31 Dec 2018
Ref No.: 311218 (1)
UEN: S97SS0046G
Dear Valued ASPRI Members,
Accident Advisory: Worker fell from height
Ref: 1819070 WSH Alert Accident Notification dated 7 December 2018
On 1 December 2018 around 1pm, a worker was carrying out works on the third storey of a private dwelling under construction. At about 1.30pm, he was found lying unconscious on the second storey by a co-worker. The worker, who is believed to have fallen off, was conveyed to the hospital where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries that same afternoon.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Persons in control of similar workplaces and work activities such as occupiers, employers and contractors are advised to consider the following risk control measures to prevent similar accidents:
Fall prevention plan
For all works that involve work-at-height, ensure that a Fall Prevention Plan (FPP) is in place and adequate fall prevention or protection measures have been effectively implemented prior to work commencement.Refer to the Code of Practice for Working Safely at Heights for more details on establishing a FPP.
Effective edge protection
- Install guard-rails at all open edges of a worksite where a worker could fall from.
- Guard rails (see Figure 2) should comprise a principal guard-rail (top rail) and an intermediate guard rail (mid rail). The guard rails must be of good construction and condition, and be able to withstand the weight of a person applied on it from any direction and at any point.
- For safe installation of the guard-rail system, ensure that workers are equipped with the necessary fall prevention/protection equipment such as a travel restraint or personal fall arrest system.
Work Sequence
- Review the sequence of work to assess the risks to workplace safety and health. In this case, the door touch-up work could have been carried out after the edge protection (of permanent construction such as a parapet wall) had been constructed on the third storey. A change in work sequence could have made the workplace safer for door touch-up work activity.
Permit-to-Work
- Implement a Permit-to-Work system (PTW) system for work at heights where a person could fall from a height of more than 3 metres (referred to as hazardous work at height).
- Permit authorisers must ensure the following before allowing the work at height activity to proceed:
- Proper permit-to-work eveluation has been completed.
- There are no incompatible works.
- Control measures have been effectively implemented.
- Fall-from-height risks have been effectively mitigated.
Refer to Regulations 20 to 28 of the Workplace Safety and Health (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013 and the Code of Practice for Working Safely at Heights for more details on implementing a PTW system for work at heights.
Worker training and behaviour
- Provide sufficient work-at-height training to workers who are exposed to the risk of falling so that they can take the necessary precautions to perform their work safely. Educate workers on the fall-from-height risk control measures implemented on site.
- Consider implementing a Behavioural Observation and Intervention programme to instil safe work practices in all workers and reduce the incidence of at-risk work behaviours.
Work supervision
- Ensure that there is adequate supervision for activities involving work at heights. This is to ensure that safe work procedures are adhered to at all times.
- Inspect the work area regularly for safety lapses and stop the work as necessary until all lapses have been suitably rectified.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Conduct a thorough Risk Assessment (RA) for all work-at-height activities to manage any foreseeable risk that may arise. The RA should cover, but not limited, to the following areas:
Working near an open side
- As far as reasonably practicable, eliminate the need to access work areas that are near openings from which a person could fall from. Where access is necessary by workers who work at heights, ensure the risks have been identified and controlled, and fall prevention/protection measures are implemented and strictly adhered to before work commencement.
Worker wellbeing
- Remind workers to adopt safe work practices. Provide workers with adequate rest and remind them to stay hydrated. Encourage workers to report to their supervisors if they are under medication, feeling unwell, or experiencing severe fatigue
REFERENCES
- Workplace Safety and Health Act
- Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations
- Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations
- Workplace Safety and Health (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013
- Workplace Safety and Health (Construction) Regulations 2007
- Code of Practice on Workplace Safety and Health Risk Management
- Code of Practice for Working Safely at Heights
- SS 567: 2011: Code of Practice for Factory Layout – Safety, Health and Welfare Consideration
- BS EN 13374:2013 Temporary edge protection systems. Product specification. Test methods.
- WSH Guidelines on Anchorage, Lifelines and Temporary Edge Protection Systems
- WSH Guidelines on Personal Protective Equipment for Work At Heights
- . WSH Guide to Behavioural Observation and Intervention
- WSH Council’s Case Studies on Accidents Involving Work at Heights
- WSH Council’s Work at Heights Toolkit for Supervisors
- WSH Council’s Activity Based Checklist for Working Safely at Heights
- WSH Council’s 6 Basic Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Rules for Working at Heights
