Preventable falls from height remain among the top three causes of work-related deaths and one of the leading causes of work-related injury, according to WorkSafe.

Already this year three people have died after work-related falls and another 380 people have been seriously injured in workplace falls this year, including a toddler who fell from a second-storey office window and a contractor who fell 5.5 metres while repairing a factory roof in Campbellfield.

Since January, WorkSafe has prosecuted 17 employers for failing to take reasonable safety precautions while working at heights, leading to $1.1 million in court fines, costs and enforceable undertakings.

At-risk industries and actions

Construction work poses the greatest risk of serious injury or death from falls.

Almost half (18) of the 41 fatal falls since the start of 2018 involved construction workers, including three falls from or through roofs, three through stairwell voids, three from ladders and three from scaffolding.

About a third of the 7,395 accepted claims for fall injuries in the same period came from construction workers (2,168) and almost half of those fell from ladders (913).

The next most common industries for falls claims were transport, postal and warehousing (652), manufacturing (623), arts and recreation services (623), health care and social assistance (483), education and training (413), wholesale trade (393) and retail (377).

Across all industries, steps and stairways accounted for a quarter of all accepted fall injury claims (1,792), followed closely by ladders (1,664).

Five workers died after falls from horses, with another 479 injured. Four workers lost their lives falling from trucks, semitrailers and lorries and 378 were injured.

Falls can also happen in the office: 268 workers have been seriously injured falling from chairs or furniture since 2018, including a worker seriously injured when they fell while standing on a table to take a group photo.

Preventative measures

To prevent falls from height employers should:

• Eliminate the risk by, where practicable, doing all or some of the work on the ground or from a solid construction.
• Use a passive fall prevention device such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, safety mesh or elevating work platforms.
• Use a positioning system, such as a travel-restraint system, to ensure employees work within a safe area.
• Use a fall arrest system, such as a harness, catch platform or safety nets, to limit the risk of injuries in the event of a fall.
• Use a fixed or portable ladder, or implement administrative controls.

WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Narelle Beer said: “A fall can happen in just seconds but the consequences can last a lifetime, including devastating injuries and loss of life.

“Yet despite the well-known risks, we still see things like workers on a roof without fall protection, harnesses not attached to an anchor point, poorly installed scaffolding, platforms without guard rails, unprotected voids and unsafe ladders.”

How the Victorian Chamber can help

Businesses can boost their safety with the Victorian Chamber’s HSR Initial OHS Training Course.

To exercise your powers and rights as a Health and Safety Representative (HSR) effectively, it is essential that you receive training. This WorkSafe-approved course gives HSRs, managers, supervisors, health and safety committee members and anyone with an interest in health and safety the skills, knowledge and confidence to represent your designated work group and to help make your workplace safer.

The Victorian Chamber has a team of Workplace Relations and Health, Safety and Wellbeing Advisors and Consultants. The team has an impressive background and a wealth of experience putting them in the best position to support your business. For more information on how we can support your business or to access our consulting services call us today on (03) 8662 5222.