Risk Assessment in terms of Occupational Health and Employee Safety
In accordance with the principles of the Occupational Health and Safety Law, it has become compulsory for enterprises to conduct risk assessments in their workplaces. However, more importantly, employers and occupational health and safety experts and employees will participate in these risk assessment studies. Risk assessment studies should be repeated at regular intervals in order to ensure continuous improvement studies in enterprises. The risk assessment studies will be carried out depending on the hazard class of the enterprises. In these studies, the groups of women and employees who require different attention such as disabled, elderly, pregnant and lactating employees are taken into consideration.
In order to ensure the health and safety of employees, the following precautions should be taken during the use of machinery and equipment with special risks:
- Work equipment and equipment may only be used by authorized persons who are authorized to use them
- Repair, renovation, maintenance, inspection and commissioning of construction machinery and equipment should only be carried out by authorized persons who are authorized to use them.
The Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment has been issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in order to regulate the principles of risk assessment studies to be carried out in terms of occupational health and safety in enterprises. According to the regulation, risk refers to the possibility of death, injury, material loss or other harmful consequences due to various hazards. An acceptable level of risk is the level of risk that complies with legal obligations and the prevention policy implemented by the entity and does not result in death, injury or material losses.
In accordance with the said regulation, the risk assessment study is carried out with the aim of identifying the dangers that exist or likely to occur in the enterprises, identifying the factors that will cause these dangers, analyzing, grading the risks arising from these dangers and deciding the necessary measures.
The fact that risk assessment studies have been conducted in the enterprises does not eliminate the obligations of employers to ensure occupational health and safety.
Risk assessment should be carried out by a team to be established in the enterprise. This team should consist of:
- Employer or employer's representative
- Occupational safety experts and workplace doctors who maintain health and safety services in the enterprise
- Employee representatives in the business
- Support elements in the enterprise
- Employees who represent the entire enterprise and are knowledgeable about the work carried out in the workplace, current or potential sources of danger and risks
Business management may receive support services from third party organizations to support this team when necessary. Business management has to meet all the necessary needs in terms of tools, equipment, place and time for the risk assessment studies to be carried out properly.
Crane What is Crane Inspection Principles?
Cranes or creans are the machines used in activities such as lifting, moving, relocating or relocating various loads, which cannot be carried by simple means or by hand. Briefly, cranes are the general name of the machines used to carry loads that cannot be lifted and transported by manpower to various heights or can be moved to various heights by turning 360 degrees when necessary. Cranes of various sizes and different functions are used according to the characteristics and capacities of their work.
Cranes can be used to transport all kinds of loads as they can move in horizontal and vertical plane. In general, a standard crane has a length between 10-40 meters and is capable of lifting the weight between 10-60 tons. It is also possible to lift heavier loads with support legs to be placed behind and in front of the cranes. Some cranes are fixed and move on rails. Some cranes are built on large vehicles and are used as mobile.
Cranes are classified in various ways according to where they are used, mounted and where they work, according to their characteristics, their work, their walking and mobility, their energy sources or their boom characteristics. For example, the working place of tower cranes is where the height is too high. Their tower heights up to 60 meters. Boom distances reach 30 meters. Tower cranes lift loads up to 10 tons.
Cranes should be used by operators with the knowledge and ability to safely handle lifting, transporting and unloading operations. Safety is the most important point for crane operators. For this, the area to be worked must be safe. The crane machine and its gauges must always be clean.
Within the scope of the Regulation on Health and Safety in the Use of Work Equipment issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in the year 2013, cranes are classified as risky vehicles since they may create hazards that may jeopardize the health of employees and property safety during their use. In the annex of the Regulation (Annex 3 Maintenance, Repair and Periodic Inspections), cranes are adopted in the group of lifting and conveying vehicles, and unless otherwise specified in other legal regulations, regular inspections and inspections are to be carried out at least once a year.
If no other value is specified in the relevant standards, the cranes must be able to lift and suspend at least the 1,25 floor of the declared load.
According to this regulation, a few standards to be considered in the control and inspection of cranes are:
- TS 10116 Lifting and conveying machines - Cranes - Inspection and test methods
- TS EN 13157 + A1 Cranes - Safety - Manually operated lifting gear
- TS ISO 4309 Cranes - Wire ropes - Application rules for inspection and decommissioning
- TS ISO 12480-1 Cranes - Safe use - Section 1: General
- Steel wire ropes - Safety - Section 12385: Operation and maintenance information
