Health and Safety

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ncurchod
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Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:57 pm
Location: Plymouth

Health and Safety

Post by ncurchod »

Hello,

I am currently planning my final year dissertation project at university. I have chosen to study the effects of various anchor designs in relation to their holding ability, and will be using a tractor to pull various types of anchors through sand.
What i would like advice on, is the Health and Safety considerations that i might have to take into account by undertaking the experiment on a public beach.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Jeff
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Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
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Post by Jeff »

Hi, good luck with the project. Have you seen the YouTube link I posted in my blog some time ago? It links to the Rocna experiments where they did the same thing you're proposing. Might be worth a quick look.

I have no particular H&S experience but things you might consider:

Trip hazard on the tow rope.

Danger of a whiplash effect if the rope breaks.

Danger of a vehicle on a public beach.

The anchor might suddenly release its hold when under tension and move rapidly and unpredictably.

People negotiating the anchors need to be aware of correct lifting procedures when managing heavy anchors.

Anchors have sharp bits - wear protective gloves.

Flying sand - wear protective goggles.

Some anchors will dig in very deep so digging will be essential. Digging is potentially bad for the back.

Take care to refill any holes made in the beach to avoid someone putting in a foot and tripping in one.

Keep people away from the tight rope when undertaking a test, they might trip over it.

--

Don't forget when doing the actual experiment also that in the real situation anchors are not just pulled in one direction over the same kind of surface. Also they're not always pulled directly _along_ the surface and that surface is not always flat.

See the Rocna video where they pull in an anchor and set it, then drive the other way so it has to do a 180 and then re-set. This is a very important requirement when anchoring where the tide might change.

Good luck with the project!
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