What to Do Before Working on A Suspended Platform?

The safety of working on suspended platform swing stage can be impacted due to weather events, such as winds. When the wind speeds are high, it can be riskier to work on this type of platform for cleaning up or construction of a building and similar operations. These are a few things to do before working at a height on suspended platforms.

Evaluation of site conditions

The site conditions and the site-specific situations need to be assessed and any potential weather events such as high winds should be determined, so that work is halted if the conditions seem to be unsuitable for working. Competent people need to have an idea about the activities in schedule, maintenance tasks, equipment operations etc as well as work results relative to swing stages and suspended platforms.

Identifying predictable and existing hazards in worksite or surroundings

There is a need for competent persons who are able to spot predictable and existing hazards in working conditions or surroundings that are potentially dangerous, hazardous or unsanitary to workers. These authorized persons must be there to take immediate corrective steps to eliminate the same. Workers can have more assurance of their safety on suspended swing stage, with competent persons around.

Mitigation or management of safety risks and weather impacts

Contractors need to evaluate many factors, like work location, movable working platform, type of material etc – that may result in a “sail effect.” The equipment operators and the competent person are responsible to stay informed about the wind and weather event predictions during the work shifts, as well as the respective safety risks that are site-specific.

Read a similar article about suspended platforms here at this page.