34 Pa. Code § 39.22 - Yard and internal housekeeping
(a)
Clear travelways. All
roadways, walkways, aisles, or other foot, crane, or vehicular travelways
should be clearly marked or otherwise well defined. They should be kept in good
repair and free from all debris and obstacles. All walkways above the level of
the ground shall be equipped with railings and toeboards in accordance with the
provisions of Chapter 47, Subchapter G (relating to railings, toeboards,
open-sided floors, platforms, and runways). All aisles, emergency exits, and
other passageways should be kept clear of tools or material of any
kind.
(b)
Slipping
hazards. Puddles or drippings of oil, grease, water, or other liquids
should be rendered harmless by mopping up and strewing sand or sawdust on the
floor until the floor is dry. Oil-soaked sawdust should be disposed of promptly
to prevent spontaneous ignition. Drippings on floors should be prevented by
eliminating the cause or by placing drip pans in position until the cause is
eliminated.
(c)
Falling
tools. Workmen working at elevated levels should not strew their tools
about carelessly. Tools should be carried in tool belts or kept in tool boxes
when not in actual use. The practice of throwing tools from one level to
another should be discouraged. They should be raised or lowered with light
ropes or passed from hand to hand. The practice of working above unsheltered
workmen should be actively discouraged at all times. Tools or material should
never be piled or leaned against anything.
(d)
Piling of materials.
Materials should be piled as follows:
(1)
General. All material needing to be piled should be carefully
piled to prevent falling. When piling material near travelways, special care
should be exercised to eliminate any possible hazard from piles being knocked
over. Piles should not extend into travelways.
(2)
Light. Piles of
material should not interfere with the adequate distribution of natural or
artificial light, but should comply with Chapter 27 (relating to
lighting).
(3)
Height and
extent. Material should not be piled to a height which would render
the pile unstable or which would interfere with the operation of a sprinkler
system. Piles should not be placed so close to equipment as to hinder operators
in the proper operation of their machines or expose them to hazard from slides
or falls of material.
(4)
Binding. Wherever possible the stability of piles should be
increased by piling alternate layers crosswise or, in the case of long piles,
by criss-crossing at the ends or using binder strips.
(5)
Round objects. Piles of
barrels, rolls of paper, pipe or other cylindrical material should be carefully
blocked at the center and at both ends to prevent spreading.
(6)
Bags. In piling heavy
bagged material the first four end bags of each pile should be cross-tied and a
step-back of one bag should be made at every fifth bag in height. All bags in
the outer tiers should have the mouths facing the center of the pile so that if
any bags break open at the neck the pile will sag toward the center. In
unpiling, the piles should be kept at an approximately even height and the
necessary step-back maintained.
(7)
Retaining walls. Walls or partitions should not be used to
brace piled materials unless of sufficient known strength to withstand the
pressure.
(8)
Piles of
loose materials. Substantial retaining walls or partitions should be
provided for the storage of loose coal, sand, gravel, stone, or similar
materials in restricted areas, and wherever possible, such loose materials and
scrap should be kept in storage bins.
(9)
Sides and undermining.
Persons working about banks and piles of coal, sand, gravel, stone, or similar
materials should avoid undermining to start slides and insure that no person is
in danger from any slides of material. All overhanging ledges should be knocked
down as soon as formed, especially in winter when the upper crusts are likely
to become frozen.
(10)
Loading vehicles. Material piled on vehicles for
transportation should be limited to an amount which constitutes a safe load
based on the distance it is to be transported, the type of equipment used, and
the character of the surface over which it is to be transported. Material
should be so piled and secured that it cannot be jarred loose by ordinary
vibration. The load should not project to an extent which renders it liable to
catch on buildings or projecting piles or which would cause the load to topple
over. Highway motor vehicles should have all load projections which extend
beyond the body of the vehicle in the front or the rear, conspicuously marked
by a piece of red material in daylight and a red light at night attached at the
farthest points of projection in front and rear. The combined overall length,
width, height, and weight of motor vehicles and loads should conform to the 75
Pa.C.S. (relating to Vehicle Code).
(11)
Elevators and loaded trucks.
When loaded trucks are moved on or off an elevator, the elevator
should be brought level with the floor and plates should be used to bridge the
space between the elevator and the floor if such space creates a tipping
hazard.
(e)
Clear
travelways and work places. Loose-board material and other objects or
materials should not be permitted to remain strewn haphazardly on the floor or
ground in places where persons have to walk or work, but should be piled up
neatly. No loose material of any description should be permitted to remain
unsecured in an overhead position.
(f)
Nails. Nails should
conform to the following:
(1) Loose nails
should not be permitted to remain strewn on any floor, scaffold, working
platform or other place where persons walk.
(2) All upturned or protruding nails should
be withdrawn or clinched into the wood.
(3) After the head of a barrel is removed,
all exposed or protruding nails around the top should be withdrawn.
(4) Pointless nails should be used for core
room and foundry work.
(g)
Sharp edged scrap. All
objects with sharp edges, such as scraps of glass, tin, sheet metal, and the
like, should not be thrown into waste baskets or other containers ordinarily
used for other debris, but should be placed in separate containers. Neither
should such material be permitted to remain on floors except during operations
normally resulting in its creation. In such cases, containers should be
provided to catch such waste material as it drops from machines or benches and
the floors should be frequently cleaned up each day to prevent
accumulations.
(h)
Cleaning
up debris. All rags, waste paper, bits of broken lumber, excelsior,
packing materials and other inflammable debris should be cleaned up daily from
under workbenches, behind machines, and all other spaces, and be kept in
suitably covered containers.
(i)
Gummed or caked surfaces. Surfaces which become gummed or
caked with accumulated dirt, paint, grease or other material creating a
slipping hazard, should be scraped or otherwise kept clean. Snow and ice should
be promptly removed from all walkways and work places. Icicles hanging over
walkways and work places should be knocked down.
(j)
Dust elimination. Dry
sweeping in workrooms should be permitted only where there is no dust hazard or
where the nature of the work performed precludes the use of other methods;
otherwise, all floors should be sprinkled with water before sweeping. The use
of disinfecting solutions in the water is also recommended. The practice of
using damp sawdust or other wetted materials is acceptable in lieu of
sprinkling water, especially around electric equipment where the use of water
might create a hazard.
(k)
Spitting. In order to prevent the spread of infection, the
practice of spitting on the floor, on piles of material, in waste products, in
corners, or in reservoirs of machine cutting oils or compounds should not be
permitted. All machine-cutting oils or compounds should be frequently
sterilized by boiling or by the addition of a germ-killing solution. Persons
subject to sores or susceptible to skin irritations, should not operate a
machine using cutting oils or compounds.
(l)
Refuse containers.
Covered refuse cans or boxes should be provided at convenient points and
workmen required to deposit all refuse in such cans or boxes. Such cans or
boxes should be emptied frequently enough to prevent overflow or the creation
of obnoxious odors. Separate containers equipped with gravity closing lids
should be provided for oily waste. Oily waste should be burned only by an
authorized person equipped with a long handled tool or shovel for handling such
waste.
Notes
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