Pennsylvania Code › Title 34 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY › Part I - Department of Labor and Industry › Chapter 39 - SAFETY STANDARDS-GENERAL › Subchapter A - SAFE PRACTICES › RECOMMENDATIONS › Section 39.22 - Yard and internal housekeeping

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
Clear travelways.
All
					 roadways, walkways, aisles, or other foot, crane, or vehicular travelways
					 should be clearly marked or otherwise well defined. They should be kept in good
					 repair and free from all debris and obstacles. All walkways above the level of
					 the ground shall be equipped with railings and toeboards in accordance with the
					 provisions of Chapter 47, Subchapter G (relating to railings, toeboards,
					 open-sided floors, platforms, and runways). All aisles, emergency exits, and
					 other passageways should be kept clear of tools or material of any
					 kind.
(b)
Slipping
					 hazards.
Puddles or drippings of oil, grease, water, or other liquids
					 should be rendered harmless by mopping up and strewing sand or sawdust on the
					 floor until the floor is dry. Oil-soaked sawdust should be disposed of promptly
					 to prevent spontaneous ignition. Drippings on floors should be prevented by
					 eliminating the cause or by placing drip pans in position until the cause is
					 eliminated.
(c)
Falling
					 tools.
Workmen working at elevated levels should not strew their tools
					 about carelessly. Tools should be carried in tool belts or kept in tool boxes
					 when not in actual use. The practice of throwing tools from one level to
					 another should be discouraged. They should be raised or lowered with light
					 ropes or passed from hand to hand. The practice of working above unsheltered
					 workmen should be actively discouraged at all times. Tools or material should
					 never be piled or leaned against anything.
(d)
Piling of materials.
Materials should be piled as follows:
(1)
General.
All material needing to be piled should be carefully
					 piled to prevent falling. When piling material near travelways, special care
					 should be exercised to eliminate any possible hazard from piles being knocked
					 over. Piles should not extend into travelways.
(2)
Light.
Piles of
					 material should not interfere with the adequate distribution of natural or
					 artificial light, but should comply with Chapter 27 (relating to
					 lighting).
(3)
Height and
					 extent.
Material should not be piled to a height which would render
					 the pile unstable or which would interfere with the operation of a sprinkler
					 system. Piles should not be placed so close to equipment as to hinder operators
					 in the proper operation of their machines or expose them to hazard from slides
					 or falls of material.
(4)
Binding.
Wherever possible the stability of piles should be
					 increased by piling alternate layers crosswise or, in the case of long piles,
					 by criss-crossing at the ends or using binder strips.
(5)
Round objects.
Piles of
					 barrels, rolls of paper, pipe or other cylindrical material should be carefully
					 blocked at the center and at both ends to prevent spreading.
(6)
Bags.
In piling heavy
					 bagged material the first four end bags of each pile should be cross-tied and a
					 step-back of one bag should be made at every fifth bag in height. All bags in
					 the outer tiers should have the mouths facing the center of the pile so that if
					 any bags break open at the neck the pile will sag toward the center. In
					 unpiling, the piles should be kept at an approximately even height and the
					 necessary step-back maintained.
(7)
Retaining walls.
Walls or partitions should not be used to
					 brace piled materials unless of sufficient known strength to withstand the
					 pressure.
(8)
Piles of
					 loose materials.
Substantial retaining walls or partitions should be
					 provided for the storage of loose coal, sand, gravel, stone, or similar
					 materials in restricted areas, and wherever possible, such loose materials and
					 scrap should be kept in storage bins.
(9)
Sides and undermining.
Persons working about banks and piles of coal, sand, gravel, stone, or similar
					 materials should avoid undermining to start slides and insure that no person is
					 in danger from any slides of material. All overhanging ledges should be knocked
					 down as soon as formed, especially in winter when the upper crusts are likely
					 to become frozen.
(10)
Loading vehicles.
Material piled on vehicles for
					 transportation should be limited to an amount which constitutes a safe load
					 based on the distance it is to be transported, the type of equipment used, and
					 the character of the surface over which it is to be transported. Material
					 should be so piled and secured that it cannot be jarred loose by ordinary
					 vibration. The load should not project to an extent which renders it liable to
					 catch on buildings or projecting piles or which would cause the load to topple
					 over. Highway motor vehicles should have all load projections which extend
					 beyond the body of the vehicle in the front or the rear, conspicuously marked
					 by a piece of red material in daylight and a red light at night attached at the
					 farthest points of projection in front and rear. The combined overall length,
					 width, height, and weight of motor vehicles and loads should conform to the 75
					 Pa.C.S. (relating to Vehicle Code).
(11)
Elevators and loaded trucks.
When loaded trucks are moved on or off an elevator, the elevator
					 should be brought level with the floor and plates should be used to bridge the
					 space between the elevator and the floor if such space creates a tipping
					 hazard.