510 EM 385-1-1 Chapters 1-8

Sections

5-8. General Requirements.

Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)

Employers must provide and users must wear USCG-approved Type III, Type V work vests, or better PFDs in specific water-related situations.
Automatic-inflatable Type V PFDs are allowed if workers are trained, PFDs are tested, and used according to manufacturer’s instructions.
All wearable PFDs must be international orange, orange/red, or ANSI 107 yellow-green with retroreflective material and equipped with a USCG-approved light.

Hand Protection

Select hand protection based on task evaluation, conditions, use duration, and identified hazards.
Gloves must fit snugly and meet standards like ANSI 105, ASTM F18, and others for specific resistances.

Protective Footwear

Protective footwear must meet ASTM F2413 and F2412 for various hazards and be at least as effective as the standards.
Add-on devices like protective toe caps are allowed if they meet ASTM F2413 requirements.
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) personnel with no metal parts in or on their footwear must wear conduction protective footwear with protective toe cap/composite toe footwear.
Personnel participating in wild land fire management activities must wear NFPA 1977 compliant leather lace-up boots with slip-resistant soles not be made of compounds that have low melting points (for example, rubber or plastic).

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

5-9. Personnel participating in wild land fire management activities must wear boots with soles _____.

not made with Kevlar or Nitrile rubber

made of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)

not made of low melting point rubber or plastic

of conductive vulcanized rubber

You forgot to answer the question!

EM 385-1-1 Paragraph 5-8 (g.–i.).

5-8. General Requirements. (g.–i.).

g.  Personal Flotation Devices (PFD).  PFDs are required when there are hazards associated with water, to include but not limited to drowning.  (5-8.g)

(1)  Employers must provide, and users must properly wear (that is, zipped, tied, latched) inherently buoyant Type III, Type V work vests, or better USCG-approved PFDs in the following circumstances (see figure 5-1):

(a)  On floating pipelines, pontoons, rafts, or stages.

(b)  On structures or equipment extending over or next to water except where guardrails, personal fall protection system, or safety nets are provided for employees (see chapter 21).

(d)  On vessels or floating plants, unless inside an enclosed cabin or cockpit.

(e)  Whenever there is a drowning hazard.

(2)  Automatic-inflatable PFDs Type V or better, USCG-approved for Commercial Use, may be worn by workers in lieu of paragraph 5-8.g(1), provided the following criteria is met:

(a)  Personnel must be trained according to paragraph 5-3.d.

(b)  In-water testing is performed prior to use for all first-time users so that wearers become familiar with the feel and performance of the PFD.

(c)  PFDs must be inspected, maintained, stowed, and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  PFDs used in heavy construction or maintenance activities, or where hot work (for example, welding, brazing, cutting, soldering) is performed, must be designed, tested, and certified by the manufacturers for this type of work.  An AHA must be developed for the intended activity and must identify the most appropriate PFD for the hazard(s) identified.  (See para 5-6)

Note.  The standard commercial auto-inflatable PFD often does not meet these requirements.

(d)  PFDs must provide a 30-pound minimum buoyancy, post-deployment, and must have a status indicator window.

(e)  PFDs are worn by workers over 16 years of age who weigh 90 lbs. (40.8 kg) or more.

(f)  All auto-inflatable PFDs must be worn at all times a drowning hazard exists. The USCG-approval for auto-inflatable PFDs is contingent upon the PFD being worn, not stowed.

(3)  All wearable PFDs must be international orange, orange/red, or ANSI 107 yellow-green in color.

(a)  Each inherently buoyant PFD must have at least 31 in2 (200 cm2) of retroreflective material attached to its front side and at least 31 in2 (200 cm2) on its back side, per USCG requirements (see 46 CFR Part 25.25-15).

(b)  Each auto-inflatable PFD must have at least 31 in2 (200 cm2) of retroreflective material attached to its front side and at least 31 in2 (200 cm2) on its bladder that is visible when deployed (with the exception of Work Vests, which are allowed to have a total of 31 in2 (200 cm2) front and back, combined).

