worksite safety update · the first vicroads project to tackle the challenge presented in order to...

Worksite Safety UpdatePromoting safety in road construction

No 107 May 2011

Will Your Plant SWMS Prevent Roll – Over.Do the Controls Include Construction Method?

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In this Edition: West Gate Freeway Upgrade Wins the 2011 Australian Construction

Achievement Award Page 1 Grass Mowing by Remote Control Page 2 Explosives Blast Management Plans for Projects Page 5 Rock Beaching Hazards and Their Control Page 6

M1 West Gate Freeway Upgrade wins the 2011Australian Construction Achievement Award

The upgrade of the M1 West Gate Freeway was chosen over six other Australia-wide finalists as the most outstanding example of construction excellence atthe 2011 Australian Construction Achievement Award in Melbourne on the 19May.

The M1 West Gate Freeway Upgrade was constructed by the M1 Westgate FreewayAlliance. The Principal Contractors were Thiess and Baulderstone. Other partners wereHyder Consulting, Parsons Brinckerhoff and VicRoads.

Safety was consistently excellent on the project and the Alliance also received theVicRoads Major Projects Safety Excellence Award last year. The project also receivedthe VicRoads Major Projects Safety Innovation Award for the development anddeployment of the first portable Variable Speed Limit Signs on a road project in Victoria.

Many of the safety innovations first deployed on the M1 West Gate Freeway Upgrade arenow benefiting the M80 Metropolitan Ring Road Project Upgrade. Facilitating safeworksites and optimum practical traffic flows of over 110,000 vehicles per day.

Aerial view of the Montague Section of the M1 West Gate Upgrade


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The upgrade of the West Gate Freeway, on the southern fringe of the Melbourne CBD,included: freeway widening, bridge works, the reconfiguration of access ramps andreconstruction of exiting traffic lanes. This work was completed safely while stillhandling the very heavy traffic of hundreds of thousands of vehicles thatneeded access through the corridor each day. This was achieved throughextensive use of temporary safety barriers and truck mounted attenuators(TMAs).Despite extensive changes to the design concept that vastly improved functionality, theproject was completed within budget and four months ahead of schedule.

The other finalists were: Abbot Point Coal Terminal X50 Project, QLD – John Holland. Northern Expressway (NEXY) – Fulton Hogan and York Civil. Sydney Desalination Plant - John Holland and Veolia Water Joint Venture. Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM 7) – Leighton Contractors Baulderstone Bilfinger Berger

Joint Venture (LBBJV). ANZ Centre – Lend Lease. Robina to Varsity Lakes Track Extension, QLD – TrackStar Alliance.

Congratulations to the M1 West Gate Freeway Alliance on their achievements.

Grass Mowing by Remote Control

The protection of Grass cutting operations against impact by errant vehicles hasproven to be a challenge and although TMAs are used to protect mowers andtheir operator when close to high speed roads such as freeways, it is sometimesdifficult to fully ‘shadow’ a moving grass cutting machine.

Works adjacent to roads used by traffic is classified as high risk construction work underthe OHS Regulations 2007. This is recognised in the Worksite Safety – TrafficManagement Code of Practice 2010. The hierarchy of safety controls for roadworks wasoriginally developed for construction work, however, it is increasingly applied to roadmaintenance activities – it being recognised that the risk presented to road constructionwork is similar to that presented to maintenance works.

Because of the predominantly short term nature of maintenance works the use of roadclosures and temporary safety barriers is generally not practical. Truck MountedAttenuators (TMAs) have proven to be a practical solution in many maintenance situations.

The M80 Tulla Sydney Alliance (TSA) in their endeavours to improve safety during grasscutting are currently trialling a small highly manoeuvrable remote control mower known asa ‘Spider’ for grass cutting maintenance on the Metropolitan Ring Road.

The removal of the operator from the machine potentially permits the mower to becontrolled from a location further away from the road with the operator able to observeboth mower and approaching traffic or for the operator to be protected by existing roadsafety barriers where practical.

The TSA have developed a SWMS for the operation of the machine, in consultation withthe remote control operator. Controls include the requirement for the pedestrian operatorto be located outside the clear zone applicable to the road (> 9 metres for 80 km/hfreeway). If the clear zone is not available then a TMA and / or speed reduction isrequired. Competency based training is required for the operator.


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Remote Control Mower Trial on M80 TSA Project

In addition to facilitating the removal of the operator from the high risk zone immediatelyadjacent to the freeway the machines low centre of gravity and high manoeuvrabilitypermits the mower to be used in areas where brush cutters and slope mowers havetraditionally been required.

The ‘Spider’ incorporates fail safe features such that the machine will stop if the radiocontrol signal is lost for any reason. Full guarding is in place to prevent stones beingejected and an amber flashing light is provided.

The Tulla Sydney Alliance is to be congratulated for this initiative. A future update will beprovided on the results of the trials.

The ‘Spider’ operating adjacent to freeway.

