In August 2020, a worker suffered serious injuries after falling approximately 2.5 metres from the rear of a large yacht docked on a hardstand at a marine maintenance facility.
Early investigations indicate the worker was doing maintenance at the time. Investigations are continuing.
IMPORTANT: These findings are not yet confirmed, and investigations are continuing into the exact cause.
Preventing a similar incident
People accessing and working on vessels on hardstands can be exposed to serious risks of falls. Typical edge protection on many types of vessels (e.g. the gunwales and handrails) are not usually designed the same as land-based situations where guard rails are used to control the risk of a fall. For example, the height of the top rail or gunwale is often less than the minimum height of 900mm commonly specified for edge protection.
Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) responsible for the operation of the marina facilities, should ensure suitable equipment is available for safe access to vessels and to control the risk of a fall from them. This duty also applies to other PCBUs that perform work within the marine facility. Suitable equipment may include portable platform step ladders or purpose designed portable stair systems, scaffolding or temporary edge protection systems.
Read more… (“QLD Govt eSafe Incident Alert”)