At any industrial workplace here in Illinois and Indiana, but particularly on any construction site, there is a risk that objects at heights can fall or drop and cause severe or deadly bodily injuries. Falling from scaffolds or rooftops or dropping through manholes or trenches are commonly recognized fall dangers that most workers and their families understand. Fall risks for workers are well-known by industrial employers as well as safety agencies and those advocating for worker-victims. See, Fighting Fatal Falls on the Job: OSHA’s First National Emphasis Program.
However, another type of fall – where an object on the site drops and hits the worker-victim – is another very high risk on industrial jobsites. Employers and others in possession, custody, or control of these areas also have a clear legal responsibility to protect people from the known “Object at Heights” or “Dropped Object” hazard.
What is a Dropped Object Hazard?
According to the Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme (“DROPS”), a “dropped object” is “…any item that falls from its previous position. This covers all items, materials or objects of any mass / density.” They are categorized as either static or dynamic:
- A static dropped object is “…any object that falls from its previous position under its own weight (gravity) without any applied force. For example, failure caused by corrosion, vibration or inadequate securing.”
- A dynamic dropped object is “…any object that falls from its previous position due to applied force, e.g., collisions involving travelling equipment or loads, snagging on machinery or stacked items, motion, helicopter downdraft or severe weather.”
Impact Force of the Dropped Object
Even a small amount of weight when combined with the energy gained from gravity as it drops, or falls, can become a serious and deadly danger to anyone in its path below. Within the safety industry this is called the “average impact force.” Engineers provide special calculators and drop charts to help understand the risks that workers face from various objects on their worksite should an object plummet from a height. See, Cherri, Shawn, and Rick Argudin. “Fall Rescue Plans & Dropped Object Prevention.” Professional Safety 61.5 (2016): 38-42.
The impact force calculation warns employers and safety professionals about the risk of worker injury from a dropped object depending upon its weight and the height from which the dropped object falls at the time of the accident.
The longer the fall, the greater the force, and the higher the risk of injury. For example, even a small wrench can be deadly if it falls from a high enough level on a construction site.
Dropped objects are one of the main reasons that Struck-By-Object accidents are considered one of the “fatal four” accident risks faced by workers in our construction industry. See, Fatal Construction Work Accident: Injuries from Being Struck by Object.
Causes of Dropped Object Accidents
These types of work injuries can happen within seconds. Investigation of these injuries can be complicated because there are several different reasons an object drops or falls on an active job site, including:
- Failure to do daily work inspections for dropped object safeguards;
- Failure to have an established housekeeping plan;
- Failure to follow a reasonable and prudent housekeeping plan;
- Lack of proper worker training on protection against dropped objects;
- Not having routine inspections of the site to protect against dropped object accidents;
- Sloppy worksite housekeeping protocols despite having a housekeeping plan;
- Vibrations of heavy machinery or equipment, as well as moving vehicles, can cause an object to drop or fall on a worksite;
- Worksite design failures that allow for tripping on footpaths;
- Worksite design failures with poor traffic patterns for workers or vehicles (like forklifts or cranes); and
- Weather conditions can contribute to dropped or falling objects, especially high winds, heavy rain, sleet, ice, or snow.
Injuries Sustained in Dropped Object Accidents on the Job
A falling hammer on a construction site does not sound like a serious hazard, but if a hammer falls far enough, even a hard hat will not protect against a catastrophic injury. For more on hard hats, read: Hard Hats and Worker Injuries on the Job in Illinois and Indiana.
Depending upon the circumstances of the particular event, an industrial worker may suffer a wide variety of injuries in a dropped object accident. These include:
- Amputation (traumatic or medically required post-incident)
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Fractures (broken finger, hand, arm, foot, leg, collarbone, etc.)
- Paralysis
- Permanent injuries to internal organs or nervous system
- Loss of use of limb (finger, hand, arm, foot, leg)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Death.
Duty of Care for Objects at Heights
Employers and all those with possession, custody, or control of aspects of the industrial worksite have established duties of care to protect workers from being hurt on the job from a falling object.
Both companies and their insurance carriers understand that there should be an established safety plan in place before work begins on the project to protect against dropped object accidents. These plans should include steps to make sure objects are safely transported on the site during the workday, as well as when they are being stored, inspected, maintained, repaired, or replaced. Preparation for adverse weather conditions should also be included in these safety precautions. Housekeeping standards must include drop protection for all objects-at-height, as well.
Personal protective equipment (“PPE”) specific to the worksite should be provided to everyone on the site, as needed. This includes not only hardhats and steel-toed boots, but specific PPE for dropped object risks, such as tool tethering (lanyards).
OSHA Regulation
Federal regulations provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) define duties of care on the industrial worksite as a whole, as well as providing specific guidance for construction sites. The key here is the overall General Duty of Care and Safety that all industrial workers owe, and are owed, under the law pursuant to the OSHA Act. For more read, Workplace Safety and OSHA Regulations in Indiana and Illinois.
American National Standard for Dropped Object Prevention Solutions: ANSI/ISEA 121-2018
There is also an industrial standard devised specifically for dropped object safety. Developed by the American National Standards Institute and released in 2019, it is known as the “American National Standard for Dropped Object Prevention Solutions” or ANSI/ISEA 121-2018.
This is not a legal requirement. Instead, it is an industrial definition of what are considered to be reasonable and prudent safety measures to be taken on industrial worksites to protect against falling objects hurting workers.
It provides guidance regarding “…hand tools, instrumentation, small parts, structural components, and other items that have to be transferred and used at heights. To reduce dropped objects incidents in industrial and occupational settings, this standard sets minimum design, performance, testing, and labeling guidelines for solutions.”
While employers and others who may have legal responsibility for a dropped object accident may argue that the ANSI standard is not law, the industrial standard can be argued to help define the General Duty of Care under the OSHA Act and to explain breaches of reasonable care constituting negligence under the common law.
Workers Injured or Killed in Dropped Object Accidents in Indiana or Illinois
Industrial worksites at our ports, as well as warehouses and factories alongside our transportation routes, along with our railyards, steel mills, mines, and construction sites employ a great many workers here in Indiana and Illinois who knowingly face dangers each day on the job. These industrial workers know they face hazards that may result in debilitating or deadly accidents.
These workers must rely upon their employers, as well as third parties involved in the work process, to meet their legal duties of care and safety as known and defined by regulation and industrial standards. This includes protection from dropped objects and falling object injuries.
Sadly, all too often there can be a sudden and serious dropped object accident on the job, leaving that worker and their family members facing lives forever altered. The state laws of Indiana and Illinois, as well as federal law, may provide that worker with avenues for justice that include not only workers’ compensation but a civil lawsuit seeking damages for the injuries sustained on the job from a falling object.
For more, read:
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life
- Workplace Housekeeping and Serious Accidents on the Job: Duty of Care
- Premises Liability and Workplace Accidents: Third Party Injury Claims
- Workers Beware: BLS Reports Highest US Worker Death Rate in 5 Years.
Falling objects can kill in an industrial accident, or leave an industrial worker suffering permanent harm. Workplace injuries are on the rise; more workers dying in on-the-job accidents than in past years. Please be careful out there!
