Struck By, Caught Between -

Staying Out of the Line of Fire

Recognizing Hazards

Hazards cannot be avoided or controlled unless they can be

recognized. Ways to recognize hazards include incidents and
jobsite experience, observations, and training. Once you
recognize hazards, assess risk and decide whether enough
precautions are being taken.

When building a safety plan, incorporate a number of

precautions to create layers of protection – high-visibility vests are a great idea, but they work
even better if you also add work area lighting.

The Goal of Controls

The goal of implementing a control is to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury and death, while
not making the work significantly more difficult to perform or creating any new hazards in the
process.

When building a safety plan, create layers of protection:

• Adherence to work processes or wearing certain personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Building safety into the worksite, tools, materials and equipment
• Precautions that do NOT rely exclusively on flawless execution

Control at the Source

CONTROL AT THE SOURCE is the best solution:
• Reduce or eliminate the risk of injury and death
• Do not make the work significantly more difficult to perform
• Do not create any new hazards in the process

Control Along the Path of Motion

• Barriers and screens can be erected along the path of the hazard to keep people and
moving (or potentially moving or hazardous) objects separated
• A barrier itself can become a hazard if struck with enough force

Control at the Worker Level

• A worker-level control is one that the worker can personally control (like wearing PPE)
• Last resort in protection when hazards can't be controlled at the source or along the path
• Includes personal protective equipment, special clothing or special work methods
• Be aware of surroundings and potential hazards

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 Planning for Worker-Level Control

• Make sure your employer provides safety training and communicates methods to safely
operate equipment
• Your employer should also provide information about the hazards of activities in your
work area and precautions you need to take as determined by pre-task planning
• Anticipate what might happen when operating equipment and when required to work
near equipment being operated by others
• This requires knowledge of daily activities being performed by others, coordination and
pre-planning. Coordinate with your supervisor for updates on activities in your work area

Coordinating with Heavy Equipment Operators

• Don’t assume the other person sees you
• Watch out for yourself and others
• Don’t get complacent

Line of Fire or Danger Zone

Stay out of the line of fire (danger zone)
• Be mindful of crane swing radius
• Don’t walk under a load being lifted by a crane
• Go around the area that might be hit if the load were to suddenly shift or a portion of it
were to drop from above

Other predictable danger zones include situations where:

• Welding and cutting slag is thrown downward and in the direction of cutting
• Broken towing and lifting lines recoil violently and predictably
• Uncoiled roll material recoils predictably
• Unstable materials shift predictably
• Chemical vapors and dusts migrate downwind in predictable fashion

Struck-By and Caught-In or Caught-Between Hazards

Work Zones
In routes where worker traffic enters and exits the work zone:
• Equipment operators should know where the entrances and exits for workers are
located
• Be aware of traffic moving through those areas
• Workers should not rely on the drivers of these vehicles seeing you. It is each worker's
responsibility to be aware of vehicles and avoid them

Heavy Equipment
Remember that heavy equipment can’t stop fast or maneuver quickly. When it stops, it can
throw a load.

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© COPYRIGHT Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 When heavy equipment is in the zone:
• Spotters should be used when equipment is backing up
o Spotters must maintain an appropriate distance from backing equipment and
remain aware of obstructions and traffic
• Make yourself aware of the spotters and the various alarms that indicate a piece of
equipment is backing up, because the driver may not see you
• Make sure you are not in the path of the hazard/equipment. If you are, ensure that
either the spotter or the operator has seen you
• If you see a piece of equipment above you on an incline, move away from the path of
the hazard if it were to roll
• When you hear an alarm, locate the source, evaluate where the material is being
dumped, and ensure you are not in the danger zone
• Be aware of crush points on moving pieces of equipment and ensure that you are not
between them and a solid object

Overhead/Scaffold Work
You are at risk of being struck by falling objects when you are beneath scaffolding or where
other overhead work is being done.

Overhead work controls can help prevent injury.

• Stack materials to prevent sliding, falling or collapse
• Wear a hard hat and other PPE
• Make sure toeboards, nets and other controls are in place

Scaffolds must be designed by a qualified person and inspected as needed by your jobsite
Competent Person. Report any concerns to the Competent Person.

When overhead utilities are present:

• Provide spotters when people and equipment will be working near the lines
• Make sure that you are out of reach of a power line that might be severed by a piece of
equipment and fall to the ground
• Touching or being too close to a power line can result in arcing and electrocution

Know about area obstructions and respect overhead clearances.

• Equipment tip-overs and pinching/crushing injuries are possible if equipment contacts
an overhead structure or other obstruction
• Survey work areas for clearance issues and obstructions and always look in the
direction of travel to avoid contact

Public Traffic
Be aware of any public traffic through the work zone:
• Know where the traffic is and how close you will be to it
• Wear high-visibility, reflective work wear to increase your visibility to drivers and to co-
workers (zip vests closed)

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© COPYRIGHT Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 • Watch for oncoming traffic that may not be aware of you and be prepared to quickly
move out of the path of the hazard at the first sign of danger
• Always face oncoming traffic

Constructing Masonry Walls

Implement these worker-level controls when working around masonry walls:
• Identify the boundaries of the work area and where the top of a wall may end up if the
wall collapses
• Stay out of the work area unless you are essential to and actively engaged in the
construction or lifting operations being conducted
• Be aware when heavy equipment is working near the wall, especially when it is on the
other side of the wall from you
• Pay attention to wind speed and direction
o Directional wind shift can change where the wall might fall
o Suspend work activities during periods of high wind
• Involve qualified persons when making decisions regarding proper bracing against wind
and lateral forces and removal of temporary bracing
• Important: A hard hat can mean the difference between life and death if struck by a
falling brick

Projectile and Entanglement Hazards of Tools/Equipment

Projectiles may be created by interaction of materials, tools and equipment. To avoid injury:
• Maintain guards on tools that rotate (saws, grinders, etc.)
• Choose the appropriate tool for impact tasks and avoid impact tools with mushroomed
striking surfaces
• Wear eye and face PPE when hammering, chipping, and using pneumatic or powder-
actuated tools
• Observe clearances and heed warnings at blasting sites
• Do not use compressed air to blow down clothing, and care must be taken to avoid
dead-ending compressed air in pocketed areas

Pay attention to machine hazards.

• Moving parts such as motors, power transmission shafts, pulleys, gears, chains and
belts can be hazardous
• Machine guards are placed around moving parts to lessen the chances of inadvertent
worker contact with mechanical hazards
• Decals and markings are commonly placed near machine danger zones
• Do not wear loose, untucked clothes, and pull back and restrain long hair
• Take note of hazards mentioned in equipment operating manuals, look at decals and
markings on equipment, follow stated precautions, and ensure machine guards are
maintained where required

This job aid is intended to provide you with supplemental information associated with UL courseware.
© COPYRIGHT Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Excavation/Trenching Work
Worker controls that you can implement mostly occur before you enter the trench. These
controls include:
• Proper design including trench boxes and other shoring, sloping or benching, as needed
• Daily inspections by your crew’s Competent Person to check for indicators of possible
cave-in (cracking of side walls and materials sloughing off of the side walls)
• Making sure spoil piles/equipment are back from the edge by at least 2 feet (0.6 meters)
• Noting the position of equipment that could slide into the trench and catch you between
the equipment and the ground
• Making sure you have a means of quick egress from the trench, such as a ladder or
ramp

This job aid is intended to provide you with supplemental information associated with UL courseware.
© COPYRIGHT Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.

T : 1.888.202.3016 / W : ulehssustainability.com