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BN HSE PD 12 Hand-And-Power-Tools
BN HSE PD 12 Hand-And-Power-Tools
Revision History
Description Revalidated
00 January 2023 First Issue Jan 15th 2023 Jan 15th 2025
1. Purpose………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
2. Scope……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
4. References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
6. Procedure……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
7. Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1
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1. Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to make the BN International (BNITC) employees and
subcontractors aware of the hazards involved in using different type of hand and power tools and
safe ways of using them.
2. Scope
These guidelines are to be followed by all the employees involved in BNITC Projects.
3. Roles and Responsibilities
Employees – To know the hazards, to know how to use each hand/power tool, to select proper
tool for the assigned job and use it safely.
Store keeper/Tool room attendant- To issue and receive the hand tools. To remove/repair
damaged tools.
Supervisor – To ensure employees are provided with good tools and being used safely.
4. Reference
QCS 2014
BN_HSE_FRM 011 REV 01
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
5. Abbreviations & Definition
Hand tool
Hand tools are those tools for which the hand provides the motive force, e.g., pick axes,
shovels, axes, crowbars, wrenches, saws, chisels, hammers, screwdrivers, etc. Accidents arising
from the use of hand tools are frequently caused by human error.
Inferior materials can easily produce mushroom heads on cold chisels and fragmentation of
hammers, axes, and hacksaws. Poor quality tools increase the risk of accidents and also reduce
the efficiency of work.
Power tools, however, allow many jobs to be carried out more efficiently and with greater speed
and accuracy. The correct use of power tools can only be achieved by the proper training of
workmen, by proper maintenance, and by adequate site supervision. Many accidents have
occurred because unskilled and untrained labor has been allowed to operate portable power
tools in an incorrect manner.
Hazards
Injuries such as burns, bruises, cuts, strains, eye injuries, electrical shock, fire, explosion of Vapour
/ gases, falling tools and other objects may occur while using hand and portable power tools due
to the following:
Use of damaged hand tools or tool getting dislodged from handle
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container to hoist tools from the ground to the job. They should not throw the tools up. Tool
should be returned in the same manner and not brought down by hand, carried in pocket or
dropped on the ground.
Using tools
User shall accept only good condition tools. User should check tools before use and from time
to time. User should be able to distinguish between good & damaged tools.
User shall not use damaged tools. Wooden handle of the tool shall be free of splinters, cracks
and splits. Handle shall be firmly fixed to the tool head.
User shall select tools of correct size or capacity, type, shape and material. Only good quality
tools shall be procured.
User shall wear Proper PPE (ex. Earmuff for jackhammer, goggles for grinding). He shall not
hold the tools with slippery (oily or greasy) hands.
User or helper shall not position any part of their body on the path of tool's accidental
release.
Appropriate work permit shall be obtained in work permit areas.
When working on small objects they must be clamped securely or a vice should be used to
avoid hand injury.
Tools shall be prevented from falling from elevated place such as scaffolds, stepladder, or
overhead piping. Leaving tools overhead is especially hazardous where there is vibration or
where people are moving.
Tools should not be kept unattended after use and they shall be kept in toolbox or designated
place.
Tools should be used only for their intended purposes. (Ex. Never use pliers as wrench or
screwdriver as a chisel.) Tools should not be modified.
HAND TOOLS
Screw drivers & pliers
Screwdrivers should not be used as chisels, punchers, wedges or pinch bars.
Screwdrivers with broken handles, bent blade or dull or twisted tip may cause it to slip and
cause an injury. Such tools shall be redressed or discarded.
Craftsmen shall use approved insulated screwdrivers, spanners and pliers, etc when working
on or around live electrical equipment and batteries.
Cutting pliers should be used only for soft material and never on hard metals or as nail pullers.
Hammers
User should select hammers for their intended use and use them only for those purposes.
User should always strike hammer blow squarely with hammer striking face parallel with the
surface being struck.
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When striking other tools, face of the hammers should be larger than the strike face of the
tools (approximately 1 cm).
User shall not use a hammer to strike another hammer.
User shall not use a hard surface hammer to strike another harder surface.
User shall not use a hammer with loose or damaged handle. Wooden handle shall not be
replaced by a metal handle as it will not absorb impact.
Discard hammer if it shows dents, cracks, chips, mushrooms or excessive wear. Redressing is
not recommended.
