Whilst climbing off a 988 wheeled loading shovel, the operator fell to the ground striking the back of his head and fracturing his skull.

On flat ground, the distance from the top of the bottom ladder rung on the loading shovel is 58cm. At the time of the incident, due to the surface conditions where the loading shovel was parked, it was tilting, the right-hand was at 60cm, and the left-hand side was 80cm from the ground.

Key Findings – Root Causes

• Insufficient housekeeping in the area of the parked vehicle.
• The operator failed to sufficiently undertake a dynamic risk assessment prior to exiting the vehicle.

The images below show the position of the loading shovel

Site Actions:

• Review and implement the site 5S process.
• Discuss the incident with all staff on-site, focusing on positioning of equipment, use of dynamic and point of work risk assessments.

National Actions:

• Investigate the specification for safety helmets that should be used when ladders are being utilised. – Formal trial to be undertaken.
• Discuss the incident in the aggregates national operations meeting to determine further action.

Image of helmet