Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 09 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR › Subtitle 12 - DIVISION OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY › Chapter 09.12.38 - General Industry Standard for Personnel Platforms Suspended from Cranes, Derricks, and Hoists › Section 09.12.38.11 - Work Practices

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A. Except for an
				occupant of the platform performing the duties of a signal person, employees
				shall keep all parts of the body inside the platform during raising, lowering,
				and positioning.
B. When employees
				are to exit or enter a hoisted personnel platform that is not landed, the
				platform shall first be secured to the structure where access or egress is to
				take place, unless securing to the structure creates an unsafe
				situation.
C. When employees work
				from the platform, the platform may not be secured to any structure other than
				the crane, derrick, or hoist.
D.
				Tag lines shall be used unless their use creates an unsafe condition.
E. The crane operator shall remain at the
				controls at all times when the platform is occupied.
F. The hoisting of employees shall be
				promptly discontinued upon indication of any weather condition or other
				impending condition which could adversely affect the safe hoisting of personnel
				on a platform.
G. Except as noted
				in §H, of this regulation, employees being hoisted shall remain in
				continuous sight of, and in direct communication with, the operator or signal
				person.
H. When direct visual
				contact with the operator is not possible and the use of a signal person would
				create a greater hazard for that person, direct communication alone, such as a
				two-way radio system, may be used.
I. Except over water, employees occupying the
				personnel platform shall use a body belt/harness system with lanyard
				appropriately attached to the lower load block or overhaul ball, or to a
				structural member within the personnel platform capable of sustaining a fall
				impact.
J. While personnel are
				suspended on a platform, a lift may not be made on any other loadline of the
				crane or hoist.
K. An employee
				shall be permitted to stand on or to work from only the floor of the
				platform.
L. Head protection shall
				be worn by all employees while using personnel platforms.
M. When employees are working over or
				adjacent to water, an employer shall comply with the following requirements:
(1) Totally enclosed personnel platforms or
				platforms with overhead structures are prohibited;
(2) Personal flotation devices:
(a) Coast Guard approved personal flotation
				devices shall be:
(i) Provided by the
				employer, and
(ii) Worn by all
				employees while using the personnel platform;
(b) Before and after each use, personal
				flotation devices shall be inspected for defects which would alter their
				strength or buoyancy;
(c) A
				defective personal flotation device may not be used;
(3) Ring buoys:
(a) Ring buoys with at least 90 feet of line
				shall be provided and readily available for emergency rescue
				operations;
(b) The distance
				between ring buoys and the work being performed may not exceed 200
				feet;
(4) At least one
				lifesaving skiff shall be immediately available.