Alert 06 – 24 Short Fall Results in a Fatality
WHAT HAPPENED:
Although this incident did not happen in the drilling industry it could easily have been. A fitter was working on a load-out support frame (LSF) to correct miss-aligned section of the frame before mounting a steel plate. He fell from a height of 1.8m while attempting to move towards the ladder attached to the scaffold. He hit the left side of his head (behind his left ear) on the corner of a steel working table below the LSF. Shortly before the fall, the fitter was positioned with his left foot on the scaffold and the right foot on the LSF. In the process of moving towards the ladder, he tripped on an object or slipped and then fell. No eyewitness was present to confirm the actual cause of the incident. The fitter sustained a fractured skull (base) and laceration, which caused some bleeding, and immediate swelling to the back of the head. He was immediately admitted to the hospital and was placed on life support; but he passed away.