Cardinal Safety Rules

The Cardinal Safety Rules are part of and constitute the first pillar. When known and complied with, accidents are prevented.

Then come the Control Measures. They can be work instructions, training, policies and are specific to the jobs. Complying with them also participate to accident prevention.

Finally, to control the risks that cannot be anticipated, behaving safely is the last key.

This is how safety risks are controlled through the compliance and the commitment of each and every employee.

There are Eight Safety Rules

1)      Wear the required PPE

2)      Wear fall protection when  working at height

3)    Do not walk under suspended loads

4)      Do not run.  Walk and use available handrail

5)      Apply lock out / tag out method before working on energized equipment

6)      Ensure all machines are properly safe guarded before operating/ servicing

7)      Follow speed limits and traffic rules

8)      Wear your seat belt

Wear the required PPE

a)      Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter.

a)      The purpose of personal protective equipment is to reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective to reduce these risks to acceptable levels. PPE is needed when there are hazards present.

b)      If you do not know which PPE to use, ask your supervisor or manager.

Wear fall protection when working at height

a)      Falls are a persistent hazard found in all occupational settings. A fall can occur during the simple act of walking or climbing a ladder to change a light fixture or as a result of a complex series of events affecting a worker 80 feet above the ground.

b)      Fall arresting systems, which include lifelines, body harnesses, and other associated equipment, are often used when fall hazards cannot be controlled by railings, floors, nets, and other means. Fall arrest systems must:

                                i.            Prevent all falls from height or stop it in a safe manner.

                              ii.            Provide resistance during a fall  and  guarantee  a maximal free fall of 1 meter.

Do not walk under suspended loads

a)      A suspended load is an object that is temporarily lifted and hangs above the ground.

b)      Working or walking immediately under / close to a suspended load is unsafe as the load can fall on you. Avoid standing next to heavy loads.

c)      Stay within authorized work and pedestrian areas. Never cross a barrier controlling an area with a suspended load without authorization.

d)     Follow the instructions of the person in charge of the lift.

e)      Pay attention to your surroundings: always keep a safe distance  from  under  cranes,  booms,  and  buckets  and make  sure  operators  of  handling  equipment  can  see  you.  Maintain safe distances from suspended loads at all times.

Do not run.  Walk and use available handrail

a)      All activities can lead to slips & trips hazards, especially in stairs and consequences can be of all ranges, from bruises and stiches, to fractures and even a fatal incident.

b)      When loosing balance, the person can try to grab a nearby support or can fall on an object or in the water for off-shore activities: the severity of the injury will then depend on the environment.

c)      Slips, trips, and falls is the number one cause of personal injury at Bureau Veritas. Ensure you:

d)     Wear appropriate footwear.

e)      Be alert to slippery areas, especially due to seasonal events (snow, ice, etc.)

Apply lock out / tag out method before working on energized equipment

a)      Lock Out/Tag Out is used to effectively safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of equipment.

b)      “Lock out” is the placement of a lockout device on an energy-isolating device in a safe or “off” position to ensure the equipment being controlled cannot be operated until the lockout device is removed.

c)      “Tag out” is the placement of a tag out device to provide further warning or information.

d)     Before maintaining, inspecting, sometimes operating equipment, always ensure that appropriate Lock Out/Tag

e)      Out devices are effective and efficient. Also ensure that you are the only one able to remove the lockout device.

f)       Never remove a lock out device if you are not authorized to do so.

Ensure all machines are properly safe guarded before operating/ servicing

a)      Any machine part, function, or process which may cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact with it can injure the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be either controlled or eliminated.

b)      The guarding principals are:

                                i.            Prevent contact between hazardous moving parts, body, hair or clothing.

                              ii.            Secure guard so that they cannot be easily removed or tampered with.

                            iii.            Protect from objects falling into the moving parts of the machinery.

                            iv.            Allow safe lubrication without removing guards if possible.

                              v.            Be equipped  with  an  Emergency  Stop  Button and/or Anti-Start device.

c)      Before maintaining, inspecting, operating equipment, always ensure that appropriate guards are in good condition, effective and efficient.

Follow speed limits and traffic rules

A higher speed increases the likelihood of an accident because it reduces the possibility to respond in time when necessary. Drivers need time to process  information, to  decide  whether  or  not  to  react  and,  finally to execute a reaction.

a)      Reduce your speed:

                                i.            Under bad weather conditions

                              ii.            At night

                            iii.            In heavy traffic

                            iv.             On bad roads

                              v.            Within high truck traffic

b)      Rest 15 minutes for every 2 hours of driving in order to remain focused.

Wear your seat belt

Wearing your seat belt properly will dramatically increase your chance of surviving a motor vehicle collision.

a)      When a seat belt is  worn correctly, it  will apply most of  the collision or stopping forces across the chest and pelvis, which are better able to withstand collision forces.

b)      If  you  are  in  a  crash  without  wearing  a  seatbelt  and  were travelling at 30 mph (48 kph) you will hit the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield with the same impact force you'd  feel as if you fell out a 3rd story window!

c)      Drivers must ensure passengers are safely fastened in their seatbelts (including back seats) before starting the engine of the vehicle.

What are Control measures?

