Worker seriously injured in fall from balcony

Possible control measures to prevent similar incidents

The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (the WHS Regulation) requires specific fall risk control measures to be implemented, where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Section 306 of the WHS Regulation sets out specific requirements for edge protection as control measure. If the work meets the definition of high-risk construction work (e.g. construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than two metres) then a safe work method statement must be prepared.

You must consider various control options and choose the control that most effectively eliminates or minimises the risk in the circumstances. This may involve a single control measure or a combination of different controls that provide the highest level of protection. These can include but are not limited to the following.

Work on a solid construction

Working on a solid construction provides an environment where the likelihood of a fall may be eliminated.

• Solid construction means an area:
  • with a surface that is structurally capable of supporting workers, materials and any other loads applied to it
  • provided with barriers around its perimeter and around any openings from or through which a person could fall
  • with an even and readily negotiable surface and gradient
  • with a safe means of entry and exit.
• Structural strength. Different types of work involve different loads on the supporting surface. The surface and its supports must be able to safely carry the expected loads, including workers, materials, tools and equipment. When in doubt, have a structural engineer determine the safe load capacity before use.

Edge protection systems

Edge protection systems can be an effective way to manage some of the risks of working at heights. The effectiveness of an edge protection system depends on:

• appropriate design
• manufacture in accordance with the designer's specifications
• test and examination after manufacture
• instructions supporting use and maintenance of the system
• correct installation by a competent person
• appropriate use.

If edge protection is used as a control measure, then section 306E of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 also requires:

• the design withstands the downwards or outwards force of the impact of a person falling against it
• that a rail, or another component that prevents people from falling, be fitted
• that another rail (or rails), or sturdy mesh, sheeting or other material below the rail or component be fitted.

If the edge protection has rails, the edge protection must have:

• a bottom rail fitted at least 150mm, but not over 250mm, higher than the surface that is at the base of the edge protection; or
• a toe board, for the surface that is at the base of the edge protection, at least 150mm high and fitted below all rails of the edge protection; and
• another rail or rails fitted so that there is not over 450mm between any rail and its nearest rail or between the lowest rail and any toe board for the surface that is at the base of the edge protection; and
• if the slope of the surface from which work is to be done is over 26° - sturdy mesh, sheeting or other material that extends upwards at least 900mm from the surface that is at the base of the edge protection or the toe board.

Perimeter guardrails

Guardrails may be used to provide effective fall prevention:

• at the edges of roofs
• at the edges of mezzanine floors, walkways, stairways, ramps and landings
• around openings in floor and roof structures
• at the edges of shafts, pits and other excavations.

All guardrail systems should be designed to a recognised technical design standard. A number of Australian Standards apply to the design of edge protection systems. Sometimes edge protection is constructed from timber typically used in house construction, such as pine studs. Particular caution needs to be used in this situation as the timber may not have adequate strength unless it is doubled up and/or used in its strongest orientation.

Timber guardrail systems should only be erected in accordance with the written instructions of a suitably qualified professional engineer or in compliance with a recognised industry standard such as the Safe Work Australia National Code of Practice for the Prevention of Falls in Housing Construction.

The required load resistance will depend on the momentum of a falling person. For example, the momentum of a person falling from a pitched roof will increase as the pitch, that is, the angle, of the roof increases.

Safe System of Work

Develop a safe system of work for managing the risk of falling through openings or edges. This could include, but is not limited to:

• Planning the site layout. Factors to be considered when planning the site layout include:
  • preparing firm, level surfaces below work areas for the support of plant and equipment like EWPs or mobile scaffolds
  • the site and condition of access roads to enable plant to place material in and pick it up from the most favourable positions, reducing the need for manual handling at height
  • the safe access to and exit from work areas and amenities including the provision and placement of stairways, ladders, catwalks, guardrails and barriers
  • the need for a direct and unobstructed means of escape and rescue in the event of an emergency.
• Providing information (including exact locations of penetrations and openings or exposed edges), training, instruction and supervision to people who work near holes, penetrations, and openings such as windows or balconies.
• Establishing exclusion zones and installing warning signs
• Organising and sequencing of work tasks
• Developing safe work procedures that describe the task, identify the hazards and document how the task is to be performed to minimise any risks associated with working near holes, penetrations, openings and edges.
• Where more than one business has responsibility for the same health and safety matters, duty holders should exchange information to find out who is doing what and work together in a cooperative and coordinated way, so risks are eliminated or minimised (either because they are involved in the same activities or share the same workplace).
• Scheduling regular inspections of barrier/edge protection to ensure that the risk controls remain safely secured in place and in good condition. Allocating specific time to perform inspections of the workplace, conducting pre-start meetings and toolbox talks while ensuring workers have sufficient time to perform any necessary safety checks prior to commencing work (such as pre-start checks of equipment).

You must not use administrative controls exclusively to minimise the risk of falls unless it is not reasonably practicable to use a higher order control. Note: Any administrative control measures rely on human behaviour and supervision, and used on their own, tend to be least effective in minimising risks.

The control measures you put in place should be monitored and reviewed regularly to make sure they work as planned.