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What happened?
An all-terrain forklift was being used to elevate scaffold racks.
Scaffold rack was being loaded with 3m/10ft scaffold tubes.
Another crew became available and joined the lifting crew.
Using the extra workers, the foreman requested that an additional 8 x 5m/16ft should be placed on top of the 3m/10ft tubes.
One of the larger tubes fell 9m/30ft to the ground from the scaffold rack.
The incident could have resulted in serious injury or fatality.
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Why did it happen?
5m/16ft tubes were flush with 3m/10ft tubes on one end and cantilevered at the other in order to allow the rack to be closer to scaffold for unloading.
The tubes were mixed to avoid delays caused by having to lower the fork boom and relocating forklift closer to the scaffold.
Risk was not recognised - mixing the scaffold tubes was perceived to be safe.
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What did they learn?
Ensure that all scaffolding tubes are loaded and lifted correctly according to lifting guidelines and internal procedures.
Workers should be assigned appropriate tasks based on their experience (identified before starting the work).
Maintain good housekeeping onsite by removing excess equipment and materials to minimise distractions and clutter within the working area.
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Ask yourself or your crew
How should the tubes have been handled (separate loads/different securing method/other)?
How do you know/how can you check that everyone is competent to perform their duties?
What should you do if one of your colleagues is working in an unsafe manner?
Do you ever feel rushed to complete a task? What can you do about this?
What procedures should you follow during today’s lifting task?
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What happened?
An all-terrain forklift was being used to elevate scaffold racks.
Scaffold rack was being loaded with 3m/10ft scaffold tubes.
Another crew became available and joined the lifting crew.
Using the extra workers, the foreman requested that an additional 8 x 5m/16ft should be placed on top of the 3m/10ft tubes.
One of the larger tubes fell 9m/30ft to the ground from the scaffold rack.
The incident could have resulted in serious injury or fatality.
Why did it happen?
5m/16ft tubes were flush with 3m/10ft tubes on one end and cantilevered at the other in order to allow the rack to be closer to scaffold for unloading.
The tubes were mixed to avoid delays caused by having to lower the fork boom and relocating forklift closer to the scaffold.
Risk was not recognised - mixing the scaffold tubes was perceived to be safe.
What did they learn?
Ensure that all scaffolding tubes are loaded and lifted correctly according to lifting guidelines and internal procedures.
Workers should be assigned appropriate tasks based on their experience (identified before starting the work).
Maintain good housekeeping onsite by removing excess equipment and materials to minimise distractions and clutter within the working area.
Ask yourself or your crew
How should the tubes have been handled (separate loads/different securing method/other)?
How do you know/how can you check that everyone is competent to perform their duties?
What should you do if one of your colleagues is working in an unsafe manner?
Do you ever feel rushed to complete a task? What can you do about this?
What procedures should you follow during today’s lifting task?
A scaffold rack was being loaded with 3m/10ft scaffold tubes. A foreman requested that 5m/16ft tubes are placed on top of the 3m/10ft tubes to avoid time delays. One of the larger tubes fell 9m/30ft to the ground from the scaffold rack. The incident could have resulted in serious injury or fatality.
