Wimberley Valley Habitat for Humanity Safety Program

It is the intent of the Wimberley Valley Habitat for Humanity (WVHH) to provide a safe environment for all personnel. It is our goal to never have an injury which requires medical intervention. In order for the WVHH to achieve our safety goals, we have established a safety program which outlines policies and procedures for personnel safety. It is the responsibility of every person who works for WVHH to become familiar with the program and to follow all guidelines and procedures. The success of the safety program depends on the support and involvement of every worker. Each volunteer will be required to sign the following form. It is available as a download on both the "Home" and "News" pages of the website, and can be printed, signed and brought to the construction site the first time a volunteer attends.

1. Copies of the WVHH Safety Policy will be available on the job site for each volunteer to read before beginning work on a WVHH project. The Safety Policy is also available on the WVHH website www.wimberleyhabitat.org for those volunteers who prefer to read it before reporting to the job site.
2. The Liability Release Form will include an acknowledgement that the person has read and understood the Safety Policy and is aware that it is his or her personal responsibility to work safely on the WVHH worksite.
3. Each volunteer will be made aware of the locations of equipment/tool operating manuals and first aid kits which will be available on the worksite.
4. Each workday at a building site will begin with a safety meeting. At a minimum, the work leader (or someone designated by him) will describe the work activities planned for the day, with emphasis on safe work procedures and/or safety hazards associated with those activities. These safety meetings will be documented for each volunteer with a check-off on the daily sign-in sheet. Any volunteer who arrives after the safety meeting is responsible to contact the work leader for a review of items covered at the safety meeting.

The Safety Policy includes the following procedures for equipment/tool safety:

1. Operating manuals for any power tools or equipment to be used that work day will be available on the worksite.
2. Any volunteer who uses either electric or power tools will be responsible for reviewing operating manuals and safety precautions before beginning operation of the tool.

The Safety Policy includes the following procedures for safe work procedures on the job site:

1. When more than five volunteers are working on a jobsite, the work leader will designate at least one person (the Site Safety Observer-SSO) who will monitor work activities and advise workers on safe work procedures. The SSO will be identified throughout the work period by an orange cap or hardhat.
2. Volunteers are responsible for requesting guidance from the Work Leader or SSO on specific work procedures as needed. The SSO will audit volunteers’ use of power tools, ladders, and personal protective equipment during the work period.
3. In no instance should any volunteer perform any work if he or she has any reservations regarding the safety aspects of the job, or does not have access to the safety equipment recommended herein or the ability to follow the procedures suggested in this Safety Policy document.

The Safety Policy includes the following procedures for protective equipment:

1. Volunteers are responsible for providing and using all personal protective equipment necessary to safely accomplish work activities. WVHH will make available a limited amount of safety equipment (eg., hardhats, safety glasses) for personnel performing potentially hazardous tasks, but it is the responsibility of the worker not to perform tasks without employing the necessary safety procedures and equipment outlined in the Work Site Safety Checklists section of this document.
2. At a minimum, WVHH recommends volunteers use the following personal protective equipment for all tasks:

   Hardhat (for tasks with overhead risks)
   Safety glasses with side shields
   Steel toe safety shoes
   Gloves (for framing or lot clearing)

Please refer to the Habitat International Safety Program for more details.

More information can also be found on the St. Louis Habitat Safety Program web page.

The Safety Policy* provides the following checklists to ensure safety on the WVHH jobsite:

1. General Safety
2. Security & Housekeeping
3. Worker Safety Equipment
4. Hand & Power Tools
5. Ladders
6. Scaffolding
7. Rough-in Carpentry
8. Siding
9. Insulation & Drywall
10. Paint, Floor & Interior Trim
11. Landscaping

