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502 EM 385-1-1 Sections 14-19
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502 EM385-1-1 Sections 14-19

18.H.10 Equipment operation.

  1. Weather conditions must be monitored. Operations must cease during electrical storms or when electrical storms are imminent. > See Sections 01.E.
  2. Drill crewmembers must not wear loose clothing, jewelry, or equipment that might become caught in moving machinery. High visibility vests used on drilling rigs, if required, must be of the break-away type.
  3. Auger guides must be used on hard surfaces. If infeasible due to type of drill rig being used, a risk assessment must be performed by a CP, and documented in the AHA as to why this requirement is not feasible. Identification of additional precautions and/or controls must be identified to insure an equal level of safety is being accomplished).
  4. The operator must verbally alert employees and visually ensure employees are clear from dangerous parts of equipment before starting or engaging equipment.
Drilling equipment and USACE employee
Augers may be cleaned only when the rotating mechanism is in neutral and the auger stopped.
  1. The discharge of drilling fluids must be channeled away from the work area to prevent the ponding of water.
  2. Hoists must be used only for their designed intent and must not be loaded beyond their rated capacity. Steps must be taken to prevent two-blocking of hoists.
  3. The equipment manufacturer's procedures must be followed if rope becomes caught in, or objects get pulled into, a cathead.
  4. Drill rods must not be run or rotated through rod slipping devices. No more than 1 ft (0.3 m) of drill rod column must be hoisted above the top of the drill mast. Drill rod tool joints must not be made up, tightened, or loosened while the rod column is supported by a rod-slipping device.
  1. Dust must be controlled. When there is potential for silica exposure, the requirements contained in Section 06.N must be implemented.
  2. Augers must be cleaned only when the rotating mechanism is in neutral and the auger stopped. Long-handled shovels must be used to move cutting from the auger.
  3. Open boreholes must be capped and flagged. Open excavations must be barricaded.
  1. Means must be provided to guard against employee contact with the auger (e.g. guard around the auger; barricade around the perimeter of the auger; electronic brake activated by a presence-sensing device).
    • Note: If infeasible due to type of drill equipment being used, employees must maintain a safe, clear distance while the drilling equipment is operating. Only when the drill has stopped rotating, the controls returned to the neutral position, and a clear signal has been given by the operator and understood by the helper that it is safe, must the employee proceed to approach the drill. A risk assessment must be performed by the CP, and documented in the AHA as to why this requirement is not practical. Identification of additional precautions and/or controls must be identified to insure an equal level of safety is being accomplished.
  2. The use of side-feed swivel collars on drill rods are restricted to those collars that are retained by either a manufacturer-designed stabilizer or a stabilizer approved by a professional engineer.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

18-13. Augers may be cleaned only when the rotating mechanism _____.

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