1
Make sure you are in
an appropriate mental
and physical condition
when at work.
2
Make sure you are
adequately trained before
performing any activity.
3
Think about possible risks
before starting any activity.
Stop the work and seek
your supervisor’s advice
if you notice an unforeseen
or unacceptable risk.
4
Follow the procedures
and never take short-cuts.
5
9
6
10
7
11
8
12
Wear the required
Personal Protective
Equipment and never
modify it.
Use a fall protection
system when working
at height.
Use correctly the
appropriate tools and
safety devices. Never
modify or remove them.
Use lock-outs and deenergize the machinery
before working on
equipment or entering
restricted areas.
Operate equipment and
vehicles only if you hold
the proper license and
follow the traffic rules.
Maintain a safe distance
from moving vehicles.
Never stand under or near
a suspended load. When
operating cranes, keep your
eye on the load.
Report all accidents,
incidents, near-misses and
unsafe behavior/conditions.
1
Safety
never Sleeps
For most of us, not having a good night’s sleep means
dragging our feet the next day as we perform our
usual tasks. In Rolando’s case, it also resulted in physical
injuries and damaged equipment.
4
Make sure you are mentally and physically alert while at work.
Do not work if you are not physically or psychologically able to pay the required attention.
The main causes of accident due to unsuitable physical or psychological condition are
tiredness, medication or drug or alcohol use.” Working under the influence of alcohol or
drugs is not permitted on any Tenaris site and is considered a severe violation. If you are not
in the appropriate condition, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but also the people
who work around you. If you are taking any medication that may affect your ability to work
safely, you should discuss this with your supervisor and physician immediately.
The unrelenting buzz of a mosquito. The cry
of a hungry baby. The unforeseeable strike
of insomnia. These are just a few of many
circumstances that can disturb our daily sleeping routine. At some point in our lives all of
us have had to go to work without adequate
rest. While it is a common scenario, it is also a
potential safety hazard we should all be aware
of, as Rolando’s case exemplifies (based on a
real case that happened at a Tenaris mill).
Rolando - 23-year-old employee with more
than three years in the company and no previous accidents - operates a truck at the mill’s
yard during the midnight shift. One particular
night, he felt especially drowsy but told himself that with a shot of black coffee and a deep
breath of fresh air he would make it through
the few hours he had left of his shift.
However, without realizing it, his sleepiness
had already caused him to make several hazardous mistakes. After discovering that
the safety belt inside the truck was not in
working condition, he ignored a basic rule
and decided to drive without it.
In either case, Rolando’s night began just like
any other. That was until he fell asleep at
the wheel. Technically, he lost control of his
truck for no more than a second, but that was
enough for the truck to skid to one side. The
rear axle hit a pipe rack, sending the vehicle
head on into a second rack. Although the
collision took place at a fairly low speed, the
force of the impact sent a “beltless” Rolando
to one side of the cabin. While he only suffered minor injuries in his head and elbows,
Rolando lost several days of work for his
recovery period.
Not being mentally and physically alert while
at work can put us in a condition of increasing the possibility to suffer an injury or cause
injuries to people working around us.
For this reason it is important to discuss this
kinds of situations with our supervisors,
in order to take the proper precautions.
This also applies if we take special medication
or substances that produce changes in perception. Unlike Rolando, make sure that you
speak up before you “crash” down.
Also, while he joked with some of his colleagues about his tiredness, he failed to mention it to his supervisors, perhaps for fear of a
reprimand or just carelessness.
5
2
training
is safety
Training is crucial to carrying out any work inside the plants.
Let us see how the incident that involved Antonio occurred and
what could have been done to prevent it.
6
Make sure that you are adequately trained before undertaking any activities.
Training is vital if you want to learn the correct and safe method of conducting any type
of operation. It means being ready for any potential emergency situation during the
execution of a task or while using machinery. Training also offers the opportunity to clarify
any doubts; analysing difficulties and potential problems. It also allows you to conduct
practical tests in a controlled and secure environment in order to improve your skills.
While carrying out work within an area, it can
sometimes happen that you have to perform
an activity for which you have had no adequate and specific training. In these cases,
assuming that you are able to continue based
on experience alone, or as a result of training
received for similar operations, you may incur
serious risks, as in the case of Antonio,
a worker in a Tenaris plant.