Wrenches (spanners)
User should position himself in a way that he will not lose balance and fall.
User should pull the wrench towards himself.
Extension pipes should not be used on the wrenches as it can exceed design torque.
Hammer shall be used only on wrenches designed for hammering. Hammer-wrench shall be
held in place by a rope and not by hand.
Ring and box wrenches should be used wherever possible and use of open or adjustable
spanner should be limited for light loads only.
Pipe wrenches should not be used as spanners.
Chisels & punches
Chisel should be large enough for the job and should be driven with a hammer of sufficient
weight
Chisel should be held by a tong when hammered on by another person.
Mushroomed chisels and cracked or broken chisel handles should be replaced.
When sharpening a chisel original shape and angle must be maintained.
Chisel with rubber guard shall be used for concrete or hard surface chipping.
Punch should be straight and of suitable weight for the work.
Punch should be started with light tap and held securely.
When knocking out rivets and pins, work must begin with starting punch and end with a pin
puncher.
Spanners and Wrenches
Only spanners and adjustable wrenches of the right size should be used. When possible, use box-end rather
than adjustable wrenches. The jaw should first be checked for any sign of opening out or splitting. Spanner
and wrench lengths are graded to provide sufficient leverage on the nuts for which they are designed.
Improvised extension to these tools is an unsafe practice and may cause the bolt thread to trip or cause
shearing of the bolt. On no account should a hammer strike ordinary wrenches when tightening nuts. For
heavy work of this nature, a properly designed slugging wrench should be used.
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All tools shall be returned to the storekeeper at the completion of each individual job. Power
tools must not be left lying around the job site where they could be damaged.
Rotating tools should be switched off and held until rotation has completely stopped before
they are set down.
Tools must be disconnected before changing bits, blades, cutters, or wheels.
Compressed air, explosive cartridge, or electricity can supply power for tools.
All portable power tools must be equipped with properly functioning "dead man" switches.
A schedule of systematic inspection and maintenance for all power tool will be provided.
Pneumatic tools
General
An air compressor shall always be under the supervision of a competent person. It should
always be situated in such a place so as to have adequate ventilation.
Compressors shall not be permitted to operate in confined spaces without the provision of
adequate exhaust ventilation.
All compressed air hoses shall be of the correct size to fit the tool being used. Any joint in the
hoses shall be made with a proper coupler and secured by safety wire. The hose length shall
be kept as short as possible and placed so as not to be subjected to damage.
Pneumatic tools require clean air to operate efficiently. In every line feeding power tool, there
shall be an adequate filter and lubricator.
During operation all air tools should be held firmly to prevent them spinning and jumping.
This pressure should be maintained during the stopping process to prevent injury to the
operator's feet and hands.
Individual power tools
Jack Hammer and Concrete Breakers
The tool bit retaining spring shall always be securely in position to prevent the bit from dropping out.
The bit must be kept sharp.
Ear protection shall be required when working with this type of equipment.
Rock Drill
It is extremely important that the operator maintains a firm grip with both hands and stands in a
balanced position. Any other method of using the tool can cause serious bodily injury.
Grinding Machine
This tool is probably the most misused of all the power tools. Care should always be taken to
ensure that the grinding wheel is free from defect before mounting. Any defect may cause the
wheel to disintegrate as it gains momentum.
Only persons who have been instructed in the proper selection and fitting of grinding wheels
should be allowed to install wheels on tools.
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The proper size and type of wheel should be fitted to the tool so that the maximum
permissible running speed of the spindle does not exceed the maximum periphery speed
displayed on the grinding wheel. No grinding machine shall be used unless the maximum
speed is clearly marked on the case. All wheels shall be fitted with adequate guards.
Floor stand and bench mounted abrasive wheels, used for external grinding shall be provided
with safety guards (protection hoods). The maximum angular exposure of the grinding wheel
periphery and sides shall be not more than 90 degrees, except that when work requires
contact with the wheel below the horizontal plane of the spindle, the angular exposure shall
not exceed 125 degrees. In either case, the exposure shall begin not more than 65 degrees
above the horizontal plane of the spindle. Safety guards shall be strong enough to withstand
the effect of a bursting wheel.
