A man died in Melbourne, Australia at the end April, when something went wrong while he was loading a slab electric scissor lift.
The incident occurred on April 29th in West Melbourne, Ryan Mackinnon, 44, was driving, or had just driven, the scissor lift onto a tilt bed delivery truck, when something went wrong and the machine came off the back of the truck, throwing him from the platform. He sustained serious head injuries from the fall and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Tragically he died two days later on the first of May.
WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the incident and has issued a reminder notice to employers regarding the loading and unloading of aerial work platforms. The following are the key elements of the notice.
This WorkSafe reminder is for employers. It follows the death of an employee in an incident involving an elevated work platform (EWP). The reminder is that safe systems of work must be in place for the delivery and collection of EWPs.
Delivery and collection of EWPs is a hazardous activity, as it involves shifting heavy plant from one level to another.
The risks involved with this activity include:
-overturning during movement
-uncontrolled movement due to freewheeling
-slipping due to low friction
-operating outside of the manufacturer’s instructions
-poor understanding of how to operate the EWP.
Each risk could result in death or serious injury.
James Oxenham chief executive of the EWPA – (Elevating Work Platform Association) backed Worksafe Victoria’s call and added a further reminder to employers of their responsibility to provide a safe working environment for operators and reminded association members of the industry specific load restraint guides and training options available which can be found at: https://hria.kurolms.com/courses/145
Comments