In this edition...

• NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE!
  • Spanish and French Language MEWP Operator Training Materials.
  • Videos Now Available in Digital Streaming Format.
• ANSI A92 Update.
• PE fined $50,000 for certifying 14 scissor lifts safe without testing.
• Pennsylvania co. asks judge to send Irish man's lawsuit to Canada.
• Ask Bob: Our tech guru answers a question on distance to maintain during training.
• Excavator death was preventable.
• Forklift truck injuries on the rise in UK.
• 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...


                       
 

NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE!

New Spanish and French Language MEWP Materials Available!

We are very happy to announce the arrival of the newly revised and translated mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) operator training and retraining materials. All of our MEWP-related operator training materials have been updated in compliance with new ANSI A92 and CSA B354 industry standards. Joining the English language versions of the revised Aerial Boomlift, Scissor Lift and MEWP (formerly Aerial Lifts [Combined]) operator training materials are Spanish and French language versions, which include:
 

•     Operator Reference Manuals (ORM)
•     Operator Final Written Theory Tests
•     Operator Requalification Study Guides
•     Operator Requalification Notepads
•     Equipment Pre-use Inspection Checklists

Answer keys to the ORM Chapter Reviews and Operator Final Written Theory Tests are available for free in the Downloadable Materials & Updates section on your Member Dashboard on the Ives Training Website. The answer keys to the Operator Requalification Theory Tests are located at the back pages of the respective Study Guides as always. Keep in mind the new training materials listed above contain many significant revisions. Normally, a “Revision Summary” accompanies the release of revised materials and is made available for download from our website. However, in this case the revisions are so varied and numerous that the summaries would likely be too long and confusing. The “Chapter Review Indexes” that were made available with the English language versions of the ORMs are still available.

These documents are basically answer keys to the Chapter Review questions in each ORM, supplemented with information on exactly where the answers and/or relative information for each question is found in the ORM. We think they will be more helpful and useful to you than the usual Revision Summaries would be in helping you navigate the new material while you become familiar with it. However, keep in mind that these documents are in English.

Finally, as is always the case with new materials, we highly recommend carefully reviewing them well in advance of delivering any operator training you may have planned. If you have questions, we are here to support you through Ask Bob via email or our 1-800 technical support line via telephone.

Digital Streaming Option for Videos Available!

IVES is pleased to announce that we are now able to offer purchasers of our training videos the super- convenient option of viewing these training videos via digital streaming format in addition to the current DVD option. This is great news for those who use multiple computers for training or regularly travel to different training locations.

All you need is a computer with an Internet connection and you’re ready to go. No need to cart around DVDs and DVD drives or sacrifice hard drive space on your computer. With a high-speed Internet connection, you will be able to live stream high quality video and audio of IVES safety training videos virtually everywhere you go. Nearly every title in our video inventory is available to stream.

Purchase videos with the digital streaming option for less that you would pay for the DVDs and enjoy unlimited viewing for one year with an option to renew at reduced rates. Available now!  

Video Titles Available in Digital Streaming Format*                                                   

•  Introduction Series
  • Counterbalanced Forklift
  • Narrow Aisle Forklift
  • Powered Pallet Truck
  • Rough Terrain Telehandler
  • Aerial Boom Lift
  • Scissor Lift
  • Skid Steer Loader
  • Loader Backhoe
  • Front End Loader
  • Excavator
• Lessons Learned
• Point of View

* English and Spanish language versions available.

ANSI A92 Update

It appears the effective date for the ANSI/SAIA A92 suite of standards relative to mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) is delayed. The original date of December 2019 has been moved to March 1, 2020. Keep in mind that this date assumes the standards move through ANSI’s approval process smoothly and no further appeals are filed or re-filed.

“This latest setback doesn’t change anything from our perspective” says IVES’ Director of Training, Rob Vetter. “It’s not a question of, if this is going to happen, but when. We have already updated our MEWP operator training and retraining materials to suit the new ANSI and CSA standards. We will continue ensuring our people are ahead of the curve on this by making sure they are training to new standards now.”

Keep your eye on future IVES Updates and other e-notifications for further news on the A92 standards as it develops as well as announcements for supplemental training aids we’re working on to help you and your company comply with them.

Professional Engineer fined $50,000 for certifying 14 scissor lifts safe for use without examining or testing

Tan Juay Pah, a 61-year-old Professional Engineer and an Authorised Examiner (AE) for Lifting Equipment (LE) registered with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) was fined $50,000 on 24 June 2019, for his failure to exercise due diligence in certifying 14 scissor lifts safe for use.

