Metals

Mechanic III

Module 3.1
Material Handling Safety

Saudi Aramco Training

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unit 3: Rigging

Module 3.1

Materials Handling Safety

TRAINEE HANDBOOK
Information Sheets 1

Exercise A 12

Exercise B 16

Exercise C 31
 INFORMATION SHEET

Enabling Objectives Terminal Objective

3.1.1 Unaided, the trainee will
Unaided, the trainee will correctly state rigging correctly state safe working
operation personal safety practices. practices for performing
rigging duties in accordance
3.1.2 with the Handbook for
Unaided, the trainee will correctly state rigging Riggers.
operation shop safety practices.

3.1.3
Unaided, the trainee will correctly state rigging
operation field safety practices.

INTRODUCTION

As a metals mechanic, an important part of your

day-to-day job will involve lifting and moving heavy
pipe spools and equipment. In this unit, you will
learn how you must perform these rigging duties.

If you are unaware of the dangers in rigging and

lifting, performing these tasks would be very
dangerous. Therefore, this unit begins with an
introduction to material handling safety.

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PART I OBJECTIVE 3.1.1

State Rigging Operation Personal Safety

Practices

Generally, on a work site, personal safety can be

divided into two areas:

❏ protective clothes and equipment

❏ safe lifting and carrying

PROTECTIVE CLOTHES AND EQUIPMENT

Items of protective clothes and equipment used in

rigging operations include:

*As you learned the function ❏ Hard hat*

and use of these items in Unit
1, this part will concentrate on ❏ Leather work gloves*
specialist protective equipment
used when rigging. ❏ Safety shoes with toe guards*
❏ Safety goggles/glasses*
❏ Full body harness and lifelines

Like many other tasks on a petrochemical plant,

rigging work requires you to use several different
kinds of protective clothes and equipment to
maintain personal safety.

Hard hats, leather work gloves, and safety shoes with

steel toes are the bare minimum for most rigging
work.

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Hard Hat

As you know, a hard hat protects your head from

falling objects and accidental bumps. You also know
that hard hats are an essential part of the personal
protective equipment – an item that must be worn
whenever on plant.

To provide protection, your safety hat must be in

good condition. So, it is important that you:

❏ Keep your hat clean by washing the shell,

headband, and webbing in warm soapy water at
least once a month.
❏ Check the shell for dents or cracks every time
If you find any
you use it. damage or excessive
wear - replace the hat!
❏ Inspect the webbing for loose, torn, or defective
straps each time you use it.

WEBBING SQUARELY
ON TOP OF HEAD
1 INCH
CLEARANCE

ADJUSTABLE
WEBBING

SHELL

HEADBAND

NAPE
STRAP

Figure 1
Fitting a Hard Hat

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Leather Work Gloves

Another important piece of protective equipment

CLOTH
when rigging is a pair of leather work gloves. These
protect your hands from cuts and scratches when
handling wire rope and other materials with rough
surfaces. Normally these gloves have cloth wrists and
leather palms.
LEATHER
PALMS
Note: Some rigger jobs do not need gloves, because you
need a sense of feel to perform the task.
HEAVY
POINTED
OBJECT Safety Shoes

As you learned earlier, safety shoes are a very

important part of your personal protective equipment
and must be worn in all Saudi Aramco plants and
workshops.

Safety Goggles/Glasses
STEEL TOE
GUARD
SIDE SHIELDS Additional protective equipment is needed for some
rigging jobs. Often, this includes eye protection
because of the possibility of small particles falling
into your eyes.

When rigging, you will often look up to follow a

load. When ropes, blocks, and sheaves are moving
PLASTIC LENSES overhead, there is a real possibility of rust or metal
Figure 2
particles falling into your eyes. For this reason,
General Safety Equipment for goggles or safety glasses with side shields are desirable.
Rigging

Full Body Harness and Lifelines

Saudi Aramco require
you to use a full While the equipments discussed so far are common
harness when you
work on structures, scaffolds, for most metals tasks, the use of a full body harness
or ladders more than 20 feet and lifelines are items of specialist safety equipment
high.
for use when rigging.

