Serious working at height incidents

  • Safety Flash
  • Published on 20 December 2013
  • Generated on 11 December 2024
  • IMCA SF 18/13
  • 3 minute read

A Member has reported a number of serious working at height incidents, resulting in a fatality and five Lost Time Injuries (LTIs). 

The member would like to raise awareness of the risks associated with working with heights.

Incident 1 – LTI

An employee of a sub-contractor slipped and fell 15 m resulting in a brain haemorrhage and leg fracture.

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the injured person and co-worker location with a fall distance of 15 m

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roof sheets stacked on top of one another

Incident 2 – LTI

The injured person stood on a cardboard box to access the racking shelves in the storage area, of an onshore yard. Consequently, the injured person fell from the box and suffered a broken wrist and fractured elbow.

internal storage area at onshore site

internal storage area at onshore site

Incident 3 – LTI in Shipyard

The injured person was attempting to transit an unsecured walkway and fell a distance of 1.7 m. The person fell onto the scaffold structure below; the fall resulted in four broken ribs.

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showing from where and how injured person fell

Incident 4 – LTI on Offshore Vessel

In the fourth incident, a deck hand slipped and fell down a ladder leading from the deck to the paint store. He was found at the foot of the ladder in pain and unable to move, subsequently he required a medevac.

Incident 5 – Fall on the same level: LTI on offshore vessel

The injured person stepped down onto exposed hose-work from the ROV launch and recovery system (LARS). The person skidded onto the deck and slipped. The impact resulted in two minor fractures to the bones in right arm.

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worksite where injury occurred

Incident 6 – Fall from height fatality

Whilst installing a ventilation system an employee of a sub-contractor, fell from the roof of a building. The person fell approximately 22 m and died as a result. The employee was equipped with a safety harness; neither of the two lanyards had been attached to the adjacent life-lines.

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hole through which person fell and the distance to ground

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hole through which person fell and the distance to ground

Lessons learnt

Our Member summarised that irrespective of the height, the potential consequence of a fall can be extremely severe and the above cases are clear evidence of this. A fall from a height is entirely avoidable if procedures are followed, risk assessments and tool box talks are conducted also suitable and sufficient mitigation is in place.

Our Member recommended the following:

  • Implement the conditions of the Permit to Work, consider operations which may be undertaken concurrently with others.

  • Ensure personnel are suitably qualified and experienced.

  • Provide adequate supervision.

  • Use appropriate working at height equipment and tooling.

  • Conduct a toolbox talk.

  • If in doubt ‘stop the job’ and re-assess.

Members’ attention is also drawn to the wide range of IMCA safety promotional materials, which will be of use in mitigating risks of this sort, including:

  • Preventing slips and trips (pocket card)
  • Toolbox talks (pocket card)
  • Working at height (pocket card)
  • Workplace safety self-assessment (pocket card)
  • Permit to work (pocket card)
  • Preventing slips, trips and falls (poster)
  • Working at height: Safe use of ladders (poster)
  • Working at height (video)
  • Slips, trips and finger nips (video)
  • Risk assessment (video)
  • Toolbox talks (video)

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