Dangers relating to falling objects while lifting, lowering and suspending loads

Background

In recent months several safety incidents have occurred involving falling objects. This includes an incident in September where a worker suffered serious upper body injuries after being hit by materials that fell about 16 storeys.

Safety issues

Falling objects are a leading cause of death and serious injury in the construction industry. Falling objects pose a hazard not only on work sites but also on adjoining public spaces like footpaths and roads. Even relatively light and small objects can cause serious injuries when they fall from height and hit a person.

Recommended ways to control risk

The following actions can help to eliminate or reduce the risk of falling objects while lifting, lowering, or suspending loads.

• Identify the safest location for the crane. Take into consideration the crane type, lifting areas, landing areas and travel corridors.
• Implement and maintain exclusion zones to separate employees and members of the public from potential falling objects.
• Ensure that material storage and handling equipment such as pallet cages and stillages are suitably designed and rated capacity for the load being lifted.
• All loads must be rigged and slung by a suitably qualified person.
• Loose materials need to be adequately restrained to prevent them falling during the lift.
• Monitor weather conditions to ensure that wind speed or visibility doesn’t exceed safe operating conditions.

Legal obligations

Employers and self-employed persons have legal duties which they must fulfil. These duties are governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations) and include the following:

• Provide or maintain plant or systems of work that are safe and without risks to health, so far as is reasonably practicable.
• Provide the necessary information, instruction, training or supervision so employees can work in a way that is safe and without risk to health.
• Not allow an employee to perform high risk construction work, such as operation of a crane or conducting dogging or rigging work, unless the employee holds the appropriate high risk work licence for the work.
• For high-risk construction work, such as moving powered mobile plant where there is a risk to the health or safety of a person, preparing a safe work method statement (SWMS) before the work commences and ensuring the work is performed in accordance with that SWMS.

In accordance with section 23 of the OHS Act, an employer must also ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons other than employees of the employer (such as members of the public) are not exposed to risks to their health or safety arising from the conduct of the undertaking of the employer.