Floor and bench-mounted grinders shall be provided with work rests which are rigidly
supported and readily adjustable. Such work rests shall be kept at a distance not to exceed
one-eighth inch from the surface of the wheel.
Cup type wheels used for external grinding shall be protected by either a revolving cup guard
or a band type guard. All other portable abrasive wheels used for external grinding shall be
provided with safety guards (protection hoods) meeting the requirements of this paragraph,
except as follows:
When the work location makes it impossible, a wheel equipped with safety flanges shall be used.
When wheels, 50mm or less in diameter, which are securely mounted, on the end of a steel
mandrel, are used.
Portable abrasive wheels used for internal grinding shall be provided with safety flanges
(protection flanges) except as follows.
If the wheels are entirely within the work being ground while in use.
When wheels, 50mm or less in diameter, which are securely mounted, on the end of a
steel mandrel, are used.
Safety guards are required and they shall be so mounted as to maintain proper alignment with
the wheel, and the guard and its fastenings shall be of sufficient strength to retain fragments
of the wheel in case of accidental breakage. The maximum angular exposure of the grinding
wheel periphery and sides shall not exceed 180 degrees.
when safety flanges are required, they shall be used only with wheels designed to fit the
flanges. Only safety flanges, of a type and design and properly assembled so as to ensure
that the pieces of the wheel will be retained in case of accidental breakage, shall be used.
All abrasive wheels shall be closely inspected and ring-tested before mounting to ensure
that they are free from cracks or defects.
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Grinding wheels shall fit freely on the spindle and shall not be forced on. The spindle nut
shall be tightened only enough to hold the wheel in place.
All employees using abrasive wheels shall be protected by eye protection equipment.
Electrically Operated Tools
General
All electrically operated tools shall be rated and used at a voltage not exceeding 220V. For
working inside the confined spaces viz., Tanks, vessels, Drums etc., pneumatically operated tools
shall be used. Where required, permission shall be obtained from the Client safety dept for using
electrically operated tools inside the metal enclosures.
Before any electrical tool is used, a careful check shall be made by the supervisor to ensure that
the supply voltage is within the range marked on the information plate on the tool.
All electrical circuits shall be protected by Ground Fault Interrupters (GFI).
All hand tools shall be properly grounded or be of the double insulated type.
All tools shall be used with the trailing lead as short as possible. Each lead shall be fitted with a
grounded plug to fit the socket outlet on the distribution board.
Where it is necessary to make electrical splices, these shall be made with proper connector
blocks or by plug and socket connectors. Taped joints shall not be permitted.
Maintenance and Storage
The contractor shall establish a proper monthly inspection and maintenance routine of all
electrical tools. A competent electrician shall carry out the inspection. Maintenance of all tools
shall be performed at least once in every working week.
All tools shall be stored in a clean, dry place and a record of issue and the storekeeper shall
maintain receipt.
Personal Protective Equipment
The contractor shall ensure that all operators are provided with eye, head, and ear protection. If
there is any likelihood of harmful dust being emitted, dust respirators should be used.
Monthly inspections
A competent employee will inspect all tools monthly and required colour code will be adopted.
The record all inspections will be made available to the Client upon request.
The store keeper shall check the tools for good condition before issue and the user shall inspect
the tools before use. Defects if any found, the tools shall be removed from the service and sent
for rectification / repair.
All hand operated power tools will be color coded with the monthly inspection color coding.
Electrical / power tools will be color coded with tie raps or electrical tape 200 millimeter from the
electrical plug on the cord and a color coded inspection tag affixed with the following
information: - Company name, inspector’s name and signature, inspection date and
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equipment/tool/serial number. The records are available in the format SHR/EHS/004 Series.
7. Appendix
Attachment A : Safety Training out line on Hand and Portable power tools
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Attachment A : Safety Training out line on Hand and Portable Power Tools
The following subjects shall be discussed while conducting the Safety Training
on Hand and Portable Power Tools.
- Discuss the purpose of Safety Training on Hand and Portable Power Tools.
- Discuss the General Safety precautions to be taken while using Hand and Portable Power
Tools.
- Discuss about Hand Tools misuse.
- Discuss Hazards of Power Tools.
- Discuss important General Safety Guidelines for Power Tools.
- Discuss about Power Tools Accessories and Attachments.
- Discuss about Pneumatic tools and carring for the compressed air system.
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