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Fall from height in a confined space

An employee fell from a ladder while descending into a well cellar to remove tie rods on the cellar wall. The initial report states that the injured person removed his safety harness hook from the ladder rung above in order to hook onto the rung below, at this point he lost balance and fell 2.5 m onto the concrete cellar floor. (Note: Safety lanyard was in use with only one snap hook). The onsite medic was informed and immediately attended the scene. Rescue trained personnel assisted the medic in the rescue/extrication. The injured person was stabilized, secured on spinal stretcher and lifted from the 5 m deep cellar using a crane, and transferred to the clinic by ambulance.

What went wrong:

  • Conditions: Inadequate/restricted/congested workplace/environment. Inadequate/inappropriate tools/equipment;
  • Actions: Inappropriate/inadequate protective methods;
  • Personal Factors: Inadequate skill and/or knowledge level;
  • Job Factors: Lack of/inadequate policies and procedures. Inadequate management/supervision/leadership. Inadequate tools and equipment.

Members may wish to review the following incident:

Safety Event

Published: 2 October 2015
Download: IMCA SF 14/15

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