Antonio is 26 years old and has worked for
5 years in a Tenaris plant, without any accidents. One day, while performing a normal
maintenance operation, he realized that the
connections on the mains switch of an electrical cabinet needed to be secured.
Although he had only received general preparation, Antonio, with the intention of carrying
out the work quickly, decided he was able to
operate without requesting assistance from an
electrical maintenance worker, because he felt
– erroneously – that this specific task would,
after all, not be much different from the work
that he usually did.
Taking this decision, Antonio made a serious
mistake: in fact, when you realize that you do
not have the training necessary to perform
an activity, you must immediately notify your
supervisor and evaluate with him how to proceed, for example by involving those who have
the necessary skills or adapting them.
So Antonio started to work: he wore the
correct personal protective equipment, and
began to tighten the main terminals of the
cabinet. Not having received specific training
however, he did not realize that the cabinet he
was working on was still live, and so, when
he touched the metal frame, it generated an
electrical arc flash.
Antonio got away with burns to the hand and
a major scare, but the risk to which he exposed
himself and his colleagues was very high.
If the training you have received is incomplete
or inadequate for the task that you are doing or
if you attempt to carry out a task for which you
have not been properly trained, it is important
that you do not improvise but that you immediately inform your superior, the person in charge
or the relevant safety manager.
Thus, always make sure that you are adequately
trained before undertaking any type of operation.
Training is vital if you want to learn the correct and safe method of conducting any type
of operation. It means being ready for any
potential emergency situation during the execution of a task or while using machinery.
7
3
Avoid risks
by thinking properly!
Carefully analyzing all possible risks is essential before performing any
task. Moreover, if you face an unexpected or unacceptable risk while
carrying out an activity, you must stop working and notify your
supervisor. Let us see how the incident that involved Simone and his
colleagues occurred and what could have been done to prevent it.
8
Think about all possible risks before starting any activity. Stop working and contact
your supervisor if you are faced with unexpected or unacceptably risky situations.
Assessing risks and planning activities is the first step to take before starting any activity. Risk
assessment requires a few minutes, but might prevent serious accidents. It is necessary to take all
potential risks associated with a certain activity into consideration, check that adequate precautions
have been taken or identify dangers that had previously passed by unobserved. It is also a good
idea to inspect the surrounding area and report your actions to the rest of the personnel to prevent
interference with other activities. If an aspect has not been correctly assessed and/or an added
danger has been detected, you must stop and adopt suitable countermeasures to ensure that
the activity is carried out in safe conditions. If you think that the level of risk is unacceptable,
it is your duty to stop the activity and find an alternative solution with the aid of your supervisor.
When performing a task inside an area, there
is the possibility that you may have to carry
out activities lying outside normal routines, or
that, although they are envisaged in the Risk
Analysis, present some aspects not previously
assessed. In these cases, acting without having
first carefully assessed the potential risks may
lead you into risky situations, as in the case of
Simone, a finishing operator at a Tenaris plant.
Simone is 40-years old and has worked as a
finishing operator in a Tenaris plant, without
any incidents, for four years.
One day, as he was carrying out a normal
operation of extracting the stopper to prevent
shavings from going inside the tube during the
threading process, the equipment jammed.
At first Simone tried to extract the stopper
using the special hook as set out in the Operating Procedure, but this operation was not
enough and so Simone pumped compressed
air into the tube to unblock it. Even though
it was a non-routine operation, the operator
did not carefully assess the situation and its
potential risks, and did not notify his colleagues of the action he was about to perform.
By acting in this manner, Simone made a serious mistake. In fact, it is always necessary to
make a preliminary assessment of the possible
risks connected with every activity, stop working if you have doubts or if there are unacceptable risks, and notify your supervisor.
And so the operator set to work. He correctly
put on the personal protective equipment and
blew compressed air into the tube. Since he had
not carefully analysed the situation, he did not
realise that the opposite end of the tube was
not aligned with the mobile screen and that an
operator was working on another station just a
few metres away. When Simone started to blow
the air, the piece was forced violently out of the
tube like a bullet and struck his colleague.
Simone’s colleague escaped with a bruised
hand and a great shock, but the risks he was
exposed to were very high.
When performing a task inside an area, there
is the possibility that you may have to carry
out activities lying outside the normal routine,
or that although they are envisaged in the Risk
Analysis, present some aspects not previously
assessed. Think about all possible risks before
starting any activity. Stop working and contact
your supervisor if you are faced with unexpected or unacceptably risky situations.
