Warning Signs That Trigger an Alarm a Fall is About to Occur

Most people have a belief that most accidents are inevitable and have no precursors. However, there are certain behaviours that should warn you an accident is about to happen if you pay enough attention. Read on to learn some of these warning signs and what you can do about them. 

Prior Violation

Various studies suggest there are plenty of indicators that an unusual accident is about to occur. The safety pyramid, first proposed by H. W. Heinrich in 1931, showed that there were about 300 incidents preceding every major accident that occurs. Later on, a study by Frank E. Bird showed that each fatal accident is preceded by about 600 incidents. A more recent and most relevant study is one conducted by Conoco Philips in 2003. This study has a more chronological proximity. According to the study, there are about 300,000 at-risk behaviours and 3,000 near miss incidents for each fatality. 

What these numbers show is that there are several opportunities to correct a particular problem before it becomes a fatality. This is no different for injuries that result from falls. You just need to know what to look for. Your likelihood to fall is usually influenced by your behaviour. You’re a potential victim if you disregard your personal protective equipment, violate the set rules, or walk around with the attitude that you’re invincible and the health and safety rules do not apply to you. 

If you’re any of these persons, there’s a higher probability that you’re going to do something to endanger yourself or others. As a safety officer, you should ensure all your employees adhere to the safety rules and practices of the company. Only trained and competent workers should be allowed to work at heights. Proper fall protection, such as fall protection posts, should be installed at strategic places to enhance the safety of workers. 

Complacency

Sometimes, you can be your own worst enemy as an employee. You can develop some level of complacency when you get used to a particular job and this could be dangerous. Workers could reach a point where they get so comfortable with the job they do after working for some time. This could make them feel they know the job “inside-out”. As a result, they may be hesitant to listen to constructive criticism hence taking things to be the same today as they were on previous days. They tend to assume any changes in environmental conditions, tools, or processes. 

The truth is, something could’ve happened today that wasn’t there yesterday. Maybe oil has leaked on the ground, or a co-worker has been replaced by someone new. Complacency when working at height increases the likelihood of a fall. 

Exhaustion

Most companies are always trying to do more with less, especially in the current economy. A lot of workers are being laid off and hardly called back, at least not in the same capacity they were before. As a result, companies are forced to streamline their workforce. But with fewer workers, they might be forced to work overtime. 

But workers, just like every other human, have breaking points. They tend to become sloppy as they approach the breaking point, hence losing their ability to focus. This can be very dangerous, especially when working at height. Their ability to work well will be impaired and they can fall and get injured, or even die.