Health Safety & Wellbeing Document Reference Number: - VIL/HSW/STD/05 Document Title – STREETWORK AND UNDERGROUND WORK STANDARD Version – 1 Dated – 1st September 2018
Document owner Vodafone Idea Ltd. – Corporate Health Safety & Wellbeing
1. Philosophy Vodafone Idea Limited Culture of Care finds expression in its commitment to ensuring safe working conditions for not only its employees but all those who work for Vodafone Idea Ltd. – directly, indirectly through its partners. Given the nature of our business, street work / underground work activities are essential to support the business & customer requirements. It is imperative for us to take all possible precautions to ensure the safety of members of the public, that personnel working for us / on our behalf are aware of the risks and controls required and they work safe to go home safe. 2. Purpose & Scope Street work and underground work activities may pose serious risks to the personnel working for or on behalf of Vodafone Idea Ltd as well as to the member of public. Underground work activities include but not limited to any laying / maintenance of optical fibre cable (OFC), any excavation work for plumbing, build / maintenance of earth pits, build / maintenance of foundation for cell-site towers, poles, hoardings, etc. Street work activities include but not limited to any work for OFC patrolling, overhead cabling, OFC laying and maintenance, signage, hoardings, any work that essentially would necessitate safeguard against pedestrian and / or vehicular traffic. This document aims to provide minimum standard on safe work system to prevent any harm to a personnel or damage to any property that may occur during street work and underground activities for the business purpose of Vodafone Idea Ltd. 3. Definition
Statutory permissions (Right of Way) – various statutory /regulatory permissions like right of way from state and private authorities like the Municipal Corporation, National Highway, Electrical / Gas supply corporations etc. Traffic control – measures to warn on-coming traffic about the work activity in progress like posting warning cones, putting warning tape, barricades, posting a signal man, etc.
4. Standards 4.1
Design and before commencing work
4.1.1. All street-work / underground work activities must start after receiving necessary statutory permissions (Right of Way) to ensure no public utility connections are affected and there is minimum risk. 4.1.2. All street-work / underground work activities must be planned with considerations on safe access, execution and the type of activity to be performed. The planning must consider: a. Alignment with the Health and Safety Plan as approved by Vodafone Idea Ltd. b. Inclusion of site specific risk assessments c. Avoidance of buried services where possible d. Avoidance of entry into confined space where possible e. Types of cable laying methods available. 4.1.3. Street-work at height / underground work must be controlled by following a permit to work (PTW) process ensuring risk assessment before commencement of activity which also ensures that all required tools, equipment & resources required for the task are in place. Risk assessment process VIL/HSW/STD/05 – Street work & Underground work – V1/1st Sep 2018
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4.1.4.
4.1.5.
4.1.6.
4.1.7.
4.1.8.
4.1.9.
must consider aspects for example underground utility lines, presence of flammable materials or substances in line with trenching area, pedestrian / road traffic, structural collapse, flooding, confined space, etc. for underground work and proximity to overhead electrical cables, working at height, pedestrian / road traffic, etc. for street work. Additional / specific risks including but not limited to snake / animal bite, falling of tree / branches / other fixed structure, leakage in toxic / flammable gas pipes, electrocution, drowning, asphyxiation, stale substances, must be considered and mitigated appropriately. Where excavation is required near to possible buried services (e.g. electricity cables, natural gas and LPG pipelines, water pipes, sewers, petrochemical pipelines, communication lines, etc.), sufficient time and resource must be provided to ensure the excavation is carried out safely. There are 4 basic elements to the safe system of work that should be employed when working on or near buried services: a. Contact utility operators for plans of buried services; b. Survey the intended route c. Detect , identify and mark underground services; d. Employ safe excavation/safe digging practices. All selected equipment and tools must be fit for use and safe to ensure that improper selection of the tool itself doesn’t pose any hazard to an individual or equipment. Mechanical excavators if used, must be fit for the purpose, suitable to the type of soil and must be operated by a licensed operator. Traffic control measures like hard barricading, cordoning off, warning signs, signal man, etc. as appropriate must be in place before commencement of job to prevent any stoppage of work, danger to people and also to restrict unauthorized access. The barricading / warning signage must be such that they are visible at day and night. Appropriate welfare facilities (in terms of nearby public toilets, adequate supply of drinking water, water and soap for hand washing, designated clean areas in vehicles for storage of food and water, etc.) must be available for all team members. All team members including supervisor, patroller, general labor, machine operator (splicer, horizontal directional drilling operator, crane operator, excavator, demolisher), Fault Restoration Team (FRT) vehicle driver, etc. must be physically fit, experienced and trained as per Table 1 in Appendix.