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Explosive Blast Management Plans for ProjectsWorkSafe Victoria has released two Guidance Notes for Blast ManagementPlans (BMP) and Safe Distances when Using Explosives.

VicRoads projects are frequent users of Explosives where hard rock groundconditions are encountered. The use of explosives is subject to the DangerousGoods (Explosives) Regulations 2000 and Shot Firers must hold a WorkSafe VictoriaLicence for the use of explosives. Australian Standard AS 2187.2 Explosives –Storage and use. Part 2: Use of explosives also applies and includes the requirementfor a Blast Management Plan.

Blast Management Plan (BMP)The BMP is required for all VicRoads projects and should meet the followingrequirements:

• explain the objectives of the blast• identify hazards and risks, including control and/or mitigation• identify site-specific requirements• introduce the blast as part of the overall task in a planned manner• control the blast process from design to initiation and in the event of a misfire• comply with the approval/contract specifications• ensure safety of the public, site personnel and surrounding properties• implement a review process to ensure that the objectives are met.

The detail in the BMP depends on the size, location, nature and complexity of theblasting operation. It may be part of a site safety plan to address all hazardsand risks at the site.

Safe Distances when Using ExplosivesThere has been a fatality and a number of incidents in recent years caused by rock(fly rock) thrown from explosive blasting operations. WorkSafe has developed theGuidance Notes to improve the management of blasting operations with the objectiveof ensuring blasts do not harm people in the area and limit damage to theenvironment.

The Guidance Note Safe Distances when Using Explosives provides advice toemployers and contractors about safe distances for general explosive blastingoperations and setting up exclusion zones.

For your convenience copies of the Guidance Notes are appended to this Update.

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Rock Beaching Hazards and their ControlRock Beaching for bridge abutment erosion protection presents two major healthand safety risks which require control. The first risk involves high risk constructionwork and the potential for personnel to fall down the steep abutment batter. Thesecond involves potentially hazardous manual handling with the manual placementof heavy rocks.

Hand placed rock beaching has been regulated via specifications on VicRoadsprojects due to concerns about manual handling injuries. The machine placementof rocks is preferred where practical and excavators are often used for this purpose.Rock weights are limited to weights of 12 kg in order to reduce body stress duringrepetitive manual placement when necessary.

On the Anthony’s Cutting Project both machine placed and hand placed rockbeaching has been placed on bridge abutments. For hand placed rocks they arepresented to the works personnel by a Telehandler to significantly reduce the needfor carrying the rocks. The risk assessments leading to the development of SWMSidentified the potential for falls down the steep batters typical of rock beachingprotected abutments, in addition to the potential for manual handling injury duringthe placement and handling of the rocks. The slopes are steep, above two metresand in addition a four metre vertical face fall potential existed at the lower level atsome locations, increasing the risk and need for fall protection.

The Anthony’s Cutting Alliance investigated, in consultation with the rock beachingcontractors, two potential methods which could be utilised to prevent falls. Oneentailed the use of a temporary guardrail system that had been developed for thesame work on the EastLink Project and the other involved the application of ropeaccess equipment.

Both have some practical limitations in that the ropes can get in the way and theguardrails cannot stop falls between the guardrail spacing. However, although bothapproaches will stop a rolling fall down to the bottom of the batter, arguably therope access will better limit the fall and even eliminate it fully when grouting. Thecontractors do not recall any previous falls or injuries resulting from falls, so this isthe first VicRoads project to tackle the challenge presented in order toprevent falls during construction and also design access to these areas forfuture bridge bearing inspection works.

The project and the rock beaching contractors agreed to utilise the rope accessapproach and for all personnel to be trained in the safe use of rope accessequipment. The guardrails are a higher level control but were considered lesspractical by the assessment group who had no experience with either system.

The photographs on the following pages illustrate the two approaches andparticularly the rope access method which was adopted by the beaching stonemasons at Anthony’s Cutting.

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The adjustable guardrail system as used on the EastLink Project. Information with respectto its compliance with standards and practicability is not known but is a higher level fall

prevention control.

The rope access approach showing grouting work. It appeared practical for this work and therope was retained sufficiently tight to prevent a fall down the steep abutment.


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A wider angle view showing the extent of the rock beaching work and the heightinvolved.

The ropes were securely attached to the bridge parapets utilising the crash barrier bolts.Permanent attachments have been installed for future maintenance use.


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Permanent Rope Access Anchor Points and Compliance Plate on bridge parapet.

The Anthony’s Cutting Alliance is to be congratulated for seeking solutions to fallprevention during beaching works on steep batters.

The project has also made provision for future maintenance access to batters in the formbeaching steps and attachment points for rope access. At locations where the risk ishigher due to vertical fall risks, guardrails and a walkway ledge have been provided.

Worksite Site Safety Update is produced monthly by VicRoads Major Projects Division tocommunicate industry safety information and initiatives within VicRoads and to ourcontractors. It is also circulated via the WorkSafe Safety Soapbox to industry. The contentreflects civil road construction and maintenance safety and includes works conducted on orbeside operational roads. The editor may be contacted at: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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