Bertrand Galy

Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail | IRSST · Mechanical and Physical Hazards Prevention Research Centre

Introduction Falls from height are one of the leading causes of occupational injuries in most countries. A way of protecting workers against falls from height is to choose personal fall arrest systems, which implies the wear of a safety harness. Following a fall arrest, motionless suspension in a full-body harness can be hazardous and lead to death...

Les chutes au niveau inférieur sont parmi les 10 premières causes de lésions professionnelles sur la période 2010-2012 et représentent environ 5 000 lésions professionnelles par an, au Québec. Elles représentent également une cause importante de décès au travail (la troisième cause en 2019). La stratégie de protection contre les chutes de hauteur c...

In addition to extracting the ore from the mine, most mine hoists transport the miners from the surface to the various underground levels of the mine. When travelling downwards or upwards the mine shaft, miners are exposed to some risks: the conveyance could go down the shaft, crash in the headframe due to an out-of-control mine hoist or crash in a...

Résumé – L’estimation du niveau de fiabilité requis d’une fonction de sécurité est une étape essentielle lorsque la réduction d’un risque est basée sur le système de commande d’une machine. Le “niveau de performance (PL)” de la norme ISO 13849 ou le “niveau d’intégrité de sécurité (SIL)” de la norme CEI 62061 sont des termes normatifs traduisant ce...

Cette recherche porte spécifiquement sur l’utilisation des ponts élévateurs de véhicules (PEV) hors terre à deux colonnes (HT2C). Les PEV HT2C sont utilisés par les techniciens automobiles lors de l’entretien et de la réparation des véhicules et les amènent à travailler sous ou à proximité d’une charge surélevée de plusieurs tonnes. La mort d’un je...

Falls from height are still a major occupational hazard, particularly in the construction industry, where it is the leading cause of fatal injuries. When opting for personal fall arrest systems, the use of a safety harness is mandatory. Following a fall arrest, motionless suspension in a full-body harness can be hazardous and lead to death. This pa...

The safe use of two-post above-ground automotive lifts (2PAG lifts) has received particular attention in the province of Québec (Canada) following the death of a young mechanic. The inspection and preventive maintenance of this equipment is a problem highlighted in accident investigation reports and by representatives of the sector. Therefore, the...

Vehicles falling off two-post above-ground (2PAG) lifts is a fairly frequent occurrence. As only limited knowledge is available about the determinants influencing the stability of lifting vehicles with a 2PAG lift, two experimental designs were carried out in order to have quantitative data. This paper addresses support pad slippage as a result of...

L’écrasement d’une cage de transport minier avec des travailleurs peut être lié à deux évènements dangereux distincts, soit la rupture du câble ou la perte de contrôle du déplacement de la cage sans rupture du câble. Dans ce premier document, l'inventaire de la documentation disponible est dressée ainsi qu’un historique des incidents, toutes causes...

This paper presents the results of two parametric finite-element studies that were carried out using the PLAXIS-3D finite element (FE) computer code. The following objectives and corresponding parameters were considered: (i) to evaluate the soil pressure on the steel trench box shield; the parameters studied were related to soil type and material,...

This article covers the impact of soil initial stress field heterogeneity (ISFH) in wave-passage analysis and in prescribed structural acceleration in the context of dynamic soil–structure interaction (DSSI) analysis. ISFH is directly related to the natural behavior of soil where a significant increase in net effective confinement, as is the case i...

This paper presents the results of a field experimental study carried out to investigate the soil pressure on a temporary flexible trench shoring in sensitive clay. The installation, instrumentation, and field test procedures are presented for two trench boxes "stacked upon each other" in conformity with United States OSHA regulations and placed in...

This paper presents the results of a field experimental case study carried out to investigate the performance of vertical aluminum hydraulic shoring with plywood sheeting in a soft and sensitive clay trench. Installation, instrumentation, and field test procedures are presented for this type of vertical aluminum hydraulic shoring with plywood sheet...

A finite-element (FE) numerical study using PLAXIS-3D software was carried out to reproduce and validate a full-scale experimental in situ test and to investigate the earth pressure on a flexible temporary trench box shield in soft and sensitive clay soil. The excavation trench model was 6 m (20 ft) deep and was considered as nonlinear and anisotro...

Vehicles falling off two-post above-ground (2PAG) lifts in garages is a fairly frequent occurrence. As knowledge about the determining factors of such falls is limited, this paper looks at the technical determinants influencing the static stability of lifting with a 2PAG lift. The forces at the support pads and the moments induced in the lift arms...

Les chutes de hauteur sont encore aujourd’hui une des principales causes d’accident au Québec, et la deuxième cause en termes de coûts sur la période 2010 – 2012, avec une moyenne de 397 millions de dollars par année. Selon la CNESST, les statistiques de lésions impliquant les échelles, que ce soit en construction ou en établissement, montrent une...