Tan was convicted of five charges under the Workplace Safety and Health (“WSH”) Act, and 10 other charges were taken into consideration for the purpose of sentencing. In addition, MOM has revoked Tan’s AE status.

In a press release on Thursday (July 18), MOM stated that this is the first time an AE has been convicted for failing to exercise due diligence in making a certification or conducting any test or examination of any lifting appliance or machine.

The ministry noted that under the WSH Act, a scissor lift used in a workplace must be thoroughly tested and examined once every six months by an AE who will issue a Certificate of Test / Thorough Visual Examination of Lifting Equipment (“LE Certificate”) to indicate that the scissor lift has been checked and is safe for use.

According to the ministry, Tan issued a total of 15 LE Certificates for 14 scissor lifts between March and October 2016, even though he did not examine nor test the equipment (he certified one of the scissors lift twice).

The LE Certificates were issued to the owners of the scissor lifts who distributed copies to their respective lessees, said the ministry.

However, one of the lessees, who received a copy of the LE Certificate but whose scissor lift was never examined by Tan, reported the case to MOM. This resulted in the commencement of investigations by the ministry into the LE certificates issued by Tan.

During the investigation, other lessees confirmed that no test nor examination was carried out by any AE on the scissor lifts before they received the LE Certificates.

“As a professional entrusted with the responsibility of certifying high-risk machines are safe for use, Tan failed to exercise due diligence during certification which could potentially endanger the safety of persons using the lifting equipment,” the ministry said.

Scissor lifts are used to provide a safe means of access in the form of an elevated work platform for workers carrying out work-at-height activities. The failure to detect faulty safety devices or defective structural components of the scissor lifts through a thorough test and examination could lead to catastrophic consequences such as serious injuries or even death.

Er. Mohd Ismadi, Director of MOM’s Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Department said, “By issuing certificates without conducting proper examinations and tests on the scissor lifts, Tan blatantly disregarded his duty as an AE and knowingly put the users of the scissor lifts at risk. MOM will not hesitate to take companies or individuals to task for serious breaches that would compromise the safety and health of workers.”

Under regulation 21(15)(d) of the Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations, AEs have the duty to exercise all due diligence in making any certification or in conducting any test or examination of any lifting appliance or lifting machine. Any person who is convicted of an offence under the Regulation may be fined up to $20,000, and/or jailed for up to two years.

MOM encourages all employers and employees with any information on AEs with poor professional conduct to contact MOM at 6317 1111 or email mom_oshd@mom.gov.sg. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Source: theonlinecitizen.com

Pennsylvania company asks judge to send Irish man's lawsuit to Canada, where alleged injury occurred

SCRANTON — A Bedford boom manufacturer, being sued by an Irish man allegedly injured while working on one of its booms in Toronto, has asked a federal judge to grant the man's motion to dismiss the case so he can refile it in Canada.

JLG Industries, a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation headquartered in Wisconsin, said in its July 30 motion that a warning light had been disengaged or disabled "by someone" after the boom was sold. JLG also told a U.S. District Court judge in Pennsylvania's Middle District that the injured man, Kevin Quirke of Ireland, could still plead his case in Canada.

"This significant, and relevant, alteration/modification should negate any strict liability claim in Pennsylvania, leaving plaintiff to proceed only under a negligence theory, even if this matter remained in the Middle District and if Pennsylvania law applied," JLG Industries said.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo.

Quirke, described in JLG's motion as "a citizen of the Republic of Ireland who was working under a Canadian visa and living in Toronto," filed his lawsuit in April in Pennsylvania's Western District against JLG Industries. Quirke claims in his lawsuit that an incorrectly installed Bedford telescopic boom lift caused his injuries during a fall March 13, 2018, on Leslie Street in Toronto.

Quirke said he was standing on a platform 86 feet above the ground when the boom lift's cables broke, causing the boom to suddenly retract.

During the fall, Quirke struck the platform and railings and suffered severe injuries, including a fractured ankle, knee injury and fractures to his mandible (lower jaw), according to his lawsuit.

The case was transferred to the Middle District last month.

Before the case was transferred, Quirke filed a motion asking the Western District to dismiss his complaint to allow him to file suit in Ontario.

