headshot of Trace Savage
Trace Savage
Health, Safety, and Environment Instructor, Environmental Management, Inc.
The Associated General Contractors of Alaska logo
Occupational
Health
Stop the Drop
Struck-by or dropped object fall protection
By Trace Savage
S

truck-by or dropped objects are a serious hazard at many worksites. In 2021, there were 227 workplace fatalities due to “struck by falling objects” in the United States, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, estimates that more than 50,000 “struck by a falling object” incidents occur each year on construction sites alone. These statistics only account for OSHA recordable incidents; it does not consider accidents from fallen objects that go unreported.

Dropped objects can also cause structural, environmental, and equipment-related damage on worksites. OSHA General industry standard number 1910.29 and Construction Fall Protection standard 1926.501(c) require that employers provide “protection from falling objects.”

Outsized Impact

For example, a tool weighing only 8 pounds falling from a height of 200 feet will travel at a speed of approximately 80 miles per hour and can have an impact force of 5,540 pounds when it impacts the ground. Safety nets and drop zones are of little benefit when an object of mass and speed makes a direct impact or deflects off of another object.

Expanding a fall protection program to include tools and equipment is a good starting point. Companies and employees should implement an active fall protection program for tools and expand on the mission to encourage an inclusive culture of safety. Risk management by using the principle of the hierarchy of controls, a method of identifying and ranking protection measures from most to least effective, is the best approach to preventing injury. Engineering a hazard out altogether or utilizing alternative means of access to minimize fall risks is best practice. Here are a few tips:

Eliminate the Hazard
Remove objects and tools from higher levels, scaffolding, or aerial lifts that do not need to be there. Removing objects that can pose a hazard to people working below is the best option to prevent a dropped-object incident.
Engineering Controls
Barricade zones below higher work levels to prevent personnel from walking into the line of fire of a dropped object. Install toe boards on higher work levels to make sure objects and tools cannot easily slide off an edge to a lower level. Place nets or some type of protective barrier above ground-level workers if there is continuous work being performed above a work area. Another engineering control is the use of tethers or anchors for tools and objects that are being used on a higher work level, preventing objects from falling.
Personal Protective Equipment
Anytime overhead hazards are present on a job site, hardhats need to be worn. Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, is always a last line of defense. Wearing a hardhat will only limit the damage; it does not prevent an object from dropping. Rely instead on eliminating the hazard or installing engineering controls to reduce the chance of objects striking ground personnel instead of PPE to lessen the blow.
Connect for Safety

The primary system to prevent tools and equipment from falling is tethering tools and equipment with connectors, connection points, and anchors. Many tools now have built-in connection points affixed by the manufacturer for tethering. Tools and other equipment can also be retrofitted to have connection points. These tools are then connected to an attachment point via a tethering device. Tools either can be connected to a worker through a tool belt, harness, or wristband, or anchored to a fixed structure.

These solutions not only apply to small hand tools but also can be used for tools and equipment that weigh up to 80 pounds, such as rivet busters, portable generators, et cetera.

Tools that weigh more than 5 pounds should never be tied to a person. If a heavy object gets loose, the weight and force of the falling object could dislocate a wrist or shoulder or even pull a worker over a ledge or from scaffolding.

Employees should be properly trained on how to use tethered tools. They must be taught how to attach a connection point to the tools, use the lanyards properly, and respect the weight rating of the lanyards. It is the responsibility of every safety manager, construction superintendent, supervisor, and worker to make sure they understand the dangers they face when working at height.

Trace Savage is a health, safety, and environment instructor; a certified Competent Person and instructor in fall protection; and a confined space trainer with more than twenty-five years working at heights and providing assessments for fall protection systems across Alaska. He works with Environmental Management, Inc.