Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Safety
never Sleeps
For most of us, not having a good nights sleep means
dragging our feet the next day as we perform our
usual tasks. In Rolandos case, it also resulted in physical
injuries and damaged equipment.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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
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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.
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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 .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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. Dont 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 dont 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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