Source: pennrecord.com

Ask Bob

Q. I just wanted to know if there was a certain number of feet that I needed to maintain from a coworker when I am doing training? Sometimes I don't like being too close to a trainee when they are doing 'things'. I keep a good distance and use a megaphone to communicate with them and I was wondering if that was ok.

A. Excellent question and glad you checked in with us. Distance to maintain during training: I guess this all comes down to personal preference but I am definately not a fan of using the megaphone (or yelling across the warehouse) myself.

Typically, I recommend trainers stay within 15-30 feet of the operator and further away if larger sized equipment is involved. I tend to position myself behind and to the side of the machine so I am not in their direct view. I would find trying to talk to them from farther away with a megaphone distracting and could be frightening to them as well. 

If you find that you need to talk to them while they are operating, perhaps a better way would be to talk to them up close (make sure machine is neutralized with the direction selector in neutral, the park brake on and the work attachment lowered first) and ask them to do whatever task you wish. Then, have them repeat it back to you or better yet, present them the task and ask them to explain the steps they will follow before actually doing the task. Back up and let them go at it but stay in range in case of an emergency or they have questions. At which point, have them neutralize the machine and then approach and coach as needed.  It is always better to talk with them between tasks than during.

I find this method a lot safer and more effective than trying to yell at them and ‘tell’ them what to do. I have found the training process goes much quicker if I ask them what / how they are going to do a task, have them do it and then move on to another. One task at a time until they get comfortable.

I hope this helps,

Ask Bob

Excavator death was preventable

Southwark Crown Court heard how, on March 2, 2014, during night work at a construction site in Stratford a site operative, Kevin Campbell, was struck by an excavator mounted vibrator (EMV) attached to a 35-tonne excavator that he was working in close proximity to. Mr Campbell had been disconnecting lifting accessories from a metal pile that had just been extracted from the ground when he was crushed against a concrete wall a short distance away. Mr Campbell died from his injuries.

Another site operative who was directly next to him also faced a risk of being struck. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the construction company which was the principal contractor, Clancy Docwra Limited, failed to ensure the safety so far as is reasonably practicable of its employees and others who were not their employees working on the site. The investigation also found that Daniel Walsh, who was the site supervisor for the site and the person operating the excavator at the time, failed to take reasonable care for other persons on site at the time.

Clancy Docwra Limited of Coppermill Lane, Harefield, Middlesex pleaded not guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1,000,000 ($1,295,782US) and ordered to pay costs of £108,502.30 ($140,595US).

Daniel Walsh of Eastcote, Orpington, Kent pleaded not guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was given a 6 month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay costs of £15,000 ($19,437US).

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Darren Alldis said, “This death was wholly preventable and serves as a reminder as to why it is so important for companies and individuals to take their responsibilities to protect others seriously and to take the simple actions necessary to eliminate and minimise risks.

“If the risks had been properly considered by the company, and simple and appropriate control measures were put in place, then the likelihood of such an incident occurring would have been significantly reduced. Informing all site operatives of the specific risks they face when carrying out such tasks and the control measures required of exclusion zones, the importance of communication and the mandatory use of excavator safety levers were simple actions that should have been put in place and their effectiveness monitored.

“All those with legal responsibilities must be clear that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action including where appropriate prosecution against those that fall below the required standards”.

A spokesperson for Clancy Group said, “The effects of this tragic accident have been felt across our business.  Our thoughts and deepest sympathies remain with Kevin Campbell, his family and friends at this difficult time. 

“We have a responsibility to strive towards an ever-safer construction sector. As a business, we continue to invest in training, equipment and technology to protect our teams in their work, and guard against an incident like this occurring again.”

  Source: hsmsearch.com

Forklift truck injuries on the rise in UK

The number of serious injuries involving forklift trucks has soared by almost a third in the last year, according to one expert in the field.

Speaking at Safety & Health Expo, Mentor FLT Training’s Technical Manager Andy Cartwright said, "despite stringent legislation, the number of injuries has risen from 1,000 to 1,300 in the last 12 months".

In addition, he told the event there have been 5,700 RIDDORs (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) and 12 fatalities all put down to forklift trucks in the last two years and approximately five people are hospitalised every single day with life-changing injuries through accidents related to forklifts.

But he added that more than half (57%) of those injured by forklift trucks are pedestrians, although that number does include drivers who have stepped down from the vehicle and onto the ground floor.

In his presentation, Mr Cartwright talked about the key factors to prevent forklift accidents.

In particular, he said operator training was key, but there were three stages to training – basic, specific job and familiarisation training.