1. General Safety

1. Speak up – if something looks unsafe, it probably is. Speak to the work leader or SSO.
2. Don’t lift beyond your strength, get a partner. Bend your knees, lift with your back straight.
3. Keep an eye on your load as you move and turn so as not to whack someone with a board.
4. Do not run when carrying tools or materials.
5. Know where water and the first aid kit are located, and take frequent rest and water breaks. Fatigue leads to accidents.
6. Tell the house leader or SSO immediately in case of an injury.
7. Think and concentrate on your task.
8. If you are uncertain about how to do a task, or how to operate a power tool, ask the house leader.
9. Wear clothing loose enough to permit easy bending but not loose enough to get caught in tools.
10. Wear safety glasses when operating power tools and nailing.
11. Wear hearing protection when operating nailers and saws.
12. Wear gloves when doing work (framing, etc.) that leads to hand injury.
13. Ask the house leader or SSO to explain the proper use of ladders and scaffolding when they are needed on the jobsite.
14. Do not operate unfamiliar tools without approval or supervision. Do not operate a power tool if you have not been trained to use it.

2. Security and Housekeeping

1. Have access to a telephone.
2. Have an adequate supply of fire extinguishers accessible to all.
3. Do not store flammable or combustible materials on the work site.
4. Arrange deliveries to minimize value of materials on the job site.
5. Keep the area around the building clear of debris.
6. Keep the interior of the building, including stairs, halls, and open floor areas, free of debris.
7. Remove nails from scrap lumber as soon as practical.
8. Keep all electrical cords free of entanglement with loose materials and in good repair.
9. Wipe up spilled liquids on areas that may cause workers to slip.
10. Build protective barriers around openings on the site or in the building that may cause falls.
11. When dropping materials to the ground, barricade the drop area.
12. Remove excess tools, small pieces of material, sawdust, mud and power cords that represent a potential for injury on the job site.
13. Stack unused lumber and building materials neatly so as to reduce the chance of tripping and to assist in accounting for materials.
14. Discard banding material as soon as it is removed from bundled materials.
15. Provide adequate trash containers on the worksite.

3. Worker Safety Equipment

1. Have potable water at the site.
2. Ensure workers conducting framing and roofing activities wear head protection.
3. Suggest to volunteers that their tetanus vaccinations be brought up to date.
4. Provide volunteers subject to exposure of loud sounds with ear protection.
5. Provide workers with eye protection when operations present potential eye injury.
6. Provide workers the use of respiratory devices when operations expose them to dangerous respiratory substances.

4. Hand and Power Tools

1. Ensure that guards on power saws are in place.
2. Check regularly that power saw blades are sharp, and replace them when necessary.
3. Regularly inspect tools for broken or missing parts. Inspect cords for frays or damaged insulation.
4. Use appropriately insulated power tools (grounded plug or insulated case); where possible, use such equipment on a ground fault protected circuits.
5. Provide extension cords with adequate ampacity (large wire gauge) to all power tools. Inadequate cords lead to binding and burnout.
6. Provide user manuals for all power tools in use on the work site.
7. Provide safe and sturdy stands for stationary power tools (chop saws, table saws).
8. Do not allow workers who do not have experience with portable or stationary power tools to use them.

5. Ladders

1. Use ladders for the purposes for which they were designed. Do not use ladders for skids, braces or work benches.
2. Provide a stairway or ladder for any point of access where there is a break in elevation of 19 inches or more.
3. Make sure ladder size meets job demands.
4. Do not use step ladders as straight ladders; always open all four feet and lock spreaders in place on a step ladder and place in a level condition.
5. Do not place tools or materials on ladder platforms or steps.
6. Use proper angles when using straight and extension ladders. When using a non-self-supporting ladder use the four-to-one rule: for every four feet of height, move the bottom of the ladder one foot from the wall.
7. Secure straight and extension ladders by tying off the top or securing the base.
8. The top of extension ladders must extend at least three feet beyond the supporting object when used as an access to an elevated work area.
9. Before climbing extension ladders make sure latches are properly engaged.
10. Extension ladders must be overlapped a minimum of three rungs
.
11. Tell workers to keep their body near the middle of the ladder for all work activities; leaning off the edge of a ladder leads to falls.
12. Advise workers they should never ste p on the top rung or platform of a step ladder.
13. Advise workers to use a tool belt when carrying materials up a ladder, so that they can use two hands when ascending or descending.
14. Only one person should be on a ladder at a time.
15. Do not use metal ladders near an open electrical exposure (eg., a live power wire entering a house).

