Near-miss: Scaffolding collapse
- Safety Flash
- Published on 15 February 2013
- Generated on 21 October 2025
- IMCA SF 04/13
- 1 minute read
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority of Australia (NOPSEMA) has published a report regarding an incident in which a vertical scaffolding tube (a ‘dropper’) supporting a scaffolder began to slip under his weight.
The scaffolder alerted other workers in the vicinity but they could not reach the connection in time to tighten the coupler.
The tube continued to slip through the coupler until the scaffolder fell. Fortunately, the inertia reel harness he was wearing arrested his fall.
The scaffolder managed to keep hold of the dropper so that it did not fall into the sea, and was suspended over water for approximately seven minutes.
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