Assessing risks and planning activities is the
first step to take before starting any activity.
Risk assessment requires a few minutes, but
might prevent serious accidents.
It is necessary to take all potential risks associated with a certain activity into consideration,
check that adequate precautions have been
taken or identify dangers that had previously
passed by unobserved.
It is also a good idea to inspect the surrounding area and report your actions to the rest
of the personnel to prevent interference with
other activities.
9
4
For your safety,
follow the procedures
Following the procedures is fundamental to carry out every
activity in a safe way. Working without following the rules
or by improvising means taking some very serious risks.
Let us see how the incident that involved Alberto occurred
and what could have been done to prevent it.
10
Respect the procedures without ever improvising. Procedures and work instructions
are the safest way to perform an activity; therefore, they must always be respected.
Short-cuts can be very dangerous and should never be taken without appropriate risk
analysis and approval. Do not personally disregard or ignore a co-workers disregard for any
safety procedures. We are all responsible for preventing unsafe acts.
When any task is performed, it is fundamental to follow the procedures in order to work
correctly and safely. Not following the procedures, making changes to them or taking
shortcuts can lead to risky situations, as in
the case of Alberto, a finishing operator at a
Tenaris plant.
Alberto is 36 years old and has been working
as a finishing operator for 5 years. He has no
accidents to his record. One day, having to
perform the marking operation on a test tube,
he thought he could finish the job assigned to
him in less time.
In fact, the operator thought he could use
a disc saw, equipment not envisaged by the
procedure for that type of operation Furthermore, instead of locking the tube in the vice
under the clamps of the saw, as required
by the procedures, he decided to hold
the piece steady with his hands, exposing
himself to a very serious risk. By doing
this, Alberto put his hands between the disc
of the saw and the machine .
So Alberto went to work, holding the test
tube with his hands. Unfortunately, during the
operation, the piece being worked on slipped.
The operator’s finger was crushed between
the disc of the saw and the machine, causing a
fracture and leading to the loss of several days’
work. The accident could however have been
much more serious. The rotating motor could
have dragged the operator’s arm into the saw
causing very serious injuries.
To carry out your tasks safely and successfully in terms of quality, it is fundamental that
procedures are followed correctly.
Procedures and work instructions represent
the safest way to carry out a task and must
always be respected. Shortcuts and deviations from the usual procedures can turn
out to be very dangerous. For this reason
a meticulous Risk Analysis and approval
by a supervisor are always necessary before
changing a procedure.
Acting in this way, he committed a serious
error. Every procedure must be scrupulously
followed, without thinking that they slow the
work down. If you believe that a procedure
could be improved, do not take any personal
initiative but tell your supervisor. Before any
procedure is changed, a specific Risk Analysis
must be carried out and a meeting must be
held with your supervisor to obtain the necessary approval.
11
5
Correct PPE
to reduce risks
To perform any task safely, it is essential to use the required
Personal Protective Equipment correctly. Not doing so may
expose you to serious risks, as happened to Matteo.
12
Wear the required Personal Protective Equipment and never modify it.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can prevent or reduce the consequences of an accident.
PPE must always be used and never modified in order to maintain its effectiveness.
Remember that hard hats, safety glasses and safety shoes are mandatory in operation
areas, yards and well sites. For other specific PPE to be used during working activities please
refer to the Risk Analysis document. Always wear the correct PPE.
Wearing the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is essential to perform any activity
safely. Not wearing the PPE required for the
task you are performing, or wearing it incorrectly or modifying it, can lead to serious
risks. See how the accident that involved Matteo occurred and what could have been done
to prevent it.
When carrying out any activity, it is essential
to use all the Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) and to wear it correctly, in order to
work safely.
Not wearing the PPE required by the Risk
Analysis and the Work Instructions or modifying it could mean exposing yourself to hazardous conditions. This is precisely what happened to Matteo, an operator working in the
finishing line of a Tenaris plant.
By acting in this way, Matteo committed a
serious mistake: when performing a task,
it is essential not only to wear the proper
PPE, but also to wear it correctly. PPE is only
effective if it is worn correctly.
When Matteo started to work with the grinder, the abrasive disc broke into several pieces.
Because he was not wearing the face shield
correctly, a fragment of the disk hit him on the
cheek, injuring him.