(4)  Equip each PFD with a USCG-approved automatically activated light.  Lights are not required for PFDs on projects performed exclusively during daylight hours.

(5)  Before and after each use, inspect PFDs for defects that would alter its strength or buoyancy.

(6)  Throwable Devices (Type IV PFD).  See chapter 19 for requirements when working on vessels.

(a)  All throwable devices must be USCG-approved.

(b)  Ring buoys must be readily available and at intervals of not more than 200 feet (61 m) on pipelines, walkways, wharves, piers, bulkheads, lock walls, scaffolds, platforms, and similar structures extending over or immediately next to water. When the fall distance to the water is more than 45 feet (13.7 m), life rings must be used.

(c)  Ring buoys must have at least 90 feet (27.4 m) of three-eighths (3/8) inch (1 cm) of attached solid braid polypropylene, or equivalent. Life rings are not required to have rope attached.

(d)  Equip all PFDs with retroreflective tape according to USCG requirements.

(e)  On all non-USCG inspected vessels and shore installations, lights on life rings are required only in locations where adequate general lighting (for example, floodlights, light stanchions) is not provided.  For these plant and installations, at least one life ring, and every third one thereafter must have an automatic floating electric water light attached.

(f)  Store all devices in such a manner as to allow immediate deployment and will be protected from degradation from weather and sunlight.

(g)  Throw bags may be used in addition to life rings or ring buoys.

(h)  These throwable devices and lifelines must be inspected at a minimum, every six months.

(7)  Safety Blocks.  At all navigation locks, perform an analysis of the benefits versus the hazards of using floating safety blocks (that is, blocks that may be quickly pushed into the water to protect individuals who have fallen in the water from being crushed by vessels).  If the use of blocks is found acceptable, consider the size and placement of the blocks, the appropriate means of securing and signing the blocks, etc. When the use of blocks is found unacceptable, develop alternative safety measures.

h.  Hand Protection.  Hand protection is required when there is a potential for hand injury from, to include, but not limited to, absorption of harmful substances, cuts or lacerations, abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns, temperature
extremes, or vibration (see table 5-5).  (5-8.h)

(1)  Select appropriate hand protection based on an evaluation of the performance characteristics of the hand protection relative to the task(s) to be performed, conditions present, duration of use, and the hazards and potential hazards identified.

(2)  Gloves must fit snugly.

(3)  All hand protection must meet the requirement of ANSI 105, ASTM F18 (Electrical hazard resistance), F2292 (cut resistance) (see also table 5-6), F2878 (needle puncture resistance), F739 (Chemical permeation), D3889 or D3884 (Abrasion resistance), F 1358 (Heat and Flame Protection), F1060 (Conductive Heat Resistance), and ANSI S2 (Vibration Reduction).

i.  Protective Footwear.  Foot protection is required when there is a potential for foot injury from, to include but not limited to, impact, puncture, or electrical hazards.  (5-8.i)

(1)  Protective footwear providing protection against impact and compressive forces, conduction hazards, electrical hazards, slip resistance, and sole puncture must meet ASTM F2413 and ASTM F2412.  Footwear providing protection against impact and compression hazards must be rated as I/75 and C/75.  Employees may wear protective footwear that the employer demonstrates to the USACE supervisor/KO or COR satisfaction is at least as effective as protective footwear that is constructed according to either of the two ASTM standards.

(2)  Add on devices, such as protective toe caps and puncture resistant devices, are allowed as long as they are used as an integral and permanent part of the protective footwear and meet the requirements of ASTM F2413.

(3)  Unexploded ordnance (UXO) personnel whose job tasks require protective footwear but require no metal parts in or on their footwear must wear conduction protective footwear with protective toe cap/composite toe footwear.

(4)  Personnel participating in wild land fire management activities must wear NFPA 1977 compliant leather lace-up boots with slip-resistant soles, such as a hard rubber lug-type or tractor tread, and a top height of 8 inches (20.3 cm) or more.  Soles must not be made of compounds that have low melting points (for example, rubber or plastic).