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Some jobs require you to work up on scaffolds or at

high elevations. Whenever there is a possibility of a
fall from any high place, you must use a full harness
and lifelines.

D-RING

FULL HARNESS

Figure 3
Full Body Harness

When used correctly, a full harness provides

protection from falling. They are made of synthetic
materials and are fitted with D-rings. There is also a
sliding back D-ring attached to the belt which
secures the lifeline with safety snaps.

Lifelines may be made of either fiber rope or metal

cable. Because of the dangers of electric shock, when
working near energized electrical equipment, you must
use non-conductive fiber rope lifelines. If you must use
metal cable lifelines, they must be electrically grounded.

You use a full harness and lifeline when working in

high places to keep you from falling. Secure the

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lifeline to the harness D-ring, and to a support

capable of carrying your weight.

LIFELINE

HARD HAT

SAFETY
GOGGLES

FULL
HARNESS
FULL BODY
HARNESS

Figure 4
Use of Harness and Lifeline
GLOVES

Like all safety equipment, before use you must

inspected harnesses and lifelines for damage and
excessive wear. Check for cuts, excessive wear, and
cracks (safety snaps and metal rings).

Rigging operations are much safer if you

work safely and use the correct protective
equipment for the task.
SAFETY
SHOES

Refer to figure 5. This figure shows a worker

Figure 5 wearing the protective equipment commonly worn
Typical Rigger Personal Safety
Equipment when performing rigging operations aloft at a Saudi
Aramco plant.

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LIFTING AND CARRYING SAFELY

When rigging, if possible move heavy objects using

mechanical aids such as chain hoists or wheeled
trucks. However, there will be times when there are
no mechanical aids available. In these situations, you
must perform manual lifts.

Lifting heavy objects incorrectly can easily result in

serious injury - especially to the muscles in the back
and arms. Incorrect lifting can also result in
permanent disability.

Manual Lifting Techniques

There is more to lifting a heavy object safely than

just reaching down and picking it up. As with many
other tasks, you must learn and follow the correct
procedure. For safe lifting, there are some basic body
postures (placements) used for safety:

❏ Feet: Place your feet carefully - one foot beside

the object to be lifted, the other foot directly
under the outside of the body.
❏ Back: Keep your back as straight as possible - as
in a normal sitting or kneeling position. Your
back does not have to be vertical, but must not
be bent.
❏ Chin: Keep your chin tucked in toward the
throat. This helps you to keep your back in the
correct position.
❏ Grip (Fingers and Hands): Place your fingers
and hands around the object being lifted, using
the full palm of the hand. Use your whole
hand, not just your fingers

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❏ Arms and Elbows: Pull the object to be lifted

close in to your body (with your arms and
elbows tucked in).

Note: if you hold your arms away from your body, you
lose much of your lifting strength and power. Keeping the
arms pulled in also helps to keep your body weight
centered.

PROCEDURE

Refer to figure 6 for graphic representation of the

following lifting and moving procedures.

Preparing to Lift Heavy Objects

Prepare to lift a heavy object by placing yourself

correctly, and then bend down by bending your
knees, not your back. Grip the object firmly and
hold it close to your body.

Lifting Heavy Objects

When lifting heavy objects, push up with your legs;

do not try to use your back muscles to lift.

Note: Leg muscles lift by pushing upward. The arm and

hand muscle grip and hold the object. The back muscles
help hold your body upright and in balance.

Moving Heavy Objects

When moving with an object, hold the object close

in to your body. Walk carefully so that you keep
your balance.

Do not twist your body or turn sideways

when carrying heavy objects.
Figure 6
Lifting and Moving a Heavy Object

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Putting Down Heavy Objects

If you want to put down a heavy object on the

floor, use the same technique as for lifting – with
your back straight, bend your knees and use your leg
muscles to lower the object.

