Within a week in December, three workers were killed in workplace related incidents. Preliminary investigations revealed that all the workers were performing simple tasks that could have been done safely with the right procedures and proper supervision. Both were lacking in all three incidents.
Case 1 – Worker died while topping up battery water
On the day of the incident, a 19-year-old worker was carrying out the simple task of topping up the battery water for a stacker truck in a warehouse. He was standing on the driver stand platform when it suddenly lifted upwards. The worker’s neck was caught between the driver control panel and a horizontal bar which was attached to the stacker’s hoist frame. He was pronounced dead on the spot.
Case 2 – Worker fell 41m to his death while dismantling a scaffold
A 44-year-old construction worker was dismantling a metal scaffold with two other co-workers. During the process, he stood on a metal decking outside a window opening at the staircase landing area between the 19th and 18th storey without any fall protection. He was manually lowering the dismantled scaffold decking using a rope.
During the lowering process, the decking was obstructed and the worker tried to free it by swinging the rope. While doing so, he lost his balance and fell 41m to his death.
Case 3 – Worker fell into elevator shaft while removing a torn plastic sheet
A 26-year-old worker was replacing a plastic sheet covering a cable trunk opening onboard an oil rig. He was with two other co-workers. The cable trunk opening was located next to an elevator shaft which had barricades along the entire area as a form of fall protection.
While in the process of removing the plastic sheet, the worker fell into the elevator shaft opening, landing 38.5m below on the pontoon deck. The worker was sent to the hospital and pronounced dead on the same day.
Preliminary investigations suggest that he had either leaned too much over the barricades or had climbed over the barricades into the work area.
More efforts needed to raise supervision level and put safe work procedures in place
All three accidents could have been easily prevented with the right procedures and proper supervision in place. In all three cases, the individuals had poor work practices and had exposed themselves to unnecessary risks. Individuals must understand the need to assess the risks involved with their assigned tasks and not to take shortcuts.
With respect to the level of supervision for these cases, it should be further improved. Workers should not be left to figure what is the best way to carry out the work safely. They must be instructed on how they can follow these procedures. They must also be reminded not to take unnecessary risks or shortcuts when doing their job. Proper supervision must also be provided especially when the tasks are new and the workers are unfamiliar with the procedures. With proper supervision, bad work behaviours can be observed so that it could be immediately corrected.
Employers too have the responsibility to ensure that all work are safely conducted. They should have a proper understanding of the risks involved in the conduct of their business and provide the necessary resources in the management of the work that is to be performed.
