Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations

Posted on Jan 4, 2025 in Physical Education

Workplaces

Workplace areas: “Workplace areas, built or not, in which workers need to be or that are accessible because of their work.”

Included are:

  1. Toilets.
  2. Local first aid.
  3. Dining rooms.
  4. Installations of service/protection attached to places of work are also considered part of them.
  5. Transit areas (ramps, stairways, corridors).
  6. Rest areas.

Shall not apply to:

  1. Means of transport used outside the company.
  2. Works of temporary or mobile construction.
  3. Extraction industries.
  4. Fishing vessels.
  5. Farmland, forest, and land company part of an agricultural or forestry center outside the built-up area.

Employers should make arrangements in the workplace according to the minimum established on:

  1. Terms of safety in the workplace.
  2. Order, cleanliness, and maintenance.
  3. Environmental conditions.
  4. Lighting.
  5. Material and local first aid.

Structural Safety

Buildings and places of work should have a structure and solidity appropriate for their use.

All structural elements must:

  • Have the strength and resistance necessary to support the loads they are subjected to.
  • Be stable and secure.

It is prohibited to:

  • Overload the mentioned elements.
  • Climb roofs that do not offer guarantees of resistance, allowing access only to personnel with the availability of necessary equipment so that the work is performed safely (well-trained workers).

Local Dimensions

Allowing workers to perform their activities without health and safety risks and in acceptable conditions.

They must have minimum:

  1. 3 meters of height from floor to ceiling, which can be reduced to 2.5 meters in commercial premises, services, and offices.
  2. 2 m2 of surface area per worker.
  3. 10 m3 not occupied per worker.
  4. Sufficient space so that workers can perform their work in the best possible conditions.

Also, take the appropriate measures:

  1. Protect workers allowed when accessing risk areas from falling objects and people and exposure to harsh elements.
  2. Prevent unauthorized workers from entering.
  3. Areas where there are risks mentioned above should be marked.

Soils, Openings, Jumps, and Rails

  • Soils should be smooth, stable, and not slippery or uneven, without dangerous slopes.
  • Openings or unevenness that pose a risk of falling to workers should be protected by baseboards and rails (10 to 15 cm) and medium equivalent protection.
  • Protect openings in walls that may pose a risk of falling to workers and open sides of stairs and ramps of more than 60 cm in height.

Partitions

Transparent, translucent, and glazed partitions in workplaces and routes of movement should be marked with safe materials and manufactured (laminated) so that workers can avoid injury in case of impact and breakage.

Roadways

For the circulation of pedestrians and vehicles, they should be used safely. They should have the right characteristics for potential users and the activity that is developed. For loading docks, take into account the dimensions of the loads to be carried.

Traffic measures:

  • Exclusive ways of passage for vehicles must have sufficient distance from doors, stairs, and any pedestrian zone.
  • For simultaneous passage of vehicles and pedestrians, there should be sufficient width and safe separation.
  • Routes should be marked.

Ramps and Stairs

  1. The pavement of ramps, stairs, and working platforms should be made of non-slippery materials or have anti-slip elements.
  2. Depending on the length of the ramps, the maximum slope will be 12%, 10%, or 8%.
  3. The maximum opening between ladders and platforms will be 8 mm.
  4. The minimum width of the steps will be 1 meter, except for service stairs, which will be 55 cm. Steps should have equal dimensions. Spiral staircases are forbidden, except for service.
  5. The dimensions of the steps (treads and risers) of both service stairs and non-service stairs are regulated.

The maximum height between breaks in stairs will be 3.7 meters, and the vertical clearance from each step will be greater than 2.2 m. The intermediate depth of breaks is also regulated.

Fixed Ladders

Regulations cover width, distance to the nearest walls, free space on both sides, the need for rest platforms, and surrounding protection.

Ladders

Extreme caution is required, as they cause many serious accidents due to falls. Easy-to-apply measures that do not involve great cost.

Preventive measures:

  1. Support on a flat and stable surface.
  2. Non-slip pads on the base.
  3. Exceeding 1m above the upper support point.
  4. Walk up and down facing the stairs.
  5. Do not walk up or down with heavy materials or tools in your hands (use tool belts).
  6. In scissor ladders, ensure that the elements are not open and are properly placed (do not substitute with rope or wire).

Housekeeping

Fundamental principles of prevention efforts to keep workplaces clean, especially areas of passage, exits, and movement routes.

IMPORTANT: Cleaning operations should never pose a risk to the person performing them or to third parties.

Construction characteristics of floors, ceilings, etc., should facilitate cleaning and maintenance.

Periodic maintenance to meet the specified project conditions and to remedy shortcomings in the field of health and safety as soon as possible.

Objectives:

  1. Avoid hazards (falls, etc.).
  2. Save time on the job.
  3. More space.
  4. Improved company image externally.
  5. A more pleasant work environment due to a clean and tidy place.

Other Considerations

  • Evacuation routes and exits, fire conditions, and electrical installations are subject to the Basic Building Standard, and high and low voltage electrical regulations.
  • Conditioning for handicapped workers (changes on staircases, ramps, etc.).
  • Environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and ventilation).
  • Lighting.
  • Toilets and resting places.
  • Local materials and first aid.

Doors and Gates

  • Transparent doors should be marked for visibility. Materials comply with the characteristics of transparent walls.
  • Access doors should not open directly onto stairs without steps, on a break with a minimum width.
  • Gates for vehicle use should not endanger pedestrian safety. If possible, provide exclusive pedestrian gates in the immediate vicinity, and indicate them.