As a member of APIA’s Health Safety and Environment Committee and the AS1418.8 Cranes, Hoists and Winches – Special Purpose Appliances sub-committee, Andrew Cook is in a unique position to ensure that the pipeline construction industry’s voice is heard when decisions about the use of machinery and load limits are being made for the wider construction industry.
In the recent review some regulators sought to prohibit or severely limit the use of earthmoving equipment to lift linepipe, Mr Cook campaigned to ensure the practice could be maintained and worked with regulators and manufacturers as part of the AS1418.8 sub-committee to develop safe standards for using earthmoving equipment as a crane.
Background to AS1418.8
AS1418.8 provides guidance on the use of special purpose appliances, such as sideboom pipelayers, excavators and other earthmoving equipment to lift freely suspended loads. The standard was amended in 2008 to include stricter safety requirements for this equipment including the fitting of controlled lowering devices, commonly called “˜hose burst protection valves,’ and on the location of lifting lugs to prevent loss of load which may result in death or injury.
WorkSafe Victoria was one of the first to see the requirements of the standard and gave an interpretation of how the standard should be applied. This interpretation was tabled at APIA’s Safety Committee and endorsed.
In its 2010 guidance note on AS1418.8, WorkSafe Victoria says that as a general rule earthmoving equipment is less suitable than most common types of cranes for precision lifting and placement applications. However it acknowledges the use of earthmoving equipment in the industry and has outlined a number of guidelines, consistent with AS1418.8, to help workers determine whether a particular item of earthmoving equipment is suitable for lifting a freely suspended load.
Developing AS1418.8
The standard is reviewed approximately every three years by a committee made up of representatives from equipment manufacturers, regulators and the end users. Currently, Mr Cook is the only active representative for the end user on the committee.
Mr Cook says that while developing the standard, regulators on the AS1418.8 sub-committee were concerned about the use of earthmoving equipment as cranes because the equipment did not have the same level of safety equipment for lifting that cranes have. During the committee meetings, Mr Cook explained to the regulators that in some situations it is actually safer to be using earthmoving equipment as a crane than to use a crane. “That made them sit back in their seats because they had no idea of what work industry was actually doing to make pipeline construction safer,” he says.
“The regulator representatives had no idea what a vacuum lift was, and that we were using them on excavators to lift pipe because it was safer than using a crane in some situations. So I explained that when moving pipe from the trucks on the right-of-way and placing in the field, it is actually safer to use earthmoving equipment because we can control the pipe from the cabin rather than having workmen climb up on the load to attach the crane hooks.
“I was then able to show the committee a pipeline construction DVD and give the regulators a quick glimpse of how we manufacture a pipeline and how we use the excavators for lifting. That made them re-think a potential prohibition of lifting with earthmoving equipment and allow us reasonable load limits for lifting,” he says.
Setting the limits
Lifting using earthmoving equipment instead of a crane differs because cranes have software or systems installed to warn an operator when the machine is not level or when the machine is operating near its capacity.
“Because excavators don’t have those technology systems, the standards have to be designed to set lifting limits which are safe in all situations.”
Mr Cook says that the committee then spent a couple of days working out how to set the guidelines for using the earthmoving equipment for lifting pipe.
“Because earthmoving equipment operators aren’t licensed crane operators, limits have been set on a worst case scenario.
“The limits for an excavator to pick up pipe are set so that when the boom of the excavator is at maximum reach, in its worst possible position it is still stable and is not likely to roll over.”
Mr Cook explains that there is a specification within the standard which explains to designers and manufacturers of earthmoving equipment how to set safe working limits for lifting.
“When the manufacturer is designing the machine, they test the maximum load of the machine in the worst angle on the worst slope that the machine is rated for. There are criteria for where it’s considered to be safe, and the maximum that can be picked up at that point after factoring in the manufacturer’s design, hydraulics and the strength of the boom.
“As long as the operator is able to competently use the machine, a safe lift is achievable.”
WorkSafe Victoria says that as part of the operation of earthmoving equipment, systems of work are required to ensure that tasks are done safely and appropriate risk controls are in place. Operation of mobile-powered plant on a construction site is classed as high-risk construction work that requires the completion of safe work method statements.
“The standard stipulates what the safe limits of the machinery are but it is up to individual contractors using the machines to set their safe systems of work around that. This is something which is discussed in the APIA Safety Committee,” says Mr Cook.
Larger diameter pipe and safety
Mr Cook says that an awareness of safe load limits is more and more important as Australia’s pipeline industry moves toward projects which require larger diameters of pipe.
“We are getting to the point where a lot of traditional equipment is approaching its limits. A 1 m diameter pipe weighs approximately 3 t, so if you drop one of those it is like dropping a small truck, and because it is round, there is a chance it will roll and bounce, damaging anything in its way.”
Employers and contractors must ensure that the operator has received specific training and instruction in the use of the equipment for crane work, and operators must receive adequate training to operate the equipment.
Where earthmoving equipment is used for lifting freely suspended loads as a secondary function (for example moving pipe, unloading construction equipment, manoeuvring accessories associated with the equipment), the operator requires no additional proof of training.
In all instances, the operator must have knowledge of the weight of load, capacity of the equipment and access to a load chart.
Keeping industry involved in safety standards
For Mr Cook, having an end user representative on the AS1418.8 sub-committee is integral for the pipeline industry so that industry practice and a knowledge of pipeline-specific equipment is conveyed.
As an example, he explains that when revising the standard, a mandate that sidebooms have similar electronic safety equipment as cranes was discussed.
“As a member of the pipeline industry, I explained that the way sidebooms are transported, how they are used and the conditions in which they operate are incompatible with the sort of electronic equipment that would be required. This is partially because the boom has to be removed from the equipment each time it is put on a truck. If electronic systems were to be added, the wires running through the boom would be damaged very quickly.”
Mr Cook says that sidebooms have been developed with their own robust mechanical safety systems.
“On cranes, double blocking arms are installed to prevent the boom collapsing when the hook of the bottom pulley reaches the top of the boom – if you keep pulling it will bend the boom of the crane and the whole thing will collapse.
“It was suggested that a similar system be should be mandated for sidebooms, however sidebooms are designed so that the two pulleys come together for travelling in rough terrain. If the two pulleys are double blocked accidentally, it just lifts the boom up, preventing any possibility of damage to the boom.
“Unless there are user representatives are on Standards Committees to explain the way industry works and what we need, when the requirements for the equipment are being set, standards could be set which not only limit efficiency on pipeline projects, but also safety,” says Mr Cook.
APIA members may be interested in the following list of APIA Safety Guidelines that are available for use:
- APIA Vehicle Safety Guidelines
- APIA Remote Location Safety Guidelines
- APIA Hydrotesting Guidelines
- APIA Helicopter Induction/Safety Awareness Guidelines
- APIA Hours of Work & Fatigue Management Guidelines
- APIA Guidelines for Management of Electrical Hazards in Pipeline Construction
- APIA Guidelines for Treatment of Health and Safety Matters in Tendering.
Complete packs of hard copies of these guidelines will be sent to all members in the near future and they are also available for download from the APIA website. Should members require further information on any of these guidelines, contact APIA on 02 6273 0577.