Matteo suffered only a slight injury and a big
fright but the accident could have been far
more serious. The fragment could have hit him
in another part of his face, even in his eye.
Matteo is 40 years old and for the last 12 years
has been working in the finishing line. He has
never suffered an injury during his working career. One day, while performing some grinding
work on a metal sheet, he put on the required
PPE, but he did not ensure that he was wearing it correctly.
He put the face shield on his hard hat but did
not lower it completely when carrying out the
work. By doing this, he exposed himself to
a very serious risk because his face was not
completely protected.
13
6
Working at height...
but always safely
The use of a fall protection system is mandatory when working at height
in areas where there is no wall or guardrail systems. Not complying
with this rule can expose us to very serious risk, even when the task
to perform is simple. Let us see how the incident that involved Giorgio
occurred and what could have been done to prevent it.
14
Use fall protection equipment when carrying out work at a height in unprotected
work areas. Falling from heights is one of the major causes of death in the steel industry.
You must always use fall protection equipment when working at heights where there
is no wall or guardrail system. Guidance should be obtained from your supervisor or Health
and Safety representative to ensure you are using the correct fall protection system for your
activity. Anchorage points must be designed and tested for fall arrest suitability. Tooling
and materials used during working at height must be secured to prevent them falling.
You must be trained to use fall protection systems. Remember that fall protection systems
must be verified periodically and every time they undergo a shock.
It is mandatory to use fall protection systems
when carrying out any activity at height in
unprotected work areas, selecting the most appropriate measures for each specific operation.
So the operator started to work, but while
they were shifting the bridge of the crane, this
banged against the stopper, causing a sudden
movement to the structure.
Overconfidence that in some instances experience will be enough or that the work to be
done can be performed so quickly that a fall
protection system is not required could in
fact create to extremely risky situations. This
is what happened to Giorgio, a Maintenance
operator at one of Tenaris’ plants.
Giorgio who had been concentrating on the
work he was doing, was caught unawares
by the movement and fell from the bridge,
suffering serious injuries. His colleague
escaped unharmed on the crane, and managed
to get away with a huge fright.
Giorgio is 47 years old and for the past 16
years he has been working as a Maintenance
operator. During all these years he has not been
involved in a single industrial accident. One
day, his supervisor asked him and his colleague
to do some maintenance work on a crane.
To do this, he and his colleague had to work
in an area located about 6 metres from the
ground, without any guardrails or barriers.
Because Giorgio considered the work they
needed to do quite simple and routine, he
didn’t think it was necessary to use fall protection equipment. He believed putting it on
would just involve a waste of time. So, the operator decided to climb up onto the overhead
crane, without putting on his safety harness.
By adopting this behaviour, Giorgio made a
serious mistake: when carrying out any activity at a height in an unprotected work area, it
is mandatory to use systems that will protect
your personal safety, preventing from falls
or reducing the consequences in case of a fall.
Falling from heights is one of the major causes
of death in the steel industry. You must
always use fall protection equipment when
working at heights where there is no wall or
guardrail system.
Guidance should be obtained from your supervisor or Health and Safety representative to
ensure you are using the correct fall protection
system for your activity.
Anchorage points must be designed and tested
for fall arrest suitability.
Tooling and materials used during working at
height must be secured to prevent them falling.
You must be trained to use fall protection systems. Remember that fall protection systems
must be verified periodically and every time
they undergo a shock.
15
7
Use your head,
not your hands!
Using the specified tools correctly is fundamental to perform every
activity in a safe manner. Not using the tools defined in the Risk Analysis
or during the planning of an activity or modifying the tools could
expose you to extremely serious risks. Read about what happened to
Carlo and what could have been done to prevent it.
16
Use the appropriate tools and devices correctly. Never modify or remove them.
Every activity must be performed with the correct tools and safety devices defined in the risk
analysis and/or when the activity is planned. This enables you to work safely and also makes
your work easier. Don’t use hand-made tools or safety devices that were not designed and
tested for the scope of the work being performed. This could result in severe injuries or even
death. If you don’t have the proper tools or you are not sure about how to use a particular
safety device, consult with your supervisor in order to analyze the situation.
When performing a task, it is fundamental to
use the tools specified for each activity. Not
doing this, or using tools designed for other
work, perhaps thinking that you can work
faster, could result in a high-risk situation.
