DIL-AW-2016 01 Global Lubricants Supply Chain Feb 2016

WORKNG AT HEIGHT

Target audience for this alert

All operational staff
All Maintenance staff
Permit Issuers/Holders
Contractors & Contract Owner/Holder

When a job is being performed above ground level the dangerous situations which can arise are often underestimated and
people frequently take short cuts without even considering the possible risk of a fall. Over the past 6 months within the Lubricants
Supply Chain business there has been two falls from height, one of which resulted in an injury and recently two near misses
where there was insufficient fall prevention.

What happened
1. A contracted worker was working on dismantling the corrugated roof sheets when he
stepped on a sky light and fell through the roof from approx. 6m high. He was
wearing fall protection equipment (body harness + shock absorber connected to the
lifeline). The Lanyard was too long, hence didn’t prevent him from hitting the floor.
The contractor suffered a fracture of the left wrist, and pelvis and bruises. FIM
#1503183. The full LFI can be found here.

2. A truck driver loading at the gantry lost their footing and fell from the top of the truck. The
driver was wearing fall protection, and this broke his fall. He was left suspended in his
harness, but was rescued by nearby co-workers. No injuries were sustained. During the
loading two compartments had been opened and the driver stepped backward and lost his
footing in the open compartment lid behind him. See CCTV footage FIM #1415411

3. A contractor worker climbed out of a guarded tower scaffold platform to cross over to
another scaffold platform. The worker did not maintain 100% tie-off during this
movement and there was a drop of about 3 meters to the next lower platform level.
There was no personal injury. (Route taken is highlighted in red on photo). FIM
#1571302
 4. Two contractors were repairing a windowpane on the 2nd floor of an office building. They started the repair work from
the inside. They were told they could work outside from a balcony; the balcony had a standard fall prevention rail
(guard rail) of approx. 1.1 m in height. However, one of the contractors climbed a step ladder, approx. 60 cm high, to
carry out the work and thus brought himself in a position outside the fall prevention railing. Two of the office staff
noticed the situation, and stopped the work. FIM#1569014

Why these happened

 Failure to provide adequate fall prevention & to communicate clearly the limitations of fall protection
 Unsuitable & insufficient Risk Assessments
 Inappropriate application of safe systems of work (PTW & SOPs) or adherence to safe working practise
 Acceptance of an inherently unsafe working practice

The lessons learned

 When planning a job or carrying out any task at involves working at height you must consider the hierarchy of control:
 First: Eliminate/ avoid the work at height.
 Second: Work from a permanent work platform with guardrails and toe boards.
 Third: Work from a temporary work platform (scaffold) or mobile work platform with guardrails.
Consider the hazards of installing, operating or maintaining the work platform when deciding
whether it is reasonably practicable.
 Fourth: Use personal fall-protection equipment
 Those involved in the planning and execution of work at height must set clear expectations and ensure via safety walks that fall
prevention systems are not breached (people stay within the rails) and that fall protection systems are being used correctly.
 All worst case scenarios should be considered and discussed with the work teams.
 Supervisor must check the understanding of workers to ensure they have sufficient awareness of the controls (barriers) and
their role in maintaining these.
 When working at height outside of traditional scaffolding/structures, use of personal fall-protection equipment and tying off
may be the only barrier to a fall from height.
o Tying off depends on individual decisions and behaviours, which may be influenced by previous successful
outcomes (i.e., never falling and/or working without tying-off). So supervision is key to ensure correct
behaviours.
 Intervene & stop work when there is unsafe act or condition. Your intervention is important to ensure everyone goes back home
safely.
 Contractor& Employees needs to be continuously engaged and on-boarded on compliance with the site rules including LSRs,
standards, site specific procedures (SOPs) and training requirements including the limitations of fall protection (PPE).

Recommendations
 Do all work parties understand and apply the Hierarchy of Controls looking first at eliminating the risk, and consider ALL
options when choosing work methods. Consider Fall Prevention before fall protection (PPE).
 Are fall scenarios thoroughly evaluated and Harnesses/Lanyards/anchor points checked to ensure they are going to work?
Do people know how to calculate fall clearance?
 For all high risk activities, are all worst case scenario considered then eliminated or risks mitigated (adequately controlled)?

Reflect and engage:

 How could something similar happen in my work area?

 What is my role when I see unsafe work conditions?

 What are the rules associated with working at height?

 What other insights do you have based on this incident?

  What will you do differently as a result of learning from these incidents?

 When carrying out work at height ask yourself is the fall prevention adequate?

 Do I need additional Fall protection

o Have I completed a fall protection plan for the task?
o Do I have a good understanding of when fall protection’s required?
o Have I communicated the hazards of the job to all workers?

 Supervisors should check that all workers been trained in fall protection.

Further information

Operational Safety Wisdom Packs: Working at Heights