4.2
During work
4.2.1 4.2.2
All street-work / underground work activities must be supervised during the course of work. During laying / maintenance of OFC cable, safe system of work must be followed for cable drum handling, cable pulling, laser safety, cable splicing, use of hazardous chemical as a cleaner, etc. Street-work / Underground work activities must be restricted during adverse weather and during hours of darkness. If it is not possible to reschedule the work, an approval must be taken from a designated Vodafone Idea Ltd. employee. The working location must be sufficiently illuminated. Hard barricades e.g. modular type, signage and lighting must be provided if the excavated area is to be left open during the hours of darkness.
4.2.3
VIL/HSW/STD/05 – Street work & Underground work – V1/1st Sep 2018
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4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
4.2.7
All personnel must use Vodafone Idea Ltd. approved standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) complying to European (EN) standard or equivalent relevant Indian Standard (IS) as per the work undertaken a. High visibility clothing / Reflective wear b. Safety footwear - EN 345 c. Hard hat - EN 397 d. Eye protection as necessary – EN 166 e. Gloves – EN 420 f. Hearing protection (EN 352) and anti-vibration gloves (EN 388) must be used by persons using horizontal directional drilling machines / pneumatic ground breakers. In case the excavation is undertaken exclusively for Vodafone Idea Ltd. purpose, then adequate support systems, such as shoring / bracing / underpinning, etc., must be ensured to prevent collapse of excavated earth and to ensure that adjacent structures remain stable. Excavated earth must be placed adequately away from the place of work to prevent collapse. First aid box, adequate fire extinguishers, temporary electrical extension boards confirming to IP 44 for ingress protection, temporary sheds separate for safe storage of empty & filled gas cylinders (when they are in use), must be available with the team. Patrollers monitoring other excavation works to prevent cuts / damage to Vodafone Idea Limited cables / equipment, must be aware of the risks associated in terms of heavy vehicles traffic, excavated areas, etc. and stay clear from the hazards.
Journey management / work at height / electrical work involved while undertaking street work / underground work must be in accordance with the requirements of relevant Vodafone Idea Ltd. Standards. Violation / deviation of any requirement of this standard needs to be reported as per the incident management process and actions taken as per Consequence Management Matrix. Additional guidance where required for implementation of this Standard will be provided by Vodafone Idea Ltd. Corporate HSW.
5. Authorized By
Suvamoy Roy Choudhury Chief Human Resource Officer
Vishant Vora Chief Technology Officer
VIL/HSW/STD/05 – Street work & Underground work – V1/1st Sep 2018
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Appendix 1 Table 1: Competency check - Following criteria should be followed on eligibility, qualification & experience Age criteria (years)
Role
Experience
Supervisor
3 years’ experience on streetwork/underground Min. 21 & job including above negotiation and managerial skill
General labour
1 year experience Min. 19 & in related job and above topography
Patroller
1 year experience Min. 19 & in related job , above topography
Machine operator (HDD, 1 year experience Min. 19 & Splicer, Crane, in related job and above Excavator, topography Demolisher) Workers involved in electrical, work at height, driving
Training to be imparted by the Contractor / Vendor Induction Training on Basic Safety including Expect the Unexpected (ETU), Graduate /Diploma/ITI / Risk assessment and 10+2 PTW process, emergency preparedness, FirstAid , Absolute Safety Rules (ASRs) Induction Training Clear understanding on Basic Safety related to job like digging, including ETU, drilling, trenching etc. emergency preparedness, ASRs Induction Training on Basic Safety Valid 2W driving licence, including ETU, clear understanding emergency related to job like digging, preparedness, ASRs, drilling, trenching etc. 2 wheeler defensive driving Induction Training on Basic Safety valid licence for operating including ETU, machine emergency preparedness, ASRs Trained as per Driving, Electrical & Work at Height Standards Qualification / Eligibility
VIL/HSW/STD/05 – Street work & Underground work – V1/1st Sep 2018
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