The use of the correct tools for the job that
you are doing not only ensures your personal
safety, but also makes the work easier and
guarantees its quality.
Let us see how the accident that involved
Carlo occurred and what could have been
done to prevent it.
Carlo is 30-years-old and has been working
as a finishing operator in Tenaris for six years.
He has no accidents to his record. One day,
while working on a cutting machine, he had
to clean up and remove the shavings.
Carlo correctly put on the cut-resistant gloves.
However, because the work seemed quite simple and routine to him, and thinking that going to fetch the hook would have just wasted
time, he decided to go ahead and remove the
shavings with his hands.
By doing this, Carlo made a serious mistake.
When carrying out operations that involve
sharp materials (such as cuttings or shavings),
it is mandatory to use a hook or other tools
specifically designed for this purpose in order
to avoid the use of the hands.
So Carlo went to work, and as he was trying
to remove a shaving by pulling it with his hand,
his glove was cut - and so was his hand.
Carlo escaped with a slight injury to his hand,
but his behaviour could have exposed him
to a more serious risk. Not using the tools
that have been deemed appropriate for the
job, or using handmade tools or safety devices
that have not been properly designed, can
result in serious injuries.
If you have any doubts about which tool has
to be used, it is fundamental that you ask your
supervisor for assistance and that you analyse
the situation together.
When performing a task, it is fundamental
to use the tools specified for each activity.
Use the appropriate tools and devices
correctly. Never modify or remove them
Every activity must be performed with the correct tools and safety devices defined in the risk
analysis and/or when the activity is planned.
This enables you to work safely and also
makes your work easier.
Don’t use handmade tools or safety devices
that were not designed and tested for the scope
of the work being performed. This could
result in severe injuries or even death.
17
8
Lock-out and
de-energize
Before performing operations on equipment or entering restricted
areas it is mandatory to follow the lock-out procedure and
de-energize the machinery. Not doing it may expose you to serious risks,
as happened to Mario, a maintenance operator at a Tenaris facility.
18
Use lock-outs and de-energize the machinery before working on equipment
or entering restricted areas. Being caught or trapped in moving machinery, or injured
by a release of energy is a high risk within our industry. The most frequent cause of lockout and tag-out injuries is the incomplete shut down and de-energization of equipment.
You must never, in any circumstances, work on moving or energized machinery.
Activities that require power must be performed only by authorized personnel after the
appropriate risk analysis and in compliance with specific procedure. Lock-out and tag-out
is fundamental and you must be properly trained in order to conduct this procedure.
When you have to perform an activity on
equipment or enter a restricted area it is mandatory to follow the lockout procedure and
neutralize all energy supplies, to ensure your
own and others’ safety. Working on moving
machinery that is not completely deactivated
or not totally discharging the energy may
expose you to very serious risks.
Let us see how the accident that involved
Mario occurred and what could have been
done to prevent it.
Mario stepped through the safety barrier and
began his work. While he was focused on the
operation that he was carrying out, he didn’t
realize that he had got too close to the machine’s drive shaft, and became entangled with
the jacket of his uniform, which was dragged
into the machine.
The operator got away with a dislocated
shoulder and injuries to his ribs and
upper arm, but the accident that he
was involved in could have had much more
serious consequences.
Mario is 28 years old and has been working
as a maintenance operator in Tenaris for seven
years, with no accidents on his record.
One day, his supervisor asked him to do some
maintenance work on a gearbox. The work he
had to do was very simple and required little
time, so Mario thought that following the
lock-out procedure would have taken too long.
Therefore, he began to work on the moving
machine without any lockout.
Acting in this way, Mario made a serious
mistake: every time you have to perform an activity on equipment or enter restricted areas it
is mandatory to follow the lock-out procedure
and de-energize the machinery.
19
9
No licence?
No drive!
At any Tenaris location, you can only operate mobile equipment or vehicles if you
hold the proper licence and follow internal traffic rules at all times. Operating
any transportation equipment, such as cranes or forklifts, without adequate
training, or using a vehicles without ollowing traffic regulations could expose
you to serious risks, as happened to Luca, a finishing operator at a Tenaris facility.
20
Operate equipment and vehicles only if you hold the proper license and follow
the traffic rules. Mobile equipment and vehicles are a significant risk at our sites.
