The Two-Fold Prevention of Dropped Object Injuries

Prevent Things From Falling vs Limit the Damage After They Fall

Of all the hazards we must face in construction, gravity plays a big part in many of them. That is certainly the problem with accidentally dropping things. Every year, there are more than 50,000 “struck by falling object” OSHA recordables in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s one injury caused by a dropped object every 10 minutes.

Dropped objects are commonly the cause of a near miss and the circumstances around it should be shared with the team to prevent future dropped objects. The best solution is simple and similar to other preventative safety solutions at Helmkamp. It’s to be proactive.

Below are a few tips for the proactive prevention of dropped objects:

Once those prevention methods are in place, prepare in case an object does drop by doing the following:

While the obvious person at risk when objects are dropped is the one underneath, the worker using the tool also can be at risk, as a knee-jerk reaction may be to catch or go after the falling object, which could cause the worker to lose balance or potentially fall as well. Most organizations have a fall protection program for workers but have not deployed or expanded their program for tools and equipment. Helmkamp has both and reviews these regularly at company safety meetings with team members.