Falls from heights cause serious injuries. Data from SafeWork SA in 2020 identified that falls from trucks resulted in 18 serious injuries.
Falls from height remain a high risk in Australian workplaces
Can we make Working at Height Safer?
Data from 2020 shows that falls from vehicles have resulted in 18 notifiable serious injuries of which:
- 13 of these injuries were associated with exiting the cab
- 5 were associated with falling from the tray
- 10 resulted in serious head injuries
- 8 injuries occurred below 1 metre
- 10 injuries were with falls from between 1 and 2 metres.
SafeWork SA Acting Executive Director Glenn Farrell said that employers who want to keep their drivers safe can significantly manage the risk of falls by implementing safe systems of work, training drivers and regularly maintaining truck equipment.
“Some drivers have the habit of jumping from the tray or cab. This might seem like a short distance, but it takes one bad landing to result in serious injury”.
“When climbing into and the cab or trailer, always use 3 points of contact at all times. This might take a fraction longer, but these extra steps are worth it when ensuring your physical safety”, said Mr. Farrell.
Drivers should always report any damaged equipment, such as steps and handholds to their employer immediately. And make sure that equipment is well-maintained at all times.
Falls from heights across all industries
Slips, trips and falls are the second leading cause of workplace injury, after hazardous manual tasks. These incidents affect every workplace and quite often can result in serious injury and lengthy amounts of time off work.
Further information Slips, trips & falls
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