Dropped object prevention

It gives you everything you need to know about stopping drops and keeping tools safe at height in a simple easy-reading format. Here’s a quick look at some of the subject areas covered.

The causes

A host of factors can contribute to a dropped object incident. It is important to consider these when assessing risks. Energy sources such as gravity, wind and mechanical motion can instigate a sequence of events that result in an object falling. Add corrosion, lack of awareness and inadequate inspection or maintenance and you can almost guarantee a dropped object incident will occur.

Statistics show that around 30% of all dropped object incidents are related to design, technical or mechanical issues but almost half can be attributed to human factors.

The effects

Dropped objects cost time, money and lives.

Time

Dropping tools and equipment has a huge negative impact on productivity. Often tools fall long distances, costing considerable time to retrieve. If they fall into water, machinery or other ‘non-retrievable’ locations, it can delay or even prevent the task being completed on schedule.

Money

Dropping and losing tools costs money to replace. Another important consideration is that, in the event of a dropped object incident, there can be lengthy legal implications and expensive bills to pay. If members of the public are involved, this can compound problems and lead to other intangible costs, like brand and reputational damage.

Lives

Most importantly, of course, is the potential loss of life. Even with recoverable injuries, it is traumatic for the persons and families involved - it can lead to the loss of income and ongoing medical expenses. Remember, if you are working in public areas, it is not just your workforce at risk, but anyone passing nearby.

The solution

Where possible, you should perform all work on a structure at ground level and then lift it into position once complete rather than taking the tools and equipment to height.

Kick boards and handrails should be fixed on scaffolding, platforms and walkways. By using additional closed mesh solutions, plywoods or other solid surface materials, coverage can be provided for all the gaps through which items can potentially fall.

Utilise safety mesh or rated barrier netting (with debris lining) in areas outside walkways and underneath conveyors, walkways, platforms and along building / structure perimeters to prevent the drop of materials to a lower level.

Tool tethering system

The most effective safety measure is to prevent items falling in the first place.  Implementing a Dropped Object or Tool Tethering Policy will stop items becoming dropped objects. Utilise tool lanyards, tool pouches, holsters, tool buckets and other tool tethering devices to ensure tools and equipment are secured when working at height.

Conclusion

Preventing dropped objects is not just the responsibility of the Health & Safety Officer or site operator. It is everyone’s responsibility to manage these risks, because often the injury is not personal, but it affects your fellow co-workers and public nearby. 

Tether your tools - and protect the people around you! For more information visit: http://neverletgo.uk/dropped-object-prevention