The installation of guardrails around a roof perimeter is an efficient way to protect construction workers against falls from heights, provided the guardrails are strong enough to arrest a fall. A guardrail’s strength relies heavily on its fastening to the roof parapets, and an improper fastening could lead to unsafe guardrails. This article invest...

Cave-ins are very frequent in the construction industry and present a very serious risk for workers who operate inside trenches or excavations. Studies show that excavations or trenches in Quebec sensitive clay soils are extremely hazardous due to possible severe and sudden loss of soil shear strength. Many North American and European construction...

Guardrails are an efficient way to protect construction workers against falls from height. For residential construction, job-built wooden guardrails are quite common. This article investigates the strength of temporary wooden guardrails attached to open joists or prefabricated walls. More than 350 laboratory strength tests were performed on wooden...

Avec l’évolution rapide des nouvelles technologies et la recherche de rentabilité des investissements, les systèmes électroniques programmables (PES) ont été implantés progressivement dans toutes les industries. Le secteur minier n’échappe pas à cette tendance et au fil du temps presque toutes les mines du Québec ont équipé leurs machines d’extract...

Avec l’évolution rapide des nouvelles technologies et la recherche de rentabilité des investissements, les systèmes électroniques programmables (PES) ont été implantés progressivement dans toutes les industries. Le secteur minier n’échappe pas à cette tendance et au fil du temps presque toutes les mines du Québec ont équipé leurs machines d’extract...

Malgré les réglementations nationales et internationales qui exigent de protéger les travailleurs exposés à un risque de chute, les chutes de hauteur restent l’une des principales causes de décès pour les travailleurs de la construction. Elles sont la deuxième cause d’accidents en ce qui a trait aux coûts (397 millions de dollars par an sur la péri...

Mine hoist are an essential part of an underground mine. In addition to extracting the ore from the mine, this machine transports the miners from the surface to the various underground levels of the mine. The two main hazards to which minors in the cage are exposed to are rope severance and loss of control of the hoisting machine. In both cases, th...

Construction workers who install roof trusses are at risk of falling because they have to work at height in difficult conditions. Poised precariously on the framework, they may lose their balance or fall when putting trusses into place. To protect his workers from falling while installing trusses, plywood or shingles, a residential builder recently...

Falls from heights are still a major cause of workplace accidents. Too often, workers don’t use lifelines because there is no anchor point available, or because they find that fixed anchor points limit their movements too much. This limitation can be overcome, however, with the use of a horizontal lifeline system (HLLS). This report is an update to...

Among the many occupational risks construction workers encounter every day, fall from height is the most dangerous. The objective of this paper is to propose a simple analytical design method for horizontal lifelines (HLL) that considers anchorage flexibility. This paper presents a short review of the standards and regulations/acts/codes concerning...

La pose de fermes de toit présente particulièrement des risques et des dangers de chute pour les travailleurs de la construction parce qu’elle se fait en hauteur et dans des conditions difficiles. Les travailleurs, en équilibre précaire sur la charpente, risquent de perdre l’équilibre et/ou de chuter lors de la pose des fermes. Pour protéger ses tr...

This paper compares Canadian provincial mining safety regulations addressing hoist safety, automatic hoisting, and shaft obstruction. The regulations are quite similar among provinces, with only slight differences. Risk-mitigation strategies used in other industries are discussed, including their applicability to mine hoists. The specific case of s...

Residential roofing is considered as one of the most risky occupations. Usually, workers use roof anchors for fall protection during roof installation. This method is time consuming and hinders their tasks. Instead of roof anchors, a building contractor has developed a horizontal lifeline system (HLLS) consisting of two 4.9-m long posts made up of...

Les chutes de hauteur sont encore aujourd’hui une des causes majeures d’accidents du travail. Trop souvent, les travailleurs ne s’attachent pas, faute de point d’ancrage disponible, ou parce qu’ils trouvent que les points d’attache fixes restreignent trop leurs mouvements. Cette restriction peut toutefois être levée grâce aux systèmes de corde d’as...

This paper compares Canadian provincial mining safety regulations regarding the use and testing of cage safety catches, including a brief history and evolution. Regulations are similar across provinces, with only slight variations. Currently, the “Ontario-type” safety dog is the most commonly used safety catch in Canada. Performance estimation of t...

In difficult soil conditions, engineers sometimes choose to combine reinforced soil and spread footings instead of deep foundations. Among the available techniques for soil reinforcement, vibro stone columns are frequently used to reduce the liquefaction risk, improve the soil properties and improve the overall seismic performance. The use of stone...

In difficult soil conditions, engineers sometimes choose to combine reinforced soil and spread footings instead of deep foundations. Among the available techniques for soil reinforcement, vibro stone columns are frequently used to reduce the liquefaction risk, improve the soil properties and improve the overall seismic performance. The seismic load...