Improve Your Manhole Cover Safety
with
Lift & Lock 
- Reducing the number of worker injuries
- Providing a barrier to unauthorized entry (by citizens who may become injured
within or by vandals). It can also serve as an anti-terrorism measure. See Manhole Cover Security
- Reducing worker compensation claims
- Reducing lost time due to injuries
- Reducing overall cost of collection system maintenance
How LIFT & LOCK  Reduces Worker Injuries
The LIFT & LOCK design has a special
pick hole that improves lifting safety. The pick hole is:
·
At an angle to give the worker lifting leverage.
· Closer to the worker to make lifting the cover less awkward.
· Strategically located to provide better weight balance.
Benefits:
- Lifting and moving the cover is less awkward and difficult
- Reduced chance of pinched fingers and bruised shins, toes, and feet
- Reduced chance of back injury
How LIFT & LOCK Prevents Unauthorized Entry or Accidental Dislodging
The LIFT & LOCK design includes
special lock bolts for better manhole cover
security. The lock bolts:
·
Secure the cover without having to line up any boltholes.
· Disengage the lock without having to be completely removed.
· Require no modification to the manhole itself.
Depending on your security needs, we can fit your manhole covers with any of the following types of lock bolts:
- Standard bolts
- 5-Sided bolts
- Special bolts requiring a unique patented socket to open
You need only a conventional pick and a standard socket wrench to open LIFT & LOCK manhole covers.
Apply the Design to New or Existing Manhole Covers
Modification of Existing Manhole Covers
Designated existing manhole covers shall be modified in a machine shop to
include the LIFT & LOCK features shown on the drawing. The lock-bolts shall
be stainless steel. The contractor shall remove the covers,
transport/load/unload them to and from the machine shop, and replace them in the
location from which they were removed. The contractor shall tighten the
lock-bolts upon replacement. While a manhole cover is not in place, the
contractor shall provide and maintain signs, barricades, and/or cover plates at
each open manhole in accordance with the contract specifications.
The LIFT & LOCK features shall be as designed by Arthur A. Schrage PE, Inc.;
Troy, Michigan.
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Modification of New Manhole Covers
New manhole covers, as designated, shall be modified in a machine shop to
include the LIFT & LOCK features shown on the drawing. The lock-bolts shall
be stainless steel.
The LIFT & LOCK features shall be as designed by Arthur A. Schrage PE, Inc.;
Troy, Michigan.
Request a quote or ask a question about Manhole Cover Safety
Articles About Manhole Cover Safety
A Portion of an Article from:
"Water Environment & Technology"
June 1990, Page 31
News from the Front: The Safety Battle in the Wastewater Industry
"And remember...be careful out there." Famous words from Hill Street Blues' Sgt. Phil Esterhaus to his cops before hitting the street, and good advice to workers in the wastewater industry.
According to the recently released 1989 WPCF Safety Survey, the wastewater industry is hazardous to the health of its workers, ranking behind only trucking and four other transportation categories in the highest rate of lost-time injuries.
Yet, bad as that statistic is, it represents an improvement over 1987, when the wastewater industry had the worst safety record of all industry sectors. In the past 2 years, injury rates have dropped almost 20%.
The results of the 1989 survey (see Operations Forum, 7[4], 24 [1990]) are based on over 1000 responses from safety officials and plant managers from the U.S. and Canada.
INJURY PRONE
The survey provides a clear profile of who is most likely to be injured and where: an uncertified worker with less than 5 years of experience working in a collection system or with sludge handling equipment. The injury will most likely be a strain or a sprain.
The survey showed, as it has for the past 10 years, that wastewater collection systems are responsible for more accidents than any other area in the industry. In fact, one in 10 collection system workers suffered a reportable injury in 1989. As defined in the survey, the collection -system data included remote pump stations, manholes, and sewer-line repairs.
According to the collection-system operators and designers and Sam Hadeed, WPCF manager of technical services and analyst of the survey data, the lifting of heavy manhole covers is the major source of injury. Slippery or corroding manhole steps are common causes of falling injuries.
Failure to follow prescribed shoring and trenching procedures when installing or repairing sewer lines is a common practice that contributes to injuries, though actual incidences were probably underestimated in the survey because this work is often performed by outside contractors.
The wastewater treatment plant is a comparatively safer workplace than the collection system, though one area, sludge handling, was responsible for 10% of all wastewater injuries. Operation of sludge pumps, digesters, dewatering equipment, and incinerators was included in the sludge-handling category.
The reason for the high injury rate, according to operators and consulting engineers, is that sludge handling tends to be the most complex and labor-intensive operation in the plant: Sludge pumps are likely to clog, requiring manual cleaning. Many dewatering operations are batch, frequently requiring manual startup, shutdown, and cleaning procedures. Also corrosive or hazardous gases, such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, are sometimes present, leading to respiratory injuries and deterioration of equipment and structures.
The Costs of Injuries to Collection System Workers
The above article states some facts that may be disturbing to collection system workers, their supervisors, and the utility managers.
- Collection systems are responsible for more accidents than any other area in the wastewater industry.
- One in 10 collection system workers suffered a reportable injury in 1989.
- The lifting of heavy manhole covers is the major source of injury.
This relatively low level of safety is not only detrimental to the welfare of the collection system workers but is also costly to the utility. Workers compensation costs which are reflected in the rates for the workers compensation insurance. The cost of an average workers compensation case is about $9,000. If the injury results in partial permanent disability, the cost rises to $92,000 in Michigan and $55,000 nationwide.
Another result of an on-the-job injury is the loss of employee work time. That is, the sewer department has one less person to do the work while the injured employee is treated for the injury and recovers. This is particularly difficult if the staff is already lean due to budget restrictions.
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