Dropped scaffold board during roof panel removal injures worker below

During removal of roof panels from a turbine enclosure, a 3.5kg (7.7lbs), 600mm (23.6”) long scaffold board (used as a ‘glut’ to provide clearance between a panel and structural beam) dislodged, falling 5.8m (19ft) to the landing below.

The falling board impacted a member of another work party below on the head.

The worker was treated at the facility medical centre before being transferred to a hospital for further medical assessment and treatment.

Six stitches were required to close the laceration.

An unsecured packing (glut) was installed beneath the roof panel at height.

The scaffold design / installation did not incorporate infill protection.

Work area was inspected prior to work commencing and glut being put in place, but dropped object risk was not identified.

Adjacent work team was unaware of potential dropped objects.

At the moment of impact the worker was not wearing a helmet because they had temporarily removed it to fit a face shield.

Resource and plan lifting operations to ensure:

• Competent people with lifting training, knowledge, skills and expertise are involved in planning and execution
• Potential dropped objects are identified and controls put in place
• Simultaneous work hazards are identified and exclusion zones established

Execute and supervise lifting operations to ensure:

• An activity walk-through is conducted before lifting operation commences
• Potential dropped objects are identified (e.g. gluts) and secured at source
• Exclusion zones are established and access restricted to ensure loads are not suspended over occupied areas

Strengthen the management system and enable team performance by:

• Integrating a dedicated lifting focal point into planning team in support with preparation and execution activities
• Review (for completeness) all lift plans associated with turbine overhauls

This could have been prevented by:

• Activity oversight by people with lifting and working at height expertise to support risk assessments
• Restraint of potential dropped objects at source
• Thorough activity walk-through (Step Back 5x5)
• Team resourcing aligned to the nature of activities scheduled or planned

Do you plan and execute works to install and remove existing infrastructure (e.g. roofing)?

When you remove roofing, how do you prevent items underneath the roof panels (e.g. unsecured ‘gluts’) from falling?

Do you and your team conduct activity walk-throughs before starting lifting operations?

How do you ensure that people below won’t get hit by falling objects during lifting operations?