Reducing the risk of falling objects on worksites

Falling objects remain a leading cause of workplace harm in the building industry, with more than 280 construction workers injured since the start of 2023.

To highlight the risk, WorkSafe Victoria has published an animated video outlining the circumstances and factors that led to a sprinkler head falling 26 storeys from a Melbourne construction site in March 2020, landing close to workers at street level.

WorkSafe’s dropped object calculator — which allows users to select the weight of an object to discover how much damage it could cause when falling from a certain height — estimates the sprinkler head would have struck the ground at more than 153 km/h, with the same force as being hit by a car on the street.

The video was produced as part of an enforceable undertaking worth more than $195,000 entered into with Multiplex Constructions Pty Ltd following the incident, which also includes funding the promotion of educational materials and a scholarship.

WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin urged construction workers and duty holders to watch the video, which uses investigation findings to recreate the incident and explains the steps that duty holders should have taken to reduce the risk.

“Every year hundreds of workers are seriously injured by falling objects,” Jenkin said.

“Alarmingly, WorkSafe inspectors continue to see near misses where objects fall from construction sites — and it's only luck that prevents someone below being seriously injured.”

Jenkin said risk control measures for falling objects are well known, so there is no excuse for duty holders failing to implement them.

“Things like gaps in safety screens on mid- and high-rise construction sites, missing kickboards on scaffolding or debris, or materials coming loose while being lifted can have devastating consequences for anyone caught below at the wrong time,” he said.

WorkSafe enforcement action against 10 companies for incidents involving falling objects in construction has resulted in more than $1.05 million in fines, costs and undertakings since the start of 2023.

Top image credit: iStock.com/FooTToo. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.