If you want to place the object on a table or stand

lower than the height at which it is carried, bend
your knees to the correct level. If the object is to be
placed on something that is higher than the level at
which it is carried, get help in lifting it to the
correct level.

KEEPING YOUR BACK

STRAIGHT, BEND YOUR
KNEES TO LOWER AN
OBJECT.
NEVER bend your back when
lifting or lowering Figure 7
Lower Objects by Using Leg
Muscles

Bent back + Straight legs =

PAINFUL INJURY!

Figure 8
Never Lift With A Bent Back

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Two-Man Carry

Sometimes, a load is too heavy or bulky for you to

carry by yourself. In such case, get help.

The lifting techniques for two men are the same as

for one man. However, only one man issues the
commands to lift, move, stop, and lay down the
load. Both men must lift and move at the same
time to avoid injury.
Figure 9
Two-Man Carrying
Two-Man Pole Lift

In some circumstances a 20-60 kilo load is too

heavy for two men to lift and carry manually. If the
load is bulky, irregular in shape, and there are no
safe hand holds, it is unsafe to lift. However, given
slings, a pole, and any other necessary rigging
equipment, two men can easily lift and carry a 60
kilo load.
Figure 10
Two-Man Pole Lift
Unfortunately there is no accurate way to determine
a pole’s safe working load (SWL) without many
calculations. Therefore, the pole’s dimensions and
SWL is usually left to the person’s common sense
and experience. For example, if a light-weight pole
with thin wall section is used - and the pole bends
or sags with the strain of the load - then obviously
the pole is not suitable. A stronger pole is needed.

One man issues the commands to lift, move, stop,

and lay down the load. The load must be slung as
low as possible so that it clears the ground level by
just a few inches. This way, if one man feels strained
by the load weight, the load can be lowered very
quickly to the ground.

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SUMMARY

In this part, you have reviewed general personal

protective equipment and learned about a rigging
harness and lifeline. You now know what equipment
you must use when performing rigging tasks, and
why this equipment is needed.

You then went on to learn the safe, correct methods

to use when lifting and moving heavy objects
manually.

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EXERCISE A
Directions: write the correct answers in the spaces
provided.

1. What should you do to your hard hat at least

once a month?

2. What type of safety glasses are best suited to

rigger work?

3. When working above what height must you

wear a full harness?

4. What must you keep straight when manually

lifting, moving, or lowering a load?

5. How high should you carry the load when

performing a two-man pole lift?

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PART II OBJECTIVE 3.1.2

State Rigging Operation Shop Safety Practices

Shop safety can be divided into three parts:

❏ Good Housekeeping
❏ Recognizing Safe and Unsafe Conditions
❏ Obeying Safety Rules/Signs

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Housekeeping is the routine tasks that must be done

to keep the work area clean, organized, and safe.
Good housekeeping tasks include:

❏ Returning tools and materials to the storeroom.

❏ Placing scrap and debris in trash bins.
❏ Cleaning up oil, grease, chemical, and water
spills immediately.
❏ Keeping walkways free of cables and ropes.
❏ Storing ladders in out-of-the-way places.
❏ Stacking sheet materials so they cannot slide.
❏ Keeping work area clear of tools and equipment
and cleaning up each day at quitting time. Figure 11
Housekeeping in Your Work Area is
❏ Keeping fire lanes and fire exits clear at all YOUR Responsibility
times.

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RECOGNIZING SAFE AND UNSAFE

CONDITIONS

When you are working, you must learn to recognize

safe and unsafe situations. Some unsafe working
situations/practices are shown in figure 12:

DON'T DAYDREAM AT WORK! NEVER USE DEFECTIVE TOOLS! NEVER USE DAMAGED
ELECTRICAL CORDS!

ALWAYS CHECK BEFORE

TURNING ON POWER!

