Workers Fell from Height at Ventilation / Air-Condition Ducting

Two fatal incidents were reported recently; one in the marine and the other in the construction industry. Both workers fell to their death while working at the ventilation / air-condition ducting areas at their respective workplaces.

In the first incident, 2 workers were tasked to cover up a 1.5m (diameter) opening after one section of the ventilation duct was dismantled at the accommodation deck of a vessel. One worker lost his balance and fell into the opening. He landed at the bottom of the ventilation duct which was 14m below the opening (Figure 1).

In the second incident, a worker fell from a height of 8m when he and his co-worker were preparing work platforms for installing air-condition ducting above the false ceiling.The worker was sent to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries on the same day (Figure 2).

Recommendations*

1. Risk assessment: A risk assessment must be carried out by experienced and knowledgeable persons before starting any work. Through the risk assessment, employers and workers can identify hazards and take appropriate actions to eliminate the hazards 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 workers. In these cases, one of the key control measures would be to prevent workers from falling while working at height.

2. Workplace safety and health management programme: Employers should establish and implement a Safety and Health policy, and safety management system with proper control measures and safe work procedures. This includes a fall protection plan for any works that may involve workers falling from a height. The safety and health programme must be clearly communicated to all levels of personnel, such as through refresher courses or daily toolbox meetings.

3. Fall prevention / protection / arrest system: Work at height must be made safe through fall prevention or protection measures first. This can include safe access and egress where the workplace is adequately barricaded or guarded to prevent falls. Further control measures could be in the fall arrest system. Examples include travel restraint, fall arrest and engineered systems with anchorage points as explained below:

Travel restraint: A travel restraint system prevents the worker from falling by restricting his movement into hazardous areas, such as open sides. For such a system, a restraint belt or a full body harness is suitable once anchored securely.

Fall Arrest: An individual fall arrest system protects the worker by stopping his fall so that he does not strike the ground. A full body harness with a self-retracting lifeline or a shock absorber and a lanyard are suitable for fall arrest once anchored securely.

Engineered Systems: Engineered systems such as horizontal lifelines should be installed according to the design by a professional engineer. Deviating from the design can result in the system not functioning as it rightfully should and can result in potentially unsafe conditions for workers.

4. Ensure proper supervision: Employers should ensure that workers adhere to the established safe work procedures, e.g. by ensuring that workers follow the fall protection plan when working at height and disciplining workers who exhibit unsafe acts and do not comply with the safe work procedures.