Workshops
Léon olde Scholtenhuis
Four workshops are/will be conducted to identify onsite risks. During workshops at HZC and Soma College (a professional institute and machine operator school) we will get in touch with experts that perform excavation work in urban and rural areas. We primarily focus on health and safety risk, and the risk of damaging utilities.
After the first workshops we found that:
Utility maps (KLIC melding) are used to identify cables and pipes in/nearby excavation areas. In general, older maps are less reliable.
Trees, railway power lines, and high voltage power lines within 35 meter reach of the excavator are dangerous when located above ground.
Ammunition / explosives should be located before digging. When there are no maps, visual inspection is needed.
Soil pollution reports are delivered by the foreman. Soil polluted with volcanic ashes, coal ashes, asbestos require protective work practices.
Trees may grow through utilities and cause risk of damage during excavation.
Machine operators also learn to read and feel the underground. They often sense, based on experience and years of practice, whether they are at potential risk.
The dates, location and goals of the workshops are as follows:
April 19; HZC - Identifying On-Site Safety risks (operators)
May 22; SOMA College - Assessing and Ranking On-site Safety Risks (operators)
June 12; SOMA College - Assessing and Ranking On-site Safety Risks (work planners)
July 12; HZC - Assessing and Ranking On-site Safety Risks (operators)