You must always attend specific training courses before using any kind of vehicle in order
to be aware of their proper operation. You must always respect traffic rules inside any
Tenaris site or you not only place yourself, but others, at risk. Do not operate equipment
for which you have not been trained and authorized/certified.
Tenaris personnel are only allowed to operate
equipment or vehicles if they have received the
adequate training and hold the proper licence.
Moreover, internal traffic rules must be followed at all times. By ignoring or disregarding
these basic safety principles, employees
expose themselves to several risks, some of
which could have extremely serious outcomes.
Let us see how the incident involving Luca
occurred and what could have been done
to prevent it.
Luca is 25 years old and has been working as
a finishing operator in Tenaris for three years,
with no accidents on his record.
One day, while performing his work, he had to
move a wooden box containing coupling bars.
Instead of informing his supervisor and
requesting assistance from a qualified forklift
operator, Luca got into the driver’s seat himself: he thought it would be a simple operation, because he had seen colleagues do it
many times before and thought that, by doing
it himself, he would save time.
By doing this, Luca made a serious mistake:
only operators with the appropriate training and licence can use equipment or vehicles
inside the mills.
So Luca started the forklift, drove close to the
wooden box and lifted it up. Once the load
was lifted, Luca started to reverse. Because
he didn’t know how to operate the vehicle,
he made a mistake and ended up with his rear
wheel in a drainage channel.
This time, he escaped with just a nasty fright
but the accident could have had much more
serious consequences.
You can only operate equipment or vehicles at
Tenaris facilities if you have received adequate
training and hold the proper licence. Internal
traffic rules must be followed at all times.
Vehicles and other moving equipment can
present a significant risk at Tenaris.
Before using any type of vehicle or equipment,
you must have successfully completed a specific training course so that you know how to
operate the equipment correctly, and you must
hold the proper licence to use it.
Additionally, internal traffic regulations must
be followed at all times at every Tenaris facility so that your own safety and the safety of
colleagues is not put at risk.
21
10
Walk with your feet...
and with your head
When moving around a Tenaris facility always pay
the utmost attention to moving vehicles and always
maintain a safe distance from them.
22
Maintain a safe distance from moving vehicles. Accidents involving pedestrians
and moving vehicles are a typical source of risk in the steel industry. You must always
pay attention to moving vehicles and make sure that the driver has seen you. Before
approaching a moving vehicle, be sure you establish eye contact with the driver
and wait for him to stop and give you a sign before start moving. It is also important
to ensure that the transported load is properly secured and stable. Never underestimate
the risk of moving vehicles and equipment.
Getting too close to a moving vehicle or to its
load can in fact put you at risk. Which is what
happened to Sergio, an operator at Tenaris.
In the steel industry, moving vehicles are one
of the main risk. Because of this, when walking inside a Tenaris facility, it is essential that
you pay attention to moving vehicles and that
you keep eye contact with the driver, to make
sure that he has seen you. If you don’t keep a
safe distance from a moving vehicle, you put
yourself at very serious risk. Let us see how
the incident involving Sergio occurred and
what could have been done to prevent it.
Sergio is 34 years old and has been working in
the steel shop of a Tenaris facility for 5 years.
He has no accidents to his record.
One day he was walking in the facility, going
to his workstation. This wasn’t a typical day
for Sergio; he had several things to do and
was thinking about many things. Because
of this, he was walking without paying much
attention to what was going on around him.
So, while he was walking, Sergio did not
notice that he was too close to a forklift
truck that was being driven by a colleague:
he found himself in the vehicle’s work
radius. The forklift driver was completing
a manoeuvre and rightly concentrating
on his work. He didn’t see Sergio and knocked
him to the ground.
Due to his lack of attention, Sergio suffered
several injuries to his legs and a fractured
wrist, but the accident could have been much
worse.
When walking around a Tenaris facility, pay
attention to moving vehicles and maintain eye
contact with the driver.
Maintain a safe distance from moving vehicles.
Accidents involving pedestrians and moving
vehicles are a typical source of risk in the steel
industry.
Always pay attention to moving vehicles and
make sure that there is adequate visibility
between you and the vehicle driver.
By behaving in this way, Sergio made a serious
mistake: when walking inside a Tenaris facility, always pay the utmost attention to your
surroundings. Pay special attention to moving
vehicles and their loads.
