Falls from height
Risk evaluation and prevention
What is a fall from height?
The Consolidation Act on the Protection of Health and Safety in the Workplace (Legislative Decree 81/2008) identifies as potentially risky any activity that exposes workers to falls from a height of more than 2 metres above a stable surface.
INAIL data are alarming: 25% of total accidents and 32% of fatal accidents at work are attributable to workers falling from heights.
An accurate analysis of the risk factors is important in order to implement the correct preventive measures.
The data on fall modes show the following
23% falls due to roof collapsing;
17% falls from portable ladders;
12% falls from fixed parts of buildings (terraces, roofs, parapets);
10% falls from scaffolding and scaffolding;
10% falls in doorways;
9% falls from lifting equipment.
Operating methods, inadequate or incorrectly set-up equipment, procedural errors, failure to use protective equipment and hazard warning systems are common causes of falls.
What are the protective devices to prevent falls from height?
The main collective fall protection devices (CPDs) are:
Safety nets: metal support frames, protecting people and/or property from falling from heights.
Parapets: for edge protection, they consist of at least 2 uprights to which beams and a toeboard are attached, and are set up to prevent falls from heights and/or into excavations
Anchorages: consisting of a support, an anchor and an element to be fixed; used to connect protective devices and work equipment whose stability is to be guaranteed.
Scaffolding: working decks resting on the ground, with wheels, allowing safe working at height.
Scaffolding: temporary access and service works consisting of assembled pipes and joints that guarantee passage over safe areas.
In the area of personal protective equipment (PPE), however, the following should be noted:
Restraint system: prevents the worker from reaching areas where there is a risk of falling.
Work positioning system: allows the person to work supported, in tension/tension, without falling.
Rope access system allows handling by preventing or stopping the fall by means of a work rope and a safety rope connected to anchorage points.
Fall arrest system: limits the impact force on the body during fall arrest.
Rescue system: prevents one's own fall or that of others.
