Fall Causes
Injury
due to falls is a major problem in construction today. Injury and death
from falls is second only to traffic accidents taking many lives each
year.
Falls are placed in two categories:
Falls on the same level such as slipping, tripping, and bumping into.
1. Falls on the same level.
2. Falls from different elevation.
- Falls caused by bumping into also result in serious injuries. We should be especially careful in hallways, warehouses, and places where blind corners exist. We sometimes get in too much of a hurry; maybe we are late in the morning or in a hurry to get home in the evening. In this rush we go around a corner too fast and collide with another person and we go spinning.
- Slipping could be due to oil or grease on the floor, a banana peel left over from lunch, a small piece of pipe, a soft drink bottle, or a welding rod stub, just to name a few. We can avoid these hazards in two ways; first, we must practice good housekeeping by keeping our work areas clean and orderly; second, we must be alert and watch our step.
- Tripping
can be caused by an irregular surface, lines or hoses across walkways,
tools not in their proper place, poor lighting, and many others. The
rules for avoiding tripping
hazards are much the same as for slipping hazards; that is, practicing
good housekeeping, watching your step, and in addition, keep your shoes
(safety shoes) in good condition. Bad soles and heels have caused many
falls.
Falls
from different elevation are usually more serious than falls on the
same level. These too, can be caused by slipping and tripping but are
also caused by many other factors such as misjudging a step or a grab
bar on a piece of heavy equipment, over-reaching a ladder or scaffold,
not tying a ladder off properly, faulty handrails on scaffolds, not
using safety belts when we should; you can name many more.
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