Generally, the Control Measures are all the measures used to control safety risks. They can be work instructions, training, policies, and so on. They are specific to the jobs and must be complied with.

Control measures

A.    Generally: all job specific measures used to control safety risks.

B.      Measures to control top three critical safety risks.

C.     Must be complied with at all times.

Use intrinsically safe equipment

a)      Intrinsic safety (IS) is a protection technique for safe operation of electrical equipment in an explosive atmosphere.

b)      An explosive atmosphere is a mixture of a dangerous substance or substances (gas, mist, dust or vapour) with the air, which has the potential to catch fire or explode. An explosive atmosphere does not always result in an explosion but, if it does catch fire, the flames travel quickly.

c)      Using intrinsically safe equipment will reduce the risk  of explosions and fires in hazardous areas.

Respect controlled areas

a)      Access to all areas where exposure to radiation sources or radioactive materials could occur are controlled and marked both on Bureau Veritas premises and at client sites.

b)      Be alert: do not enter controlled areas unless authorized to do so and with the requested PPE. Unauthorized entry to controlled areas may result in serious injury or death.

c)      As a general rule, do not enter work areas where you have no assignment

Obtain authorization before entering a confined space

a)      A confined space can be more hazardous than regular workspaces because of the existing hazards (low oxigen, toxic gas accumulation, etc) but also because of the difficult ingress and egress which makes rescuing challenging.

b)      To effectively control the risks associated with working in a confined space, the company has established documented procedures for monitoring/ventilating confined spaces prior to entry and authorization requirements for all workers prior to entering these areas. These requirements may include:

                                i.            Confined space entry permit

                              ii.            Lock out / tag out

                            iii.            Air ventilation

                            iv.            Accompanying person

Safe behaviors

1)      The last measure to control safety risks that can not be anticipated.

2)      Must be complied with at all times.

What are Safe behaviors ?

Employees are exposed to various safety risks while performing their jobs. Some of these risks can be anticipated and are thus controlled through the Cardinal Safety Rules and, or the Control Measures.

However, while working, some other safety risks exist due to co-working, weather conditions, client premises layout, and so on. To identify these additional risks and control them, behaving safely is the last key to prevent accident. Five behaviors have been identified as key to prevent accidents.

Do not be distracted while driving

Driving down the road is no longer a lonely, quiet experience. With mobile smart phones, two-way radios, built in LCD consoles, the interior of your vehicle no longer offers a quiet place to focus on driving.

a)      Do not eat or drink on the road while driving Switch off your cell phone. Do not use your mobile device on the road while driving. There is nothing too important that it cannot wait until you pull over in a safe area.

b)      Countries and divisions have specific internal policies about hands free kit usage – ask for them.

c)      Ensure you comply with legal requirements.

Comply with Safe Working Procedures and plans

a)      The Company has developed Safe Work Procedures (SWP) and Plans for addressing significant hazards or for dealing with circumstances that may present other significant risks/liabilities.

b)      The worker will be guided through a task from start to finish in a chronological order. These procedures are designed to reduce the risk by minimizing potential exposure.

c)      If you are not provided with these Safe Work Procedures, ask for them from your Safety representative.

Complete 2 Minutes For My Safety

a)      It is the responsibility of each employee performing a task to verify that his/her working environment is safe.

b)      This includes:

                                i.            Identifying all risks he/she might be exposed to during the  course  of  work  (job-related  or  working environment related) and involve the client when located on a client site;

                              ii.            Evaluate if those risks are properly managed;

                            iii.            if  not,  address the  problem locally to  ensure safe working conditions;

                            iv.            If not possible, contact his/her N+1 manager, manager at customer, or his/her HSE department.

c)      The “2 Minutes For My Safety” booklet will guide you through the key questions to ask yourself. If the risks cannot be properly controlled and represent a risk to the employee’s Health and Safety, the employee shall not start the job i.e. Stop Work Authority

Stop working if the situation is unsafe

a)      Workers are the best resource in preventing accidents because of their foresight during their tasks. Whether it is in the back of their minds or that funny feeling you might get when things are about to go wrong, stop what you are doing and check on how to proceed:

                                i.            With your Supervisor at a Bureau Veritas worksite

                              ii.            With your client at a client site and inform your N+1 as appropriate.

b)      Employees are responsible to ensure the prevention  of injuries and accidents. Employees have the right to stop work if they feel continuing is dangerous to their Health and Safety or the Health and Safety of their coworkers.

Do not use alcohol or illegal drugs while working or driving

a)      The consumption of alcohol and use of drugs can impair the judgment and coordination of individuals in the workplace and increase the risk to health and safety of others.

b)      The misuse of alcohol and other drugs may damage an individual's physical and mental health.

c)      Many aspects of the workplace require alertness, accuracy and coordination and any impairment to these characteristics can increase the chance of injury to workers or others in the workplace.

d)     Employees are legally responsible for causing harm to others and are subject to criminal liability in case of loss of life.

·         The Cardinal Safety Rules address straight forwardly top safety risks

·         The Control Measures address job specific critical safety risks

·         The Safe Behavior addresses the risks related to the non anticipated working environment

Your role, as employee, subcontractor, non exclusive is to comply with these requirements at all times….

… f or y our saf et y …

… f or ot her ’ s saf et y …

Safety, it’s our responsibility