Falling objects injure more than 280 construction workers
24 Oct 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
More than 280 construction workers have been injured by falling objects since the start of 2023. WorkSafe Victoria has released an animated video recreating a near miss in which a sprinkler head fell 26 storeys from a Melbourne construction site.
Falling objects remain a leading cause of harm in the building industry and can also endanger members of the public near work sites. WorkSafe reported numerous near misses in recent years.
The video examines the circumstances and factors behind the March 2020 incident, when a sprinkler head fell from the Melbourne site and landed close to workers at street level. It draws on investigation findings and explains the steps duty holders should have taken to reduce the risk.
WorkSafe’s dropped object calculator estimates that the sprinkler head would have hit the ground at more than 153 kilometres per hour, with an impact comparable to being struck by a car on the street. The calculator lets users select an object’s weight and falling height to estimate the damage it could cause.
The video forms part of an Enforceable Undertaking worth more than $195,000 entered into with Multiplex Constructions Pty Ltd following the incident. The undertaking also includes funding to promote educational materials and a scholarship.
WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin urged construction workers and duty holders to watch the video. “Alarmingly, WorkSafe inspectors continue to see near misses where objects fall from construction sites – and it's only luck that prevents someone below being seriously injured.”
Mr Jenkin said controls for falling objects were well known and duty holders had no excuse for failing to put them in place. He identified gaps in safety screens on mid- and high-rise sites, missing scaffolding kick boards, and debris or materials coming loose during lifting as hazards that could have devastating consequences for people below.
Since the start of 2023, WorkSafe enforcement action against 10 companies over falling-object incidents in construction has resulted in more than $1.05 million in fines, costs and undertakings.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free SWMS tool can help you document falling-object hazards and relevant controls for high-risk construction work. Create a free SWMS