{"id":13410,"date":"2020-05-04T16:12:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T16:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onlinecprcertification.net\/blog\/?p=13410"},"modified":"2020-05-04T16:12:02","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T16:12:02","slug":"drops-prevention-staying-safe-from-dropping-objects-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlinecprcertification.net\/blog\/drops-prevention-staying-safe-from-dropping-objects-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Drops Prevention: Staying Safe from Dropping Objects at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Staying Safe from Falling Objects in Your Workplace<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling objects can fall into two\ncategories; static dropped objects, and dynamic dropped objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A static dropped\nobject<\/a>\nfalls from rest to another position, under the force of its gravity, without\nany external forces added to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dynamic dropped object is any object\nthat falls from its initial position due to the application of an external\nforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In both cases, many people are not aware\nof the forces generated when an object drops. In spite of the size of the\ndropping object, it is capable of causing incredible damage and injury, even\nwhen using protective gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

For instance, a simple hammer of about 2\nkilograms dropped from a height of about 5 meters will generate an impact force\nover one ton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, a seemingly harmless object\nlike a pen or a nail would cause a lot of damage if dropped from a significant\nheight, especially from hundreds of feet high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The danger of dropping objects increases\nwith an increase in height; height affects the velocity of the object coming\ndown, and the higher the speed, the more the force contained and thus more\ndamage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, dropped objects fall into\ntwo groups; direct hits, and deflections. Direct hits are those that fall\ndirectly to the ground via the force of gravity. Deflected objects, on the other\nhand, are those whose downward trajectory gets disrupted and gets directed to\nanother path.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety Concerns of Dropped Objects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistically, dropped objects have been\na cause for thousands of fatalities around the world. In the United States, for\ninstance, falling objects have been responsible for over 250 deaths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there have been close to\n50 thousand incidences reported where dropping objects hit and injured\nindividuals, and that is in construction sites alone. Every day, there are\nreports of hundreds of people struck by dropped objects in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story is similar in the United\nKingdom, where dropped objects rank in the top three causes of deaths at the\nworkplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to causing related\nfatalities and injuries as in the US, falling objects have also resulted in hours\nof lost work time, due to missing workers on injury leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, in Australia, dropped objects\ncaused more deaths in four years since 2010, than those resulting from falling\nfrom a height. Dropped objects were also the bases for tens of thousands of\ncompensation claims from injured workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports show that there is a severe\nincident involving dropped objects every 30 minutes in Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These statistics apply for every\nworkplace where workers work in elevated environments, or where objects have to\nbe lifted continuously and stored, such as in warehouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both environments pose a serious threat\nto both workers, and the public since injuries from dropped objects tend to\nhave devastating effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling objects can also lead to\nbleeding and cause the spread of\nbloodborne pathogens<\/a>\nfrom one worker to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effects of Dropped Objects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dropped objects at a workplace result in\nnumerous effects, both to the employees and to the company in charge. For\ninstance, dropped objects can lead to the responsible company incurring hefty\ncosts, both direct and indirect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct costs are those that involve\nmoney, while indirect damages are mostly about a damaged reputation and lost\ntime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A dropped object incident causes loss of\nmoney via many avenues. First, it is through the cost of replacement or\nretrieval of the item lost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it may not be a considerable cost\nreplacing one small thing, constant repair or replacement, or even recovery,\ncan add to the budget of the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money is also spent taking injured\npersonnel for medical care and also catering for any lawsuits that may result\nfrom any injuries. Suits get worse if those involved in the incident are\nordinary people, the public, and the result could be reputation and brand damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling objects can also lead to\nbleeding and cause the spread of bloodborne pathogens from one worker to the\nnext. This affects a worker\u2019s wellbeing while also increasing expenses on the\nemployer\u2019s part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incidents involving falling objects also\nconsume a lot of time, ranging from time taken during replacements and\nretrievals, time used up during court cases involving lawsuits, and even time\nused by workers recuperating in hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasted time, therefore, may lead to\nadditional costs to the project at hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the most critical loss in any\ncase involving dropped objects is the loss of life. Life is irreplaceable. No\namount of compensation can bring someone back to life. Loss of life in such\ncases leads to a domino effect in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even recoverable injuries have severe\neffects on the workplace since the people involved and their families will\nsuffer from the trauma resulting from the injuries. It will also affect the\nincome flow to that family. You also have to consider the medical bills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workplace deaths, on the other hand,\nwould result in substantial traumatic consequences and financial constraints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On costs, the company responsible must\nanswer to lawsuits and pay insurance costs, fines for negligence, and even\nextra costs from delayed production resulting from time and money commitments\nelsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotionally, a workplace death will also\naffect the progress of a project since workers close to the deceased may suffer\npsychological trauma. Colleagues may also raise concern over their safety,\nhoping to avoid a similar fate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such concerns impact the morale of the\nworkers and inevitably affects the productivity of the company as a whole.\nGenerally, it is impossible to calculate the effects of a workplace fatality\naccurately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Factors Increasing Risk of Dropping Objects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incidences involving falling objects can\nbe resultant from several factors. For instance, estimates show that about a\nthird of all dropped object incidences are a result of design, mechanical, or\ntechnical issues with the tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it is clear that the majority\nof the instances, more than half, are caused by human factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these factors, further\nclarified, are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Inadequate risk assessment.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Many dropped object cases are usually caused\nby incomplete risk assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In these instances, the project manager\nor the company in charge of the project may fail to educate workers on the\npossible risks of working at high altitudes, and the potential dangers of tools\nand other objects falling during work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Without sufficient risk assessment,\nworkers, as well as the general public, may be unaware of the potentially risky\nregions at the workplace, which may lead to unintentional injuries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Risk assessment can also identify\npotential energy sources, ensuring precaution is taken when working in those\nareas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Further risk assessment also involves\nconsidering the possibility of an injured\nworker infecting the other with blood<\/a> and body fluid exposures and taking\nprecautionary measures to ensure safe response to dropped-object injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n