WORKING PLATFORMS
I could not have been more naïve. I could not
know that these words would revisit me less
than a year later when I lost my brother to a
crane accident while he was working for me.
Following the adoption of the position statement and a
review of the available documents from other initiatives around
the world, the WPWG spent 2019 and early 2020 drafting the
Recommendations for Working Platforms for Construction
Equipment. Once a working draft was completed, the guidance
was turned over to industry attorneys for review and feedback.
Having received feedback from attorneys, the draft was
adjusted and circulated among members of the respective
partner associations for final consensus comments. Consensus
comments were received early September 2020 and the WPWG
is now moving towards finalizing appendix documents with the
hopes of publishing the first version of the industry-wide working
platforms guidance documents prior to the end of 2020.
Understanding that the WPWG guidance has been developed
with input and oversight by all three partner associations, what
can we expect of the published recommendations?
Following a clear statement of purpose and definition, the
guidance recommends the following process:
1. Initial site assessment based on all available information
2. Based on the initial site assessment and established criteria,
an engineering analysis may be required
3. If the conditions requiring an engineered analysis are not
met, an empirical analysis is required
4. Following an empirical or engineered analysis, a report of
the analysis is completed and certification of the site by
designated representatives of both the controlling entity and
specialty subcontractor are required
5. Once certification is complete, if necessary, the engineered
working platform is constructed
6. Construction of the working platform is not the end. The
working platform must be inspected regularly and repaired, as
necessary, to maintain adequate stability for the foundation
equipment and subsequent construction activities.
As stated earlier, the Recommendations for Working Platforms
for Construction Equipment is expected to be published in late
2020. As part of its Annual Conference Webinar Series, PDCA
hosted a Working Platforms Working Group update webinar on
Oct. 7, 2020. The content of this webinar is available for viewing
at www.piledrivers.org. While it’s not the intent of this article
to state the full text of the forthcoming guidance or recap the
webinar in its entirety, I will highlight the WPWG recommended
criteria for an engineering analysis and full platform design. As
provided in the Oct. 7 webinar, an engineering analysis should be
performed when any of the following criteria are met:
1. Tracked plant (including tooling, etc.) gross weight exceeds
50 tons
2. Tracked plant static track pressure exceeds 3,000 PSF
3. The top 20 feet of subgrade below the platform has either:
a. Undrained shear strength less than 3,000 PSF
b. Angle of shearing resistance is 32 degrees or less
4. Sites in urban areas lacking complete data regarding the
presence, condition and location of old foundations, buried
structures and utilities
5. Sites with known unusual subsurface characteristics
It’s not hard to imagine that, for some of our membership,
the process and analysis outlined above represent an increase
in effort (and potential overall project costs). It may represent
an increase in effort that can’t be done with in-house staff. I
understand. Those things being true, we are not excused (nor do
I think we want to be) from doing all that we can to eliminate risk
of injury or loss of asset. It is possible. Efforts undertaken in other
parts of the world to reduce platform instability are bearing fruit
and the rate of incident has dropped significantly in areas that
have adopted similar guidance. How do we get started?
1. Educate ourselves regarding the resources available to us
2. Use your association to build relationships with contractors,
engineers and equipment suppliers that will be able to help
with the process
3. Educate owners, design teams and contractors regarding the
need to incorporate an analysis of the working platform
4. Use the tools provided in the Recommendations for Working
Platforms for Construction Equipment and other available
industry resources
5. Stand firm in our expectation to see a safe working platform
provided prior to mobilization
Early in my construction career, I made the gross and
miscalculated statement, “Our industry has inherent risk. It
will likely involve accidents and that is an unfortunate cost
associated with our line of work.”
I’m sure that my thoughts tended towards pulled muscles,
bruised shins, the occasional broken bone. I’m sure that I thought
of this like a sports team engaged in physical activity that would
inevitably result in some, small amount of human suffering. I
could not have been more naïve. I could not know that these
words would revisit me less than a year later when I lost my
brother to a crane accident while he was working for me.
That day, I promised that my cavalier attitude would never
be the reason I made a phone call to explain the injury or
loss of a beloved coworker or family member. It’s time for rig
overturns and associated near misses to stop. Together, we can
mitigate this risk. Will you join PDCA, ADSC-IAFD and DFI in
doing your part to stand up for the safety of our most valuable
asset – our people? t
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