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HEALTH AND SAFETY
other serious injuries at the same time as our plumber . Four separate individuals , four separate cases and four serious injuries that were life-threatening .
One of the first questions I asked was , “ Didn ’ t the grinder have a dead-man ’ s switch ?” But this is not stated in our legislation under Electrical Machinery Regulations 2011 – Section 10 ‘ Portable Electrical Tools ’ subsection 3 “ no employer or user shall use or permit the use of a portable electric tool which is not fitted with a switch to allow for easy and safe starting and stopping of the tool .”
In all our legislation , I have not had any reference to a dead-man ’ s switch or the need for it on our sites . Some of the grinders I went to have a look at had a standard feature from the manufacturer and others did not , especially baby-grinders .
The most common grinder I found for use within the plumbing industry was a little grinder that had a switch that you could press and latch in place . This type of switch allowed the grinder to continue to operate without any pressure applied to the switch . We have seen the negative and disastrous effects of this and so we urge you to consider the following safety measures when selecting portable electrical tools such as grinders : 1 . Look for a grinder that includes this feature . 2 . Develop Safe Operating Procedures for grinders that are specific to your company and scope of work / operation . 3 . Have training in place for employees who need to operate a grinder . 4 . Periodically document inspections of all portable tools to ensure that they are safe to use . 5 . Have an emergency plan that outlines what to do in the case of an injury with a grinder .
6 . Keep an Incident Investigation procedure with you to follow after an incident so that you have all the facts to prevent it from happing again .
Image supplied bAndrew Armstrong
A plumber ’ s hands are the tools that can ’ t be replaced .
This list is not exhaustive and only represents a few things to keep in mind , for more information please reach out to your safety department or IOPSA .
To our injured plumber and all those who have suffered previously , we cannot express our empathy enough in words for your situation , and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from your incident . “ I would like to tell everyone about what I experienced and what I am going through , especially if it will help them not make the same mistake ,” says the injured plumber . These words should reach each of us deeply , especially if it ’ s our desire to never be personally affected by an accident .
Portable electrical and hand tools can be replaced if they are broken or not working correctly . The most important tools a plumber has are their hands , these cannot be replaced . Take safety in your hands and think about the consequences of your actions .
Whether you are an experience plumber or are just starting out in your career , remember that accidents happen around us all the time , but this is not reason to accept that it ’ s just a part of the job , rather make safety a part of the job , so when we meet again , you have a hand I can shake . PA
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline August 2024 Volume 30 I Number 6