Critical Lift Procedure

Purpose 

A Critical Lift operation is a hazardous activity during which failure/loss of control could result in loss of life or loss of damage to apparatus. This document provides the instructions needed to safely conduct Critical Lifts at workplaces.

Planning

The Lifting Devices & Equipment Manager (LDEM) and Safety Manager will be notified of the planning meetings.

Critical Lift

A Critical Lift Plan is comprised of a Critical Life Procedure and a Critical Lift Hazard Report. The person requiring the lift, such as the Project Manager or Site Engineer, will prepare a lifting procedure and perform a Critical Lift Hazard Analysis.

Critical Lift Procedure

A Critical Lift Procedure, which is part of the Critical Lift Plan, is completed for a specific lift operation whenever a Critical Lift is conducted at workplaces .It is signed by the Safety Manager and the responsible project personnel (Project Manager / Site Engineer).

Hazard Analysis Report

A detailed Hazard Analysis Report of the Critical Lift operation shall be prepared by the project.

Multiple Lifts

If multiple lifts are planned within a short period of time (five or fewer days) of the initial configuration, they will all be planned during the Critical Lift Planning Meeting and be noted in the Lift Procedure. Only one Critical Lift Review Meeting is required for this series of lifts; however, a safety meeting will be held immediately prior to each lift.

Prior to Lift

Critical Lift Review Meeting

 The purpose of the Critical Lift Review Meeting is to ensure that the project team is prepared to conduct the lift. Discussion topics include requirements, the lift procedure, and the hazard analysis. The Lift Plan, comprised of the Lifting Procedure and Critical Lift Hazard Report, must be brought to this meeting and reviewed for proper preparation.

 This meeting can be held two to three days prior to the lift, but may be held up to two weeks prior for complicated lifts. The meeting may not be held later than the day prior to the lift.

The following individuals will be present:

• Lifting Devices & Equipment Manager
• Safety, Health, and Environmental
• Quality Assurance/Inspection
• Lift Supervisor
• Crane Operator

Document Review

The following documentation will be reviewed by the Safety Representative:

•  Proof of current
•  Crane Operator physical
•  Crane Operator license/training certificate
•  Crane inspection verification
•  Sling and associated hardware load test inspection tags

Day of Lift

Pre-lift Safety Meeting

  Each day of a Critical Lift, a Pre-Lift Safety meeting will be held. The Project Manager or Site Engineer and the Site Safety Manager will attend along with all lift participants. For pre-planned multiple lifts, a safety meeting shall be performed prior to each lift.

A pre-lift safety meeting shall be conducted with all involved individuals to discuss the following issues:

Ø  That Lift Plan will be followed as approved (If changes are made in real time, the Operations Engineer will sign these changes)

Ø  Lift items must have tag lines at both ends for controllability

Ø  Hardhats and steel-toed shoes/boots are mandatory for all individuals

Ø  No unauthorized personnel will enter the area

Ø  Gloves will be use as necessary, i.e., for holding tag lines.

Ø  Personnel shall not be located under suspended or moving loads unless the operation adheres to the OSHA alternative Standard for Suspended Load Operations

Ø  Lifts over 75% of the rated capacity of a mobile crane are not allowed for critical lifts.

 Safety Oversight

A Safety Representative will be present during the Critical Lift to observe the operation.

FACILITY CRITICAL LIFTS

This section applies to facility Critical Lifts. It provides procedures, documentation, and hazard analysis requirements for facility lifting operations for Critical Lifts by their definitions in Safety and Health Regulatins.

Roles and Responsibilities

Facility Project Managers

Facility Project Managers with a Critical Lift requirement shall ensure that procedures and precautions listed in this document, as well as those basic requirements of Non-Critical Lifts, are followed. The Facility Project Manager shall ascertain whether Safety and Health Regulatins applies to the lift.

Lift Supervisor

A Lift Supervisor will be assigned for each lift. This individual can be a Project Manager, Site Inspector, Lead, or Foreman. Responsibilities include

Ø  Reading and understanding the lift plan

Ø  Ensuring that each participant is trained for his or her position and that all employees understand the safety procedures to be followed

Ø  Determining that required inspections are current for the crane

Ø  Determining that lift hardware has the proper rating (i.e., slings, shackles, etc.)

Ø  Ensuring that the lift area is secure, all traffic is re-routed, and unauthorized persons are not allowed to enter area during lift

Safety Manager

The Safety Manager, who is not part of the lifting crew, will participate in reviews and be present to monitor the lift. The Safety Manager may be one of the following

Ø   Lifting Devices & Equipment Manager (LDEM)
Ø   Safety, Health, and Environmental (Code SH) Office
 
The Safety Representative must understand all the critical lift procedures.
 Responsibilities include
Ø   Reading and understanding the lift plan
Ø   Verifying crane inspection
Ø   Reviewing hazard analysis
Ø   Attending the Critical Lift Meeting
Ø   Attending the Pre-Lift Safety Meeting
Ø   Monitoring the critical lift

OH&S Standards

Related International Standards

HSE-MS (Health, Safety and Environment Management system) Standard

Is System Designed, Implemented and Works to Control of Significant Environmental aspects and OHS Risks and Regulatory Compliance.

OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) 18000 Series

The OHSAS 18000 series is the emerging standard set occupational safety and health. It consists of two publications, as follows:

OHSAS 18001

This is the "Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Specification". It was developed in response to urgent demand for a recognized standard against which occupational safety management systems can be assessed. It is compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

It covers issues such as planning for hazard identification, risk assessment/control, OHS management, awareness and competence, training, communication, emergency preparedness and response, performance measuring and improvement

OHSAS 18002

This provides guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18001. It explains the requirements of this and how to work towards implementation/registration.

Now, OHSAS 18003 which is about Criteria for auditors of OH&S Management Systems is added to OHSAS 18000 Series.

BS (British Standard) 8800

BS 8800 is a guide to occupational health and safety management systems and is an excellent first step in helping companies to establish and maintain an environment that is good for both staff and business.

ISO 14000

The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.

About Occupational Health and safety

General Description

Occupational health and safety (OH&S) is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational health and safety programs is to foster a safe work environment. As a secondary effect, it may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment.

Since 1950, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shared a common definition of occupational health. It was adopted by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health at its first session in 1950 and revised at its twelfth session in 1995. The definition reads: "Occupational health should aim at: the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological capabilities; and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of 

each man to his job."

Reasons for Occupational health and safety

The reasons for establishing good occupational health and safety standards are frequently identified as:

ü  Moral - An employee should not have to risk injury or death at work, nor should others associated with the work environment.

ü  Economic - many governments realize that poor occupational health and safety performance results in cost to the State (e.g. through social security payments to the incapacitated, costs for medical treatment, and the loss of the "employability" of the worker). Employing organizations also sustain costs in the event of an incident at work (such as legal fees, fines, compensatory damages, investigation time, lost production, lost goodwill from the workforce, from customers and from the wider community).

ü  Legal - Occupational requirements may be reinforced in civil law and/or criminal law; it is accepted that without the extra "encouragement" of potential regulatory action or litigation, many organizations would not act upon their implied moral obligations.

United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)www.osha.gov

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 30, 1970. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace safety and health. The agency is headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, of the United States.

The OSH Act, which created OSHA also created the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a research agency focusing on occupational health and safety. NIOSH, however, is not a part of the U.S. Department of Labor.

OSHA federal regulations cover most private sector workplaces. The OSH Act permits states to develop approved plans as long as they cover public sector employees and they provide protection equivalent to that provided under Federal OSHA regulations. In return, a portion of the cost of the approved state program is paid by the federal government.