Safety in the workplace

The need to work in a safe environment is the main prerogative of new legislative systems established by EU Directives and endorsed in Italy.

In this context, Legislative Decrees 81/08 (for the safety of workers in the workplace), 494/96 (on temporary and mobile construction sites), 493/96 (public notices at the worksite) and Legislative Decrees 17/2010 (implementation of Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC) play the role of updating the existing rules in Italy (UNI), Europe (EN) and International (ISO).

The contents of the new legislation have some common elements:

  • Make employers responsible;
  • Promote rational and planned company reorganization;
  • Push companies towards international standardization systems (e.g. OHSAS 18000 Health and Safety in the workplace and social responsibility).

This safety legislation exceeds mere regulatory compliance and outlines the basics of management, planning and daily review of safety issues in work activities.

Download the Safety service pdf

Law 81/08 on the safety of workers states that work equipment must be subject to periodic inspection.

  • Legislative Decree 81/08 Article 36, “Provisions concerning work equipment” – Paragraph 2: “…periodic inspections on equipment for which inspections are deemed mandatory. In any event, the methods and technical procedures of the related inspections comply with the legal requirement corresponding to the one according to which the equipment was manufactured”.
  • Legislative Decree 81/08 Title III, Art. 71, paragraph 8: “The employer… shall ensure that equipment… are subject to periodic inspections in order to ensure proper installation and maintenance under good safety conditions.”
  • Legislative Decree 81/08 Title III, Article 71, paragraph 9: “The results of the inspections … are available to the supervisory authority for a period of three years from the date of the last registration… A document of the last inspection must accompany all work equipment wherever they are used.”
  • Attachment VI – paragraph 3.1.2 “Ropes and chains must be subject to quarterly inspections in the absence of specific instructions by the manufacturer.”
  • Attachment VII – Equipment tests. List of equipment to be tested:
    1. Aerial ladders with adjustable slope;
      2. ...
    2. Ropes and chains of lifting equipment and systems;
    3. Ropes and chains of pulling equipment and systems;
    4. Cranes and lifting equipment with a capacity higher than 200 kg.
      5. ...

Lifting equipment that fall within the scope of the inspection service in accordance with Legislative Decree 81/08 are:

  • Steel wire ropes for cranes;
  • Chain slings grade 8 and grade 10;
  • Steel wire rope slings;
  • Synthetic fiber slings;
  • Standard lifting accessories such as shackles, eyebolts, sheet lifting equipment;
  • Clamps;
  • Pneumatic, electric and manual chain hoists;
  • Lifting beams, spreader, C shaped hooks, brackets;
  • Personal protective equipment;
  • Tongs;
  • Supporting equipment;
  • Ladders;
  • Forklifts: Forks and chains.

FAS Servizio Sicurezza objectives are aimed at safety and consulting:

  • Inspections according to Legislative Decree 81/08;
  • Technical advice and training courses;
  • After sale support;
  • Testing and load testing.

The technical staff is organized as follows:

  • Product managers:
    • Wire ropes
    • Under-hook Lifting Devices
    • Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.)
    • Non Destructive Testing (VT. LP, MT, UT, MIT)
  • Testing and inspection department in-house and mobile;
  • Design support in 2D for the preparation of CAD drawings.

The vehicle equipped with measuring and testing instruments has also available:

  • Equipment for magneto-inductive testing
  • Magnetoscopic coil with lamp for testing with fluorescent liquids
  • Magnetoscopic yoke
  • Penetrating liquids
  • Ultrasonic flaw detector
  • On-board computer to issue “testing registers”.

Qualified personnel, with significant experience on the field and qualifications obtained as a result of specific training courses.
The qualifications are subdivided as follows:

  • Level 2 CICPND certification for skilled personnel in Non-Destructive Testing on wire rope used for Lifting, Transportation of Persons and Properties and Tensile Structures (MIT).
  • Level 2 CICPND certification for personnel assigned to Non-Destructive Testing using the magnetic particle method (MT) according to UNI EN 473 and ISO 9712.
  • Level 2 CICPND certification for personnel assigned to Non-Destructive Testing using the ultrasound method (UT) according to UNI EN 473 and ISO 9712.
  • Level 2 CICPND certification for personnel assigned to Non-Destructive Testing using the penetrant liquids (LP) according to UNI EN 473 and ISO 9712.
  • Level 2 CICPND certification for personnel assigned to Non-Destructive Testing using the visual method (VT) according to UNI EN 473 and ISO 9712.
  • Certification to Manage personal protective equipment.
  • Training course to test steel wire ropes for cranes according to UNI ISO 4309:2011.
  • Training course to test chain slings in steel grade 8 and grade 10 according to EN 818 and EN 1677.
  • Training course for “Drivers/operators of Lifting Platforms”.
  • Training course to “Drive safely bridge-cranes and lifting systems”.

The Inspection is carried out according to the following procedures.

The first visit occurs on-site to assess the quantity and quality of the products to be inspected and the work environment in which they operate. Date and operating procedures for the inspections are defined with the logistical support of FAS according to the availability of the customer. The team visit takes place at the facility and the identification of the equipment and related EC certifications are carried out. The inspections are carried out in accordance with the technical regulations of reference, and any repairs required are identified at time of issuing of the inspection reports, which are issued both in paper and digital format.

After each inspection, all equipment is provided with a serial number, identification of equipment capacity and visible proof that the inspection occurred. If the result is one of noncompliance, the equipment will be placed in a special area not available to operators.

Ultrasonic monitoring

A Method to detect defects on lifting equipment.

The ultrasonic equipment allows detecting the presence of defects on both ferrous and non-magnetic metal elements.
Thanks to this method, it is also possible to detect defects in depth; such method is improved compared to traditional methods such as magnetic particle (MT) testing or penetrant liquids (LP) testing, which allow just to detect surface or subsurface defects.

In the field of lifting equipment, this procedure is applied to detect defects that may arise as a result of wear and tear, overload etc.
The parts subject to these events and thus subject to UT testing are:
– Welding
– Pins
– Hanging connections
– Lifting hooks for cranes
– Forks and brackets
F.A.S. Servizio Sicurezza is equipped with Panametrics-NDT instrumentation with longitudinal and angular probes, in order to operate on all kinds of elements to be inspected.
The inspection procedure requires the use of calibrated instrumentation with a suitable calibration block.
Two examples are shown below:
- Diagram from the machine showing a detected defect.
- Inspection carried out with angular probe on the fork of a forklift truck.
As a result of the above, it is therefore appropriate to combine UT testing to traditional visual testing (VT), and to physical and magnetic particle testing (MT) to the following types of equipment:
– Lifting beams
– Structural elements of cranes
– Forks of forklift trucks – Bearing pins
The ultrasonic inspection is regulated according to UNI EN 473 (such as magnetoscopic MT, penetrant liquids LP and Visual VT), for this reason the company’s technicians performing these inspections were awarded CiCPnD Level II according to EN 473.
For each item an inspection report is issued showing the identification data, data of the instrumentation used, the result of the inspection in addition to the signature of the qualified technician who performed the inspection.

Gaussmeter inspection

This is a method used to measure the residual magnetic field on permanent magnets.

Gaussometro

The Gaussmeter (see figure) is an instrument with which it is possible to detect the residual magnetic field on permanent magnets. This way it is possible to verify on site, through the use of a probe, if the magnet in use still has the necessary strength to ensure the lifting capacity.
Each FAS team has an instrument of this type available and the adequate expertise to use it.