AVOID HORSEPLAY. DON'T PLAY AT WORK- AND

AVOID OTHERS THAT DO! NEVER CARRY TOOLS IN YOUR POCKETS!

Figure 12
Unsafe Working

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OBEYING SAFETY RULES/SIGNS

On site, you must know and obey all safety rules.

This includes becoming familiar with any and all
safety rules that apply to your job or the task you
are performing.

To help you know what is safe, read through the Know what is allowed
and not allowed – take
task paperwork (work orders, Saudi Aramco General note of all safety
Instructions, manufacturer’s literature). Also take signs. Make sure you know
what signs mean, and how they
note, and act on any safety signs in the work area. affect you.

SUMMARY

Safety does not just happen. As you have learned in

this part, you must always be aware of safety. This
involves cleaning your work area, learning what are
safe working practices and what are unsafe actions at
the work site, and being aware of and following
warnings and signs.

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EXERCISE B
Directions: Write the correct answers in the spaces
provided.

1. Who is responsible for keeping the work area

clean?

2. When you look at a safety sign, what must you

understand?

3. Why should you never carry tools in your

pocket?

4. Why must horseplay be avoided at the work

site?

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PART III OBJECTIVE 3.1.3

State Rigging Operation Field Safety Practices

Field safety involves following all safety precautions

You must observe all
when working around cranes and during lifting and safety rules in all lifting
rigging operations. operations.

Many loads are very heavy. With these kinds of

loads, painful accidents can happen quickly. Typical
accidents can result in fractures (broken bones),
crushed fingers, broken backs, and death. Take care
when involved in lifting operations – makes sure you
don’t suffer or cause accidents.

Protective Equipment

Protective equipment and clothing is extremely

Safe working load (SWL) is the
important to your safety. Always use the safety weight an item can safely
support.
equipment needed for the task. For rigging, this
always includes: hard hat, gloves, safety glasses/
goggles, and safety shoes.

Capacity/Safe Working Load (SWL)

Most lifting and rigging equipment will have its

Before use, check
capacity or safe working load (SWL) clearly marked. every piece of
equipment to determine
its rated capacity. Never exceed
In selecting equipment, you must never exceed its this capacity. Lifting loads
rated capacity. In other words, you must never try to heavier than rated capacity will
cause an accident!
lift a load heavier that an equipment’s rated safe
working load.

If the capacity plate or SWL stamp is missing, ask

your supervisor for instructions before starting any
lifting operation. Never take a chance - it can cost
your life.
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NOTE: You will study this topic Refer to figure 13. This shows some examples of
in more depth when you cover SWL stamps and a capacity plate as they might
specific equipments in later
modules. appear on lifting and rigging equipment.

SWL
MARKINGS

SWL SWL

.W.L

S
.
1 T.

1 TON
L
SW
6-TON

SWL
MARKINGS

Figure 13
Capacity/SWL Markings

Inspect Equipment

The people who depend on equipment working

safely are you and your workmates. Make sure you
remain safe by carefully inspecting all items (slings,
hooks, chains, straps, etc.) before you use them.

If you find a piece of equipment showing signs of

weakness of wear, set it aside. Do not use any
equipment you suspect until you can check with
your supervisor.

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Position Barricades

When performing rigging tasks, you must make sure

that the area is clear of personnel who might
accidentally endanger themselves. Use barriers, markers,
or barricades to keep unnecessary personnel well out of
the danger area.

SWING

FENCE OR BARRICADE AREAS WHERE

PERSONNEL COULD GET TRAPPED

Figure 14
Ensure Area Marked and Barricaded

Signals and Instructions

On any rigging job, while everyone is responsible for

safety, only one person can be in charge.

Rigging tasks often involve several people working

together, but only one person must be responsible Signals must be given
by one person only!
for safety and the assigning of jobs. This helps
prevent confusion and frees each of the workers
involved to look after his own part of the job.

