It’s a well-known fact that dropped objects are a safety hazard فروشگاه رونیکس all too often throughout all sorts of industries. Dropped object accidents occur on oil rigs, construction sites, manufacturing environments, and anywhere else where workers are subject to performing tasks off the ground. In the UK alone dozens die and hundreds are injured every year from falling objects. However, just because dropped objects are so commonplace doesn’t mean you can’t mitigate against them.
Mitigating against dropped tools is not difficult – it merely requires a commitment from employees and job supervisors to do so. Unfortunately, when it comes to worker safety in relation to dropped tools, that lack of commitment is the number one reason why such actions continue to happen. Securing tools against falling is very simple in principle. It’s also rather inexpensive. But when employers and their workers have no interest in investing the time, effort, and finances into working safely, accidents will happen.
Mitigating against Dropped Tools Is the Law
We won’t speak for any other place in the world, but we can say that in the UK it is required by law for companies who conduct work at height activities to take every precaution necessary to mitigate against dropped tools. Any accident resulting from a failure to do so could mean heavy fines and other forms of punitive consequences. Beyond that, employers are potentially risking injury or death to their workers and customers when they refuse to obey the law. Living with the guilt of a serious injury or death is far worse than any of the legal consequences.
Fortunately, the law is not as restrictive as some critics make it out to be. Regulations give companies and job site supervisors great latitude in the choice of methods used to secure against dropped tools. Everything from lanyards to tool bags to safety nets; as long as a company’s safety strategies are adequate and the risk assessments are in place for that particular job and type of work, they are usually acceptable. Job sites, tools, and equipment must be inspected by certified individuals in order to ensure compliance.
Education of All Workers
Perhaps the most successful component in any mitigation program is the proper training and education of all workers. It’s one thing to purchase lanyards and other types of equipment, and to pass on-site inspections; it is an entirely different matter to make employees understand the importance of tool safety. Like the typical young driver who believes accidents only happen to other people, many people working at height are unwilling to believe they could injure or kill someone until the time comes when they do. Educating them in this reality is of utmost importance.
A good training program teaches workers not only how to secure their tools, but the potential consequences if they don’t. Doing some simple math calculations to determine force and velocity go a long way in this endeavour. Real, factual stories are also a big help, especially if accompanied by photographs or written testimonies; anything to get the attention of workers in realizing how serious an issue tool safety is.
The Part of Management
Mitigating against dropped tools is ultimately the responsibility of management at various levels. First and foremost, management is responsible to ensure that a job risk assessment has be done before anything else. From that assessment they are required to provide a workable safety plan that will ensure not only the prevention of dropped tools, but also the overall safety of all personal working at height. The plan is then implemented and records kept of the entire process.
When the inspectors come to do their routine inspections they will point out to management any areas of deficiency. It is up to the managers in question to make sure corrective action is taken. However, just like there are workers who do not understand the seriousness of dropped tools and thereby don’t always follow the rules, there are some managers who do the same. Bad weather, low budgets, and being behind schedule are just three of the things that sometimes influence managers to look the other way in terms of safety.