He said it was important to show people how to load and unload, and show operators around the site properly, highlighting blind corners.

“New starters in the first six months are more at risk of having an accident, because they are not used to the site or traffic systems,” he told delegates.

He said it was also important to maintain safe distances between vehicles and pedestrians on site.
 
"If we want someone to operate a forklift truck, we send them on a course,” he added. But what kind of training do you give your other staff about forklift awareness, how close can they get to them? You need to look at pedestrian awareness and that includes everyone on your site, including visitors that come on your site.”

Mr. Cartwright also spoke about how work targets can create accidents. “I’ve worked for a number of distribution companies and supermarkets, and they all set deadlines for goods coming out and for goods coming in. Does this force the individual to rush around on his forklift? Are the targets realistic?  If the individual is rushing and they drop a palette of goods, how much will that cost you? What has happened to your time scales then?”

He also talked about whether companies have suitable equipment for the task itself and whether the correct policies and procedures are in place. “Have you carried out risk assessments and have they been made available to the people carrying out the task?” he said.

“There are so many sites that I’ve been to where the 'safety people' have fulfilled their legal obligation, done a risk assessment and it’s been put in a filing cabinet or the company intranet. You talk to the person operating the equipment and they have never read it?”
 
“To reduce risk, you need to ensure policies are in place and they are communicated and people understand what you want them to do.”
 
He added forklift operators, even those with training and experience, all need to be routinely monitored and offered refreshing and retraining opportunities at regular intervals.

He also highlighted the need for companies for give proper authorisation to those who are permitted to operate forklift trucks and the need to have proper policies in place to deal with debris and rubbish on a site.

“In the UK, our approach is often based on hazard identification, hierarchy controls and policy and procedures,” he concluded. If the company has been implementing all these points, you will reduce the chance of an accident, but there’s more you can do – and that’s having a simple understanding of human behaviour".

“In my experience, people are not trying to have accidents or injure people. So even if you have all the controls in place, why do forklift operators continue to have accidents? The human brain processes around 2 million bits of information per second. It filters out important information that we deem unnecessary and focusses instead on what we have decided is important. It does this subconsciously".

“Forklift operation is a highly repetitive task. People are driving around an environment, day in and day out. They have probably operated it incorrectly thousands of times, without any consequence. They are very familiar with the task and their brains have filtered out the information they have decided is unnecessary. Your safety measures are only as effective as those who ensure they are being followed."

Source: fork-lift-training.co.uk

What's Wrong With This? Photo

Can you tell what's going wrong in this photo?


                                               

 

Answer to Last Month's WWWT? Photo
 

Here's what our Director of Training, Rob Vetter had to say about it:
 

Last month’s WWWT shows a crack team of un-professionals engaged in some sort of Bizarro-world trench work. Let’s run it down,

• The first and most obvious thing here is we have a man in a trench greater than 4-ft deep with no shoring / trenchbox in place.
• There is no visible means of exit from the trench.
• The loader appears to be filling the trench or attempting to bury the man in it since he should be completely out of the trench while it is being filled.
• The spoil pile behind the spotter (?) standing at the top appears to be too close to the edge of the occupied trench.
• Neither of the men in the photo are wearing any high visibility clothing.
• Since this job appears to be taking place in a residential area, it would be wise to put up some barriers to keep kids and looky-loos away and some cones or signage to help manage traffic behind the loader.  

Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!

Interesting Articles

Fatal platform ejection...more.
Do operators need to wear seatbelts?...more.
Dangers of Aerial Lifts...more.
Pallet trucks look to the future...more.
How to get broken forklifts back in service faster...more.
Proper forklift fleet management in cold conditions...more.
OSHA steps up use of drones for inspections...more.
Conviction for assaulting WorkSafe inspector...more.
6 effective strategies for teaching adults...more.
Training organisation fined $200,000 for fraud...more.
VIDEO:Top 10 largest bulldozers in the world...more.
Hanson fined £400k ($512,465) after simple lift goes wrong...more.

 

Client Testimonials

"I found the information provided and the materials used were excellent. This program was far superior to our in-house trainer program." Erica, BCLDB

"I found this training to be one of the most effective trainings I have ever taken during my 25 years in distribution  / transportation management". James, Knolls Atomic Power Lab

"I really appreciate all of the training! At first I wasn’t sure if I would be ready to train after this class but now I feel super confident that I have the knowledge and skills to train safely and effectively". Monte, Sierra West Construction
 

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