For this reason, when crane signals must be given,

only one person must be giving signals. The only
exception to this rule is an emergency stop signal. In
an emergency, anyone working on the job can give
the emergency stop signal.

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DON'T CAUSE CONFUSION!

EXCEPT EMERGENCY STOP, SIGNALS MUST BE MADE BY ONE PERSON ONLY.

Figure 15
One Man to Give Signal

Handling Hooks

Many accidents happen because of incorrect handling

of hooks. Often, you will have to hold a hook in
place while cable slack is taken up by a hoist or a
crane. When tension is taken up, keep your fingers
from between the hook and the load and its slings. If
you ignore this rule – your fingers can easily be
pinched - broken, crushed, or even completely cut off.
Figure 16
Handle Hooks Only By the Back or
Shrank

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Beware Of Pinch Points

When rigging, you must always take care to avoid

pinch points –especially when tensioning slings.

It is not just when taking up tension that pinch

When positioning a
points occur. When loads are moved on rollers, it is sling, tension is
very easy for a careless person to get his hand or foot applied. At this time the
fingers or hands of the unwary
caught underneath a roller. Good practice is to notice can easily get caught between
where pinch points are - and keep away from them! the sling and the load – with
very painful consequences!

Figure 17
Watch Out for Pinch Points!

Stay Clear Of Electrical Hazards

Many lifting operations take place at work sites near

electric power wires. Power lines are dangerous, so you
must always stay clear of electrical wires and cables.

Being made of metal, with metal ropes and

attachments, cranes and certain other lifting
equipment are good conductors of electricity.

If you are holding, or even just touching metal that

becomes “live” (has electricity running through it),
you will receive an electric shock.

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Electric shocks are very painful, and a shock from a

high power line can easily kill you. Therefore, before
you operate any rigging equipment near electric
wires, you must first contact your supervisor for
instructions and added safety precautions.

Electrocutions are one of the most frequent of all

construction accidents. And most shocks are caused
by cranes contacting (touching) overhead power
lines.

There is an area surrounding every live power line

that is referred to as “the absolute limit of
approach”. It is strictly forbidden to move any crane
boom or load line or load into this area unless the
line has been deenergized or insulated. There Are No
Exceptions To This Rule!

This absolute limit of approach varies; however,

commonly limits are listed in Table 1.

Note: Only qualified electricians can work on, or energize/

de-energize power lines.

LINE VOLTAGE ABSOLUTE LIMIT OF

APPROACH

Up to 250,000 volts (250KV) 20 feet (6.1 m)

Over 250,000 volts (250KV) 25 feet (7.6 m)

Table 1
Limit of Approach

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POWER LINE CONTACT IS THE LARGEST SINGLE CAUSE

OF FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH CRANES.

Figure 18
Beware Electrical Hazards

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Keep Loads Low and Slow

One of the most important rules of good rigging

practice is to keep loads low and slow.

When moving objects with cranes or hoists, you

must never raise the load higher than needed. If
possible, never lift loads above nearby equipment.

For safety, a lower, less direct route is preferable. If a

load is close to the ground, it does not have very far
to fall if it is accidentally dropped. This reduces the
amount of damage to the load - and considerably
reduces the risk of personal injury. Moving the load
slowly is safest for a similar reason. When you move
a load slowly, mistakes are much less likely to occur.

Figure 19
Prevent Swinging: Keep Loads Low and Slow

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Do Not Ride the Load

Another common-sense safety rule when rigging is

not to ride the load. - Similarly, you must never ride
on crane hooks. The reason is fairly obvious: it is easy
to fall off or get pinched or crushed by the load.

When you must work aloft, special equipment is

available to raise you above floor level. Portable and
powered scaffolds and safety harnesses have the Figure 20
NEVER Ride the Load
necessary safety features for work of this type.

Stay Out From Under a Load

Even the most careful lifting and rigging task can

accidentally fail. This is why it is a stupid and
unnecessary risk to place yourself under the load.