23
11
suspended
risks
Walking or standing under a suspended load implies serious risk. When
working at Tenaris sites, it is important to always pay attention to
suspended loads and keep a safe distance from them. Furthermore,
when using a crane, make sure you use it correctly: always keep your
eye on the load. Check how Andrea could have prevented an incident.
24
Never stand under or near a suspended load. When operating cranes, keep
your eye on the load. Overhead cranes are another significant risk at Tenaris sites
and represent one of the highest risks at our facilities. It is forbidden to stand under
or near a suspended load.Make eye contact with the crane operator and wait until
any movement has been completed before approaching. If you are authorized to use
a crane, be sure you operate it correctly and keep your eye on the load. A lot of incidents/
accidents happen as a consequence of not paying enough attention to load movement.
Never underestimate the risk associated with suspended loads.
In the steel industry, most materials are
handled with overhead cranes. That is why,
when working at Tenaris, it is important to
always pay attention and keep a safe distance
from suspended loads.
Andrea, a Tenaris operator, didn’t respect this
rule and put himself at serious risk.
Andrea is 50-years-old and has been working
at Tenaris for 28 years, with no accidents on
his record.
One day he was performing a common operation, removing some pipes from the bench
of the grinder with a crane. It was an operation that Andrea had done many times before
so he was paying less attention to it than he
normally would have done.
By doing this, the operator made a serious
mistake: when carrying out any operation,
from the simplest to the most complex, it is
important to pay the utmost attention and
to scrupulously apply the work instructions,
especially when operating a crane.
Andrea began to work on rigging and moving a pipe. However, because he wasn’t paying
enough attention, the operator didn’t notice
that, together with the pipe, he had also
rigged a part of the bench where the pipe was.
Andrea immediately started to lift the load
while he was still turning to move away from
the bench. Without keeping the eye on the
load to check it, he didn’t notice that he had
made a mistake.
When the pipe started to lift up, the sling
- mistakenly hooked onto the bench - was
pulled taut, causing the crane hoist to drop
to the ground. Andrea, who had not gone far
enough away from the load and was therefore
still within the crane’s range of action, was hit
by the hoist.
Due to his lack of attention, Andrea suffered a
fractured leg, but the accident could have been
much worse.
When working at Tenaris, it is important to
always pay the utmost attention to suspended
loads: keep an eye on them and never stand
under them.
Never walk or stand under suspended loads.
When moving a load with a crane, always keep
an eye on it.
Overhead cranes are another significant risk at
Tenaris sites and represent one of the highest
risks at our facilities. It is forbidden to stand
under or near a suspended load. Make eye
contact with the crane operator and wait until
any movement has been completed before approaching.
25
12
Reporting leads
to prevention
To ensure a safe workplace, all accidents, incidents and unsafe
conditions/behavior should be promptly reported. Reporting means
effective corrective actions can be implemented. With this new
episode, TenarisToday finishes the cycle of 12 stories related to the
“12 Basic Safety Rules” launched in 2012. Re-read all 12 stories here.
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Report all accidents, incidents, near misses and unsafe behavior/conditions.
The reason for reporting all accidents and incidents is to analyze them and determine
the corrective actions required to prevent a similar event happening to someone else.
The reporting of unsafe behavior/conditions is also very important because it allows actions
to be taken in order to prevent a serious event from happening. Everyone is responsible for
reporting all accidents, incidents, near misses and unsafe behavior/conditions.
Davide is 27-years-old and has been working
as a finishing operator in Tenaris for 5 years.
He has no accidents on his record.
One day, Davide was removing the shavings
from the machine he was working on, with the
hook. The safety barrier was missing, because
it had been destroyed in an incident a few days
earlier, and had not been replaced because the
event had not been reported and therefore no
corrective actions had been taken. In addition,
nobody had then reported the observation
that the safety barrier was missing.
Davide began working, and, because the safety
barrier was missing, the operator leaned too
far toward the machine, lost his balance and
fell forward. Only by luck did the incident not
have serious consequences. Davide escaped
with a huge fright but he could have suffered
serious injuries.
The reporting of accidents and incidents allows for the analysis of exactly what happened
and the implementation of the proper corrective actions to prevent similar events from
re-occurring.
In this way, a serious mistake was repeatedly
committed: it is everyone’s responsibility to
report accidents, incidents and unsafe conditions/behavior. This is the only way that effective corrective actions can be taken to prevent
similar accidents from occurring and eliminate
hazardous situations.
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