Hit by Falling Object

This worker was hit by a falling object. The object fell about 30 storeys. Luckily for him, he was wearing his helmet.

The worker was hospitalised for about a week. Part of the skull was removed (equivalent to a 50c coin in size)

The object broke through the helmet before striking the head. Imagine if he had not worn his helmet!

Chemical spill in NUS

A chemical spill in a cargo lift at the National University of Singapore resulted in two men being hurt on Thursday afternoon.

As the chemical was acidic in nature, one of them suffered burns to his hands and legs, while the other complained of skin irritation.The former was sent to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), while the latter was conveyed to the National University Hospital (NUH).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were called in to clear up the spill that was confined within the cargo lift.

They cleared the spillage with absorbents. As a precautionary measure the SCDF and the building's Fire Safety Manager evacuated the whole building.

The cause of the spill is under investigation.

(Original Source: AsiaOne, Fri, Jul 08, 2011)

For Chemical Spill Training, contact: enquiry@kavservices.sg

WSH Alert – Worker Crushed by Toppled Steel Gate

6 Jun 2011, Ref: 1011133 WSH Alert – Worker Crushed by Toppled Steel Gate Incident In March 2011, two security officers were manually closing a steel sliding gate about 10m long by 2.5m high. In the process, the gate dislodged and it toppled onto one of the officers. The officer was pinned to the ground and succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Preliminary investigation revealed that the steel sliding gate was initially designed to be operated by remote. Its motor, equipped with over-travelling limit switches, had been removed for repairs prior to the incident. Figure 1: Position of two security officers manually closing the steel gate Figure 2: Worker crushed by toppled gate Recommendations*: Occupiers of premises that include similar size metal sliding gates can undertake control measures such as the following to prevent an accident: Install a suitable physical stopper or barrier to prevent the gate from over-travelling. The length and weight of the gate must be taken into consideration to assess the suitability of the stopper or barrier. Inform users of the gate if any part of the gate (stopper or motor) which affects the normal operation of the gate is removed for repairs. Inform users about any peculiar environmental conditions, e.g. sloping ground where it might affect the stability of the gates during operation. Further Information: 1. Workplace Safety and Health Act (Chapter 354A), please click here 2. Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations, please click here 3. Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations, please click here 4. Code of Practice on WSH Risk Management, please click here * Please note that the information provided is not exhaustive and is for the benefit of enhancing workplace safety and health so that a recurrence may be prevented. The information provided is not to be construed as implying any liability to any party nor should it be taken to encapsulate all the responsibilities and obligations of the reader of WSH Alert under the law.

We regret that we are unable to reply to emails to this address. For enquiries or feedback, please email us at contact@wshc.sg . Visit the WSH Council's website now for updates on WSH-related matters, information and events. This WSH Bulletin is available free of charge, may be printed or downloaded onto electronic, optical or similar storage media provided that such activities are for private research, study, or in-house use only. If such material is to be copied or reproduced, users are asked to ensure that the material is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context, that the status of the material is identified and to acknowledge Workplace Safety & Health Council, Singapore as the source of the material. If you wish to update your WSH Bulletin profile, please click here .

Worker Crushed by Toppled Pipe

WSH Alert - 9 Jun 2010, Ref: 1011024

Incident

In this incident, a worker was using a hand held power tool to grind/polish a welded joint on Pipe A within a pipe bridge. He was working in a 300mm gap between Pipe A and Pipe B, when Pipe B suddenly rolled towards Pipe A. The toppled Pipe B crushed and killed the worker.

Both pipes were about 300mm in diameter and weighed several tonnes. Each pipe was welded with supporting shoes at interval spacing of about 6m and rested on supporting I-beams. At various shoe locations on Pipe B, two brackets were welded to the I-beam to hold the shoe in place, and restrict the lateral movement of the pipe. The shoes were not permanently fixed to the I-beams to allow for longitudinal movements due to thermal expansion and contraction. At some of the shoe locations, timber blocks were also placed between the lateral restraining brackets. As the height of the timber blocks exceeded the height of the brackets, the pipe shoes were resting on the timber blocks and not secured by the brackets.

Figure 1. Pipe B toppled and crushed the worker.

Recommendations*

1. Conduct risk assessment: Risk assessment must be carried out before starting any work. Through risk assessment, employers and employees can identify potential hazards and take appropriate actions to eliminate or reduce the risks involved. Control measures and safe work procedures must be established, communicated and implemented to ensure the safety and health of the employees involved. Risk assessment should also cover non-routine or emergency situations, so that measures can be planned for such situations. Potential hazards for this incident include:

• Unstable placement of pipes on timber blocks.
• Unsecured pipe that is not braced against toppling.

2. Implement Safety and Health Management System: It is important for the Management to put in place an effective workplace safety and health management programme to guide the establishment of a safety management system and proper work procedures. Some of the elements in a WSH Management Programme include:

• Risk management - As explained, proper risk assessment should be conducted to identify hazards and mitigate risks
• Safe work procedures - Establish safe work procedures for carrying out the task safely. Ensure proper supervision and implementation of the safe work procedures for the task. Supervisors should provide direct and close supervision of the tasks performed by the workers under their charge
• Safety training – All workers should be adequately trained in order for them to perform their work competently. They should also be properly briefed so that they are aware of the safety and health issues.
• Communication of safety and health issues – The safety management plans and work procedures should be clearly communicated to all supervisors and workers (e.g. at the daily toolbox meetings)

2. Secure pipes: Ensure that safety measures are in place. Pipes should be adequately secured, or restrained from uncontrolled movement, e.g. with the use of chain blocks before the start of any work.

3. Ensure effective communication channels: The occupier should put in place a good and effective communication system. This is to ensure that the different contractors are regularly updated and aware of the progress of on-going works and safety issues around the worksite, e.g. checking whether the adjacent pipes have been fully installed before commencing grinding / polishing work.