Figure 21
NEVER Stand Under a Suspended Load

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Use a Tag Line

If a load is close enough to the ground to be steadied

by hand, that is what you should do. However, when
you must lift loads higher, attach a tag guide line to
the load. The tag line should be held by a rigger on
the floor and so control the load’s motion in the air.

Tag Lines are fiber ropes used to control the load

when being lifted. They permit load control when it
Figure 22 is too high or too dangerous to control by hand.
Use Tag Lines to Control Loads

Class Exercise

To secure tag lines, specific types of knots must be

used. In this class exercise, your instructor will hand
out some pieces of tag line rope. You must practice
tying the knots shown in figure 23 until you are
able to tie them in a correct, safe manner.

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SQUARE KNOT: USED FOR TYING 2 ROPES OF CLOVE HITCH (ALSO CALLED A BUILDER'S HITCH) :
EQUAL SIZE TOGETHER. A QUICK, SIMPLE WAY TO FASTEN A ROPE TO
UPRIGHT POSTS OR SCAFFOLDING.

ROUND TURN & TWO HALF-HITCHES: USED FOR

FASTENING OBJECTS WHERE THE ROPE IS AT AN BOWLINE: USED FOR TYING A TEMPORARY EYE
ANGLE TO THE OBJECT AND MAY SLIDE UPWARD IN A ROPE.
OR DOWNWARD.

Figure 23
Tag Line Knots

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Always check that you Additional Rigging Safety Precautions

know all relevant safety
rules and precautions In addition to the rules covered so far, there are a
whenever performing rigging number of additional safety precautions that you
operations.
must be aware of.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE LOAD! HAVE NO PART OF YOU UNDER THE LOAD!

STAND CLEAR WHEN SLINGS BEWARE OF THE EFFECT OF THE WIND ON A LOAD!
ARE PULLED OUT!
WIND SHIFTS LOAD

THE EFFECT OF THE WIND

ON A LOAD CAN BE SEVERE.

DO NOT RIDE ON THE EQUIPMENT! WHEN THE OPERATOR CANNOT

SEE THE ROUTE - USE A SIGNALMAN!

Figure 24
Additional Safety Precautions

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KEEP ALL PEOPLE OUT OF THE UNLESS SPECIFIED BY MANUFACTURER,

DANGER AREA! NEVER LIFT OVER THE FRONT!

KEEP CLEAR OF ALL

UNNECESSARY
PERSONNEL.

AREA
KEEP THIS SONNEL.
LE A R O F ALL PER
C

MAKE SURE ALL PERSONNEL ARE WELL MARK THE LOCATION OF ALL UNDERGROUND SERVICES
CLEAR OF THE CRANE! THAT COULD BE CRUSHED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE CRANE.

Figure 25
Additional Safety Precautions

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SUMMARY

In general, lifting and rigging safety can be thought

of as having three parts:

❏ planning the job

❏ inspecting the equipment
❏ using the equipment correctly

All of the above must be combined with the

practice of personal safety procedures.

As with many physical skills, skill in lifting and

rigging comes with practice. You gain experience by
working with different kinds of equipment, different
loads, and different problems. With experience, the
Being ignorant of
safety when performing technical aspects of the job become less difficult.
rigging operations will However, you must pay attention to safety
cause painful injury.
procedures at all times.

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EXERCISE C
Directions: Write the correct answers in the spaces
provided.

1. If a piece of lifting equipment had “SWL 1T”

stamped on it, what does that tell you?

2. Why must you place barriers or markers when

lifting a load?

3. If a team of five (5) riggers were on a lifting

task, how many would give the lift and lower
signals?

4. Where must you handle hooks?

5. Why should you look for any possible pinch

points?

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6. What is meant by “absolute limit of approach”?

7. Where should you never place yourself during

lifting operations?

8. Why are tag lines used?

9. During lifting operations, who can signal for

“emergency stop”?

10. During lifting operations near a 200KV power

line, how close may you approach the line?

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