Objects dropped from a height can cause serious, often fatal, injuries to personnel below. Although this hazard can be easily overlooked amid other competing concerns, assessing the likelihood and consequences of dropped objects must remain a top priority.
Dropped objects come in many forms, and result from various scenarios. Examples include hand tools slipping from someone’s grasp, equipment failure causing parts to fall, and unsecured items being disturbed and falling to a lower level.
A falling object, due to its mass and the effects of gravity, generates kinetic energy. This energy then creates an impact force on whatever or whoever it hits. The unit of energy is the Joule (J). Many studies have been conducted within the industry, and a figure of 40J has been agreed as an approximate figure where a blunt object would be likely to cause serious injury when striking a person.
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