somewhere in the USA, and shows the trailer lift being set up with its tyres on the very edge of the pool, and the rear outriggers extending over the pool.
An attempt has been made to place cribbing below each of the outriggers in the pool, but they clearly have nothing like enough wood blocks and have instead attempted to stretch what they do have to fit. The only thing keeping the lift from toppling in is that it is still attached to the pick up truck.
If our man plans to unhitch the lift, the chances of it remaining stable is about as low as you can get. In fact the operator is likely to be far better off falling from the stowed position, rather than managing to raise the boom and have the blocks fall out while he is in the air. Clearly the plan is to work over the rear to reach the ceiling area, this putting most pressure on those rear stabilisers.
The mind boggles!
Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!
Interesting Articles
Front end loader operator moves bus and accidently runs over worker underneath...more.
VIDEO: A small child with more excavator skills than most adults...more.
Forklift prices look set to rise in the United States...more.
34-year-old dies when front end loader rolls onto him...more.
Forklift topples and traps construction worker...more.
What is OSHA and how do they protect workers?...more.
Company fined $70,000 after worker seriously injured when scissor lift overturns...more.
VIDEO: Driver James Stubbs injured after forklift pierces his car...more.
Forklift knocks down 13 power poles in central Las Vegas...more.
One person hurt after 25ft fall from scissor lift in Portland...more.
Client Testimonials
"Programs/materials/instructors are awesome. It’s hard to improve what works." Bryant, Jacob's Engineering.
"Very informative and clearly explained. Made understanding very easy and left feeling very knowledgeable and ready to train." John, Blue Apron.
"Great class, better than expected. Completely satisfied. Thanks much." David, United Airlines.
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