Pipe should always be blocked to prevent it from rolling. Where practical, store pipe on specially designed racks.

When lifting heavy pieces of pipe, bend your knees, keep your back line as vertical as possible, and hold the load close to your body; straighten your knees and pull the load up directly over your feet. Lift with your legs, not with your back. Pipe should be carried with the forward end up to clear the heads of other people nearby. When pipe is transported on a vehicle, a red warning flag should be placed on the projecting ends.

When the crew is carrying a long and heavy pipe, each member should try to work as a team while observing the following precautions:

1. Each member of the crew should understand the signals for lifting and lowering.

2. Members should ensure that their feet are in the clear.

3. When needing to use either tongs or a carrying bar with a U-shape bend to fit the pipe. When the crew is carrying a length of pipe at shoulder or waist level, each member should carry it on the same side.

4. Take a firm grip on the lifting bar or tongs.

5. Lift the pipe when the supervisor or co-worker gives the signal. All members of the crew should lift and move together.

6. Carry the pipe without sudden starts or stops; move slowly and place your feet firmly.

7. Stop at the appointed place and wait for the supervisor's or co-worker's signal to lower the pipe.

8. Lower the pipe carefully, bending at the knees as in lifting, and lower slowly along with the other members of your crew.

Use caution in handling THREADED pipe. The threads are always sharp and cut flesh easily. Do NOT put your hands inside a pipe.

When removing pipe, work from the top end of the pile as much as possible. Pipe larger than 2 inches in diameter should be handled by means of a hardwood pipe stick. Use block and tackle, chain falls, or other lifting devices where appropriate, when handling heavy pipes and fittings.

EXCAVATIONS

Maintenance operations on distribution systems may often involve excavation. Some precautions in making excavations are as follows:

Wear a protective hat when working in a trench.

Keep a safe distance from other workers to avoid striking them with tools.

Do not jump into a trench: but sit on the shoulder and slide in if the trench is shallow. Use ladders where required; for example, a trench that is 5 feet or more in depth. Before climbing out of a trench, look in all directions for traffic danger.

Remove earth and other material to avoid overhanging banks. Do not go under an overhanging bank and, when working near one, exercise caution. To remove an overhanging bank, work from one side to the center, always facing the point of danger. Where necessary, shore trench walls.

When undercutting, provide adequate bracing and restrict the public from braced areas.

Where practical, place excavated material at least 2 feet away from the edge of the excavation; otherwise, provide bracing.

Keep tools, working material, and loose objects away from the shoulder of the trench.

Q25. What must you do before going down into a manhole?

Q24. When threading or cutting pipe, you should always wear what personal protective equipment?

GAUGES

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify types of gauges and methods for adjusting, testing, and repairing gauges.

Gauges are delicate instruments and require care and attention. They are most important in the safe operation of boilers, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, or compressed-air systems; they tell you what you need to know about water, heat, and pressure conditions, and eliminate guesswork.

Proper care of gauges should include the following:

1. Keep the dials and face clean.