Case study: Construction incident

Bill Cowan is a construction project manager in his forties. One day he was supervising the lifting of a large wooden canopy. A timber support gave way and the canopy fell and struck Bill on the head. As a result, he needed to have 11 stitches and was booked off work for a week-and-a-half to recuperate. He tells his story.

The accident happened in July 2019, when I was working as a site foreman for a construction company. Ive had lots of experience on construction sites, where I was a carpenter for about twenty years. I joined my present company as a site foreman and had been working for them for five years when the accident happened.

The job involved lifting a roof-shaped wooden canopy and bolting it to the ceiling. The size of the canopy was about 2.5 metres by about 1.2 metres. It was made from medium-density fibre (MDF) board and wood and weighed about 95 kg. The canopy was developed to take light fittings for the desks underneath.

The job was being carried out in the Johannesburg city centre, where our client owned the building, and we were completely refurbishing that particular floor. The job had gone according to plan and we were nearing completion. The canopy was being installed at the same time as the office furniture was being moved in and fitted.

We had decided that the best way to get the canopy fixed to the ceiling was to use a tower scaffold. After the canopy had been made in our workshop, it was delivered to the job site and left on the floor. Our first job was to lift the canopy onto the scaffold platform directly underneath the ceiling where it was to be bolted. The height of the scaffold platform was about 1.8 metres and we had secured the base of the scaffold with outriggers to make it stable. The plan was to get the canopy lifted onto the scaffold platform first. When that was done, we were going to lift the canopy to the underside of the ceiling and bolt it in place.

The floor was busy that morning and about fifteen other employees were working at the same time. So, we borrowed a few of them to help with the first lift. With two employees on each side of the canopy, we lifted it onto the scaffold platform without too much trouble. The next part was a bit trickier and we required the help of five employees, including me, for this part of the job.

To get the canopy to the underside of the ceiling, we decided we would lift it a few centimetres at a time and prop it in place in-between each lift. We had made up timber props specifically for this job. The idea was that, as it was lifted, the props were placed underneath the canopy to hold it up until the next lift. So, we had three employees on the scaffolding, lifting the canopy a couple of centimetres at a time. Each time the canopy was lifted, another employee and I would hold the canopy up, using these specially made props.

So, this was going according to plan and we were lifting the canopy bit by bit. We were not far from the final lift and the canopy was about 2.5 metres off the ground. I was looking away when I heard a sound from the scaffold. I turned back to see a prop slipping out from underneath the canopy. I saw the other props start to give way and the canopy began to fall. The canopy edge hit me just above my forehead.

I remember coming around while lying face down on the ground. I also remember feeling very sick and nauseated. As a result, I vomited. I could feel wetness under my cheek and I was wondering whether it was blood, sweat or vomit. I could hear people shouting around me as I was lying on the ground. Iheard one of the employees shouting, dont move him! and another saying, look at all the blood!

All the while, I was slipping in and out of consciousness and feeling sick whenI came around. One of the employees had seen me vomit and thankfullyhad the good sense to put me into the recovery position. By now there wasquite a commotion around me and I heard one of the employees say, theambulance is on its way.

The ambulance crew didnt move me at first. They asked me some questions before they wrapped a bandage around my head. Then a stretcher was brought, but even though I was very dazed and groggy, I had made up my mind that I wasnt going to be taken away on a stretcher.

I was helped up by one of the ambulance crew and one of the employees. The three of us walked over to the lift and I was then taken by ambulance to the hospital emergency room. I wasnt in any pain, but I was still feeling sick. The pain didnt start until the wound was being stitched by the doctor in the emergency room. At that stage, my head started to throb and the injury started to hurt.

I was given eleven stitches in total and was told by the doctor that because I had a head wound and concussion, he couldnt give me any pain medication. So I felt each one of those stitches going into my scalp. I remember thinking it could have been a lot worse, though. If that canopy had smashed into my face, the damage would have been much more serious. The canopy edge could have hit me in my eyes, it could have smashed into my nose or my teeth or my jaw or all of them together.

The doctor wanted to keep me in the hospital overnight, but I wasnt having any of that. One of the employees from work had stayed with me and I knew that if I was kept in the hospital, he would have to tell my wife. I didnt want my wife and kids hearing of my accident from anyone other than me, and certainly not over the phone. So, against all the medical advice, I said I wanted to go home and I discharged myself. The employee who had stayed with me drove me back and I arrived home at about four oclock in the afternoon.

The emergency room staff had wrapped the top of my head up in a new bandage. Even so, when I arrived home, the bandage was blood-soaked. My wife and kids were very upset. My kids started crying. I spent some time explaining what had happened and kept telling my kids everything was going to be fine. Seeing my kids crying brought it all home to me.

I was still concussed and in pain, but I remember thinking I should have stayed in the hospital. I went to sleep and stayed in bed till the same time the next day. I was still concussed when I went to see my general practitioner (GP) a few days later. He gave me painkillers and told me to stay off work until the stitches were removed. I wanted to go back to work, but the GP told me that if I went back, there was a high chance the wound would become infected. By midweek, the pain had worn off, but I was totally bored. In the end, I was off work for a week-and-a-half. I was very glad to get back to work because I was going mad at home with the boredom. It felt like ages before I could return to work and normality (Adapted from HSA, 2007).

QUESTION 1 [50]

1. Why is an occupational health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) needed in mining and construction? Discuss and list at least five benefits of implementing an OHSMS. (20)

2. As the OHS professional in an organisation explain how you would use the risk management principle of SANS31000 (2019) to ensure effective risk management. (11)

3. The OHS management system methodology is based on planning for hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control by incorporating the SANS (ISO) management system elements to deal with risks. What key factors are addressed in SANS 45001 (2018). (10)

4 Discuss the key elements of an OHS management system as related to mining/construction. (9)