Guidance > Safety > Guidance on RIDDOR and Piling and Drilling Rigs on Construction Sites

Guidance on RIDDOR and Piling and Drilling Rigs on Construction Sites

Download the full document in pdf format

Guidance on RIDDOR and Piling and Drilling Rigs on Construction Sites

The Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 came into force on the 1st October 2013 and replaced RIDDOR 1995. Previous guidance on the Regulations has been withdrawn and replaced with a suite of web pages at www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/ .

The HSE has considered the FPS query regarding LOLER and Piling Rigs, and in particular which matters have to be reported as specified Dangerous Occurrences involving lifting equipment. The guidance below details the HSE response and clearly sets out the reporting requirements to be followed.

Note that the Report must be made “without delay”. If you have not reported a Dangerous Occurrence within 10 days, you are committing an offence.

The relevant Clause is Regulation 7, Schedule 2, Part 1 which requires reporting of:

1. The collapse, overturning or failure of any load-bearing part of any lifting equipment, other than an accessory for lifting.

The full text of Schedule 2 can be read here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1471/schedule/2/made

Clearly and unambiguously, the overturning or collapse of a piling rig is to be reported as piling rigs fall under the classification of lifting equipment. Collapse includes the leader or mast falling due to failure of its supports.

On a piling or drilling rig it is important to distinguish between structural parts of the machine that are used for lifting a person or materials - such as the auxiliary winch or hoist or manriding cage - as failure of these systems is usually reportable; and rope, chain and hydraulic systems that move parts of the machine in order to make it function - such as rotary head support system, Kelly bar suspension system, etc - as failure of these guided components is unlikely to be reportable.

The following incidents do not have to be reported:

• The failure of a lifting accessory (lifting tackle), eg , chain, sling or shackle.
• Failure of any mechanism that lifts the auger rotary mechanism along the mast, eg crowd ram, kelly rope, pull down winch.
• Any item that is noted to be faulty and replaced during routine maintenance or inspection.
• Failure of a rope that operates a captive drop hammer in driven piling operations.

Note that if any of the above incidents caused a specified injury, that injury would need to be reported to the HSE.

The following incidents do have to be Reported:

• The failure of a rope that is used for lifting person or materials.
• Failure of any load bearing part of a winch that is used for lifting persons or materials.
• Overturning or collapse of a piling rig that is being maintained, rigged, travelling or being positioned and while in use.
• The failure of any part of a hoist fitted to a piling or drilling rig that lifts a person up the mast.

Where the rotary head or similar is used to withdraw casings from the ground, this part of the operation is not classed as a lifting operation. In most cases the casing will be both held upright as it comes out of the ground and laid down using the auxiliary winch or an attending crane, both of these aspects being classed as lifting operations. The same rationale applies to the pitching and laying down of pre-cast and sheet piles; and the lifting and support of cages until or unless the rig takes over to drive the cage into the wet concrete.

Piling/drilling attachments

Failure of any load bearing part of a crane that is fitted with or supporting a removable piling or drilling attachment will be reportable. This includes any rope used to lift or pitch a pile or cage or casing. This does not include failure of chains or ropes fitted as back-up or safety chains and which remain slack during normal operations.

Failure of any load bearing part of an excavator or similar that is fitted with or supporting a removable piling or drilling attachment is also likely to be reportable.

Piling equipment that utilises a driven pile for support and progressively climbs along the line of piles is not an item of lifting equipment in its own right. However failure of any load bearing part of an associated crane which climbs along the line of piles will be reportable.

Machines in attendance

The collapse, overturn or failure of any load bearing part of a crane, excavator, fork lift truck or mobile powered access platform will be reportable.

The collapse, overturn or failure of any load bearing part of a flat bed lorry, tractor, trailer, tipper lorry, lorry mounted mixer, static mixer or boom or trailing hose concrete pump is not reportable under the category of lifting machinery.

For other types of reportable Dangerous Occurrences that could occur in piling and drilling operations

See RIDDOR 2013 Schedule 2 for full details

Notes: If any incident caused a specified injury, that injury would need to be reported to the HSE. The Office of Rail Regulation publishes its own guidance on RIDDOR dangerous occurrences - including intrusive events that could affect rail safety.

FPS Safety & Training Forum; July 2014

Download the full document in pdf format