Dropped Tools and Equipment

When you want to send material, tools or equipment to higher elevations, use canvass bags and hand lines. Never throw materials or tools. When you pull on a hand line, be sure to stand clear of the loaded materials and tools. Keep an eye on the load as it goes up. Make sure the hoisting area is ribboned off to alert other workers of potential overhead loads.

Suppose you are the one who is going to perform work above other work crews or walkways. Wouldn’t it be a common sense to protect those below with a barricade or by ribboning the area off? By putting down fire blanket or plywood to prevent tools from going through the grating? Remember that tools or materials can roll or be vibrated off a work platform. Place tools or materials that are not being used into a bag or container to prevent them from rolling or vibrating off your platform.

Gloves and equipment have the tendency to get frosty making them increasingly difficult to hold onto so use tool leashes whenever possible and change out wet/frosty gloves as needed to maintain a good grip. Be sure to check your surroundings for materials or tools that may have been left behind, items may be hidden under snow or other materials that pose a risk to yourselves or the people below you in particular other workers/ employees around.

Always, no matter what the circumstances, be sure to talk to other workers around you for all employees protection. Find out what it is they are doing, let them know what your task is and determine what needs to be done to protect one another. Be sure to review and sign each other FLRAs. Be sure to read each other’s tags when crossing yellow ribbon, someone has taken the time to attempt to warn you of a potential hazard so please take a few seconds to read the tag.

Keeping people out of harm’s way is a responsibility we all share. We’ll prevent potential injuries to workers around us as well as to ourselves.