Fall injuries prompt reminder on safe work at heights

A recent series of significant falls from height in the construction industry in Western Australia has prompted a reminder from WorkSafe WA to ensure that safe systems are in place when working at heights.

Four falls have taken place in the state since mid-December, all resulting in injuries to workers:

• 12 December 2010 - worker fell from house roof while re-roofing and broke bones in both heels;
• 19 January 2011 - worker fell from temporary platform during house construction, breaking an ankle;
• 20 January 2011 - worker fell from scaffold, resulting in head trauma; and
• 25 January 2011 - worker fell through eaves while re-roofing at a school, sustaining life-threatening head injuries.

WorkSafe WA Acting Executive Director Ian Munns said that falls from height were almost always preventable by having safe systems of work in place: “Falls are one of the most significant causes of workplace death in the construction industry, and 13 Western Australian workers have died over the past three and a half years as a result of falls. A further 1356 are injured each year, many seriously and permanently.

“Only two other industries - the mining industry and agriculture, forestry and fishing - have had more fatalities than the construction industry over the past 20 years.

“It’s always disappointing to hear about falls from height in workplaces because these incidents are almost always readily preventable and it need not be difficult or costly to ensure that suitable barriers or fall restraint or arrest systems are in place before an incident can occur.

“It has probably been nothing more than good luck that none of the recent spate of incidents has resulted in a death, so it is important to remind everyone - not just the construction industry - of the importance of having systems of work in place for the prevention of falls.

“You don’t need to fall far to be killed or seriously injured - in fact, there have been deaths from falls of less than a couple of metres.

“A code of practice on fall prevention has existed in WA for 20 years, with the original code being issued in response to the number of deaths being recorded in the construction industry at that time.

“The current code is comprehensive - providing information on the identification of common fall hazards and the correct use of appropriate ladders and fall arrest and prevention equipment.

“It also has a strong emphasis on promoting safe design principles for buildings to eliminate fall hazards from the outset, in keeping with prevention strategies to eliminate hazards and control risks at the source.”

All employers with workplaces that may contain fall hazards are urged to ensure that copies of the Code of Practice on the Prevention of Falls in Workplaces are readily available at their workplaces. The code can be downloaded at no cost from the WorkSafe website at www.worksafe.wa.gov.au.