EVERY WORKER

PREVENTING FALLS
FROM EQUIPMENT
If workers stopped jumping off mobile
equipment, there would be a drop of about
five per cent in the number of lost-time
injuries due to falls from mobile equipment
among Workplace Safety North clients.
That’s not a bad start to reducing claims, but it’s not
nearly enough to reduce or stop the pain and suffering
workers experience when injured in falls from mobile
equipment, or the costs to employers when valuable
employees are off work for weeks or months at a time.
Though fatal falls from mobile equipment are uncommon
– none have been recorded among WSN clients in the last
10 years – almost all workers experience soft tissue injuries
such as cuts, bruises and abrasions, sprains, strains, and
muscle tears, and a significant number, more than 25 per
cent, suffer serious hard tissue injuries like dislocations
and fractures to their feet, legs, back, neck and head.
In each sector WSN serves – mining, forestry, paper,
printing and converting – workers are injured in falls
from equipment in roughly equal numbers. They are hurt
falling off mobile equipment of every type, from small
forklifts to huge off-road haul trucks. They fall mounting or
dismounting, maintaining or servicing vehicles, checking
or securing loads, and, yes, several times a year because
they jump or don’t use the ladders or steps provided.
Employers should develop and regularly review a
comprehensive fall prevention plan for mobile equipment
that goes beyond worker awareness of fall hazards and
training in appropriate procedures. The plan could begin
by examining fall protection measures other sectors use
and considering whether those measures can be used or
adapted to their own operations.
Those may include fixed horizontal lifelines on mobile
equipment or in service/maintenance facilities that permit
the use of fall restraint or fall arrest; temporary or portable
anchorage systems that can be attached to equipment or
located next to equipment in operational areas; collapsible
or temporary guardrails on equipment, as well as
temporary ladders or access platforms or other devices.
Since it’s not just operators who fall from mobile
equipment while mounting or dismounting, the plan
should review the specific fall hazards each piece of mobile
equipment poses to different workers, such as mechanics
or maintenance staff, who come into contact with the
equipment, and determine what control measures –
additional fall prevention features, modifications, training,
and procedures – may be appropriate.
For example, recently a worker was working in an
underground shop on the top of an LHD (Load-Haul-
Dump). While on his knees, the worker placed a hand
on a rubber wheel fender which flexed under his weight
causing him to fall (See the Mining Hazard Alert on Pg.
11). Prior modifications to the equipment or different
procedures may have prevented the incident.
Of course, it’s better not to have to modify equipment, so
prior to purchasing new mobile equipment it should be
assessed for the risk of falls. Discussions can be held with the
manufacturer or dealer on additional fall prevention features
they may add, or that can be added during commissioning.
Employer concerns about fall prevention features need to
passed along to manufacturers and dealers, so that they
can jump on the fall prevention bandwagon.
When designing or purchasing equipment note:
• Stairs are preferable to vertical steps
• Continuous hand rails are preferable to individual
grab handles
• Mounting steps should be designed not to collect
dirt (mud, snow or ice)
• Anti-slip paint is preferable to tape
• Access points (stairs and handles) should be
painted a different colour so workers know where
to step and what to grab
• As much servicing as possible is done at ground level
• Lighting for access points, especially for equipment
used in low or poor light situations
10 WorkplaceSafetyNorth.ca