I know that you all understand the importance of preventing dropped objects and while I believe that our reporting of dropped objects has substantially improved in the past year (good news), the trend is clear – we are still having way too many dropped objects.  I know everyone is familiar with the drops calculator that allows us to understand the potential impact that objects dropped from height may have on a person.  The math is pretty simple – even “light” objects dropped from a significant height have the potential to seriously injure or kill someone. 

When planning to execute work at height a fulsome consideration of the potential for a dropped object must be part of the work planning, toolbox talk and FLHA.  The planning and work package needs to consider dropped object prevention with the installation of netting and other secondary capture devices and techniques (e.g. plywood over grating, penetrations plugged off) for if it hasn’t been included in the planning, there will not be any materials staged at the worksite in order for these preventions to be installed.  The planning should also consider how materials, tools and equipment will get to the elevated work site and ensure that these methods are available or installed.  The tool box talk and FLHA should include a good discussion on how to prevent dropped objects and the methods of work to ensure that materials and tools are properly secured at all times (e.g. tool lanyards).

Finally, we have all seen tools, materials and even equipment stored, forgotten or left behind at worksites.  We have seen tools in the flanges of structural steel or resting in cable trays.  We have seen left over materials and equipment “tucked away” on the corner of platforms or laying on deck grating (that could fall through).  We need to make sure that we properly and entirely clean up a worksite after a job is complete to make sure that “no hazards are left behind”.  Also, you may want to consider a regular “dropped object hazard hunt” in the weekly schedule in which members of the team walk through an area looking for things left behind that could pose a dropped object hazard and risk and then remove these from their “resting” place.  

I know that with a little focused effort we can substantially remove this hazard from occurring in our work place.

Some tips to think about:

• Do all of the crew’s tools have tool lanyards applied when working at heights?
• Are toe-boards properly installed on temporary scaffold platforms?
• Is equipment at height (portable rig rates, air movers, etc) tied off and secured when used at height?
• Is netting, plywood, or other secondary means of catching a dropped object installed and secured prior to starting a job?
• Do hardhats have lanyards or chin straps securely applied?
• Is there a conscious check of what tools and equipment is needed to be taken to height and if you don’t need it, leave it on the ground?
• Ensure that there is a drop zone cordoned off and that it is sufficiently large to capture items that may deflect off towers, stacks, piping, piperacks, etc on the way down?
• Consider a walk-through dress rehearsal with the work crew of the job; first on the ground and then at height, with a specific focus on what things could fall and how they can be prevented?