Safety Alert: Red Zone Hazards (e.g. pinch points) during lifting operations
USA Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) describes “Red zone” hazards as ones that “…occur when a worker is in the direct path of an object if a release of energy from that object would cause the worker to be hit, struck, pinched, impaled, crushed, or caught between objects.” Red Zone injuries range from minor incidents, such as a pinched finger, to fatalities.
USA Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) describes “Red zone” hazards as ones that “…occur when a worker is in the direct path of an object if a release of energy from that object would cause the worker to be hit, struck, pinched, impaled, crushed, or caught between objects.” Red Zone injuries range from minor incidents, such as a pinched finger, to fatalities.
BSEE Safety Alert No. 468 considers three ‘Red Zone’ incidents:
• offloading a 65-foot basket from the deck of an offshore supply vessel – a deck hand was pinned between the load and the vessel rails (pictured).
• a load shifted during equipment positioning; an employee’s arm was caught between load and handrail
• a load weighing 3.5 tons shifted toward a worker whilst being lifted, pushing him back into a basket
These were offshore work, but the risks and principles are relevant to cargo lifting operations. The ICHCA database of world-wide fatal cargo workplace incidents shows that crush by moving or falling cargo is the top fatality risk for shore workers.
Link: BSEE Safety Alert 468 – Red Zone Hazards Pose Increased Risk to Personnel During Lifting Operations | Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Control measures in the BSEE guidance include:
• never working or moving under a suspended load
• developing and enforcing lifting operation safety procedures
• eliminating or limiting hand/tagline positioning of suspended loads
• only using certified fit-for-purpose lifting equipment and accessories
• stopping the job if the load cannot be safely controlled when lifted
• putting in place effective communication and supervision
Relevant links:
Safety Alert: Lifting of ISO Containers and Tanks Using Hooks and Wires – ICHCA International
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ICHCA International is committed to helping industry to learn lessons fast, learn them once and make sure that they stay learnt. This information is intended to provide all organisations in the cargo supply chain with the opportunity to consider the events and to review and adapt their own health and safety control measures to proactively prevent future incidents.
We are grateful to USA Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement for providing details and for raising awareness. We acknowledge their commitment to sharing learning to benefit others. If you have similar operations, please share this information with managers, operatives and any potentially affected third parties as appropriate. Please also review any of your relevant operations for similar hazardous conditions, risks, and controls. Learning content like this is highly valuable as it is based on real-world experience. We encourage everyone with publishable information about incidents to send it to us, so that we can raise awareness across the whole industry. Please contact us at secretariat@ichca.com; sharing your insight could save a life or prevent injury.