6. Scaffolding

1. Inspect all scaffolding before allowing volunteers to start work to determine if safety features are in place and construction is sound.
2. Ensure that footing and anchorage for scaffolds are sound. Scaffold frames should be erected level and plumb and on a firm base.
3. Never allow volunteers to change or remove scaffold members unless authorized by the house leader or SSO.
4. Know safe working loads of scaffolding and ensure volunteers work within these limits.

7. Rough-in Carpentry

1. Make sure volunteers have been briefed on all rules and precautions specified under Power Tools, Ladders, and Scaffolding Checklists.
2. Designate a volunteer to remove nails from discarded lumber as soon as practical.
3. Ensure that volunteers wear hard hats during the framing stage. Advise them to watch for materials falling from above.
4. Caution older volunteers not to work on jobs requiring ladders, scaffolding or heights.
5. Install a temporary 2x6 about 6' from the bottom of the first course of roof sheathing as soon as it is installed to prevent tools or personnel from sliding off the roof.
6. Install GFCI cicuits in the temporary power system.
7. Install a stair, ladder or ramp to provide access for personnel for any break in elevation over 19".
8. The work leader or SSO should brief roofing volunteers on safety procedures such as proper shoes (soft soles with tread remaining), proper ladder procedures when entering or exiting the roof, and proper walking discipline on the roof.
9. The work leader or SSO should carefully supervise the process of standing up walls, to ensure there are enough people to hold up the wall, and that bracing is available to quickly secure it.
10. Volunteers should be instructed never to work below an area being roofed.
11. Volunteers should never work on a roof alone.

8. Siding

1. Volunteers should be instructed to move materials close to the work area to minimize carrying distances.
2. Instruct volunteers in the proper use of tools for cutting the siding material, eg., hardi-plank© dulls many tools.
3. Use proper respiratory devices when cutting hazardous materials, eg., hardi-plank© contains silica which is noxious if inhaled in high concentrations.

9. Insulation and Drywall

1. Volunteers should be cautioned about safety when using utility knives. Do not allow knives on the jobsite which don't have retractable blades, and caution volunteers to always retract the blade when not in immediate use.
2. Fiberglass and drywall particles are noxious in large quantities. When cutting drywall with a saw or other tool, use repiratory protection. When handling fiberglass, wear sturdy, loose, long-sleeved clothing, gloves, goggles, face mask, respirator, and hat.
3. Drywall is heavy. Stack materials so that they are stable and secure. Use two people or special drywall handles to carry heavy pieces.
4. The house leader or SSO should ensure that adequate hoists or t-bars are available to volunteers installing ceiling drywall. Teams of two or more, rather than single individuals, should install ceiling pieces.

10. Paint, Floor and Interior Trim

1. The house leader or SSO should brief volunteers on ladder safety, ensure that the ladders are in good condition, and that there are an adequate number of appropriate size ladders.
2. Volunteers should be cautioned to use respiratory protection when sanding or when applying noxious materials.
3. Volunteers using power tools for interior trim should be briefed on proper power tool use, and use eye and ear protection consisten with the proper use of those tools. If extensive use is made of a mitar saw, an experienced volunteer should be positioned at the saw, servicing requests from other volunteers.
4. Noxious paint or flooring materials should not be stored on the work site.

11. Landscaping

1. The house leader or SSO should contact electric, gas and phone companies for the location of cables before digging.
2. Most landscaping materials are heavy. Proper equipment should be in place to enable moving these materials with a minimum of volunteer lifting.