4.
0 Definition
A dropped object is:
“Any object, with the potential to cause death, injury or
equipment/environmental damage, that falls from its pre- vious
static position under its own weight.”
When referring to dropped objects, consider:
Hand tools being used at heights
Hand tools/equipment left behind after working at height
Operations conducted at height
Equipment mounted at a height that, following contact, vibration or
environmental conditions, could fall, i.e., piping, lights, cameras,
rigging gear, etc.
Temporary equipment at height
Where personnel are working on a level directly below the work site
Lifting operations
5.0 Why Focus on Dropped Objects?
Dropped objects are regularly the principal causes of incidents in the oil
and gas industry and contribute to the total risk level for offshore and
onshore facilities.
The consequences of a falling object include:
Personal injury/death
Structural damage
Damage to equipment
Release of hydrocarbons/fire
6.0 Dropped Objects Manifest Themselves in
Many Ways
The following photographs show items found during Hazard Hunts.
7.0 Strategy
Create site-specific dropped objects work groups.
Identify and assess problem areas.
Develop and implement an action plan.
Monitor results.
Continually improve.
8.0 Some Examples of Risk Areas
Rig derricks/drill floor
Areas below lifting operations
Cranes
Elevated work areas or platforms
Work spaces where equipment is mounted overhead
Temporary/portable equipment
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
Vessels/barges
Pipe racks
Forklift trucks
Poor stacking of materials
Ladders
Scaffolding
These are two examples of Risk Areas.
9.0 What Creates Dropped Objects?
Poor housekeeping
Scrap and debris left aloft
No inspection
No equipment maintenance
Poor designs
Weather
No restraints
No planning
Load miscalculation
Lack of risk assessment
Errors in space requirements
Instability
Ineffective control of equipment or tools taken aloft
No lanyards on tools used at height
Improperly secured or inappropriate loads
No regular inspection procedures
Becoming blind to changes in activity (dynamic risk assessment)
Carrying equipment while at height
10.0 What are the Effects of a Dropped
Object?
Even a small object falling from a height can cause serious or fatal
injuries.
The potential harm to the individual has been determined using the
Dropped Objects Calculator.
The Dropped Objects Calculator was developed with a mathematical
model based upon the mass of the object and the height from which it
falls.
This calculator and other resources can be found at:
http://dropsonline.org/
11.0 The DROPS Calculator
12.0 Recommended Actions
1. Create a dropped objects work group specific to the site.
2. Complete a derrick or work site dropped objects inventory with the
Chevron HAZARD ID tool.
3. Use the inventory to develop an inspection program.
4. Introduce working at height procedures.
5. Introduce specific toolkits for working at height. Implement
processes to account for tools.
6. Raise overall dropped objects identification and mitigation among
the workforce.
7. Train relevant personnel to identify and mitigate dropped objects
processes.
8. Secure tools from dropping to lower levels.
9. Following Job Safety Environment Assessment (JSEA) guidelines,
erect signage and physical barriers to restrict access before work is
conducted overhead.
10. All rigging risk assessments require consideration of the risks
involved in moving equipment at height.
11. Review and revise JSEAs for dropped objects potential.
12. Introduce regular dropped objects campaigns.
13. Schedule regular Hazard Hunts.
14. Review handling and securing procedures for tubular
components.
15. Introduce area ownership, and hold personnel accountable.
16. Add secondary retention, and consider safety systems, such
as safety nets.
17. Inspect personal protective equipment (PPE), for example,
safety harness, lanyard and chin straps.
18. Inspect all overhead equipment and locations for loose items
that may present a hazard during maintenance activities.
13.0 Secondary Retention
Secondary Securing Devices
Secondary securing devices (SSDs) secure a component at height, if the
primary securing method fails. This could be a secondary safety wire
(SSW), a safety net or some other engineered method designed for this
function. SSD selection should consider the shock loading that may occur
if the primary securing method fails. The integrity of the SSD will
deteriorate over time and exposure to the elements and needs to be
inspected.
Secondary Safety Systems
Secondary safety systems are fail-safe systems incorporated into
equipment to ensure integrity of that equipment if the primary safety
system fails. For example, a racking arm runs along a beam and is
hoisted and lowered with a wire. If the wire fails, an inertia brake
prevents the arm from freefalling to the ground.
Secondary safety methods to secure equipment and machinery at height
is detailed in the Reliable Securing document published by DROPS.
http://www.dropsonline.org/downloads/DROPS%20Reliable%20Securing
%20Revision%203.pdf
14.0 How Can I Personally Prevent Dropped
Objects?
Actively support the dropped objects work group.
Take responsibility for my actions.
Look after my colleagues.
Maintain good housekeeping.
Stop unsafe activities by using my SWA.
Make observations and report incidents.
Review and follow procedures.
Recognize known hazards, and follow the controls in place.
Consider dropped objects in all Toolbox Talks.
Consider dropped objects in all JSEAs.
Check areas after all work is completed, even if it is permit-
controlled.
Participate in Hazard Hunts.
Investigate all incidents, including near misses.
Secure all tools and equipment when working at height.
Lanyard Used for Hand Tools
15.0 Chevron Hazard ID Tool: A 360-Degree
Approach
No matter where you work, from offshore platforms to onshore refineries,
and in offices around the world, hazards are present. Inadequate
identification of those hazards can lead to incidents and injuries across
our industry.
Chevron has developed a tool that every employee and contractor can use
to identify hazards.
A hazard identification tool should:
1. Be simple and intuitive to use.
2. Provide a platform for continuous and sustained improvement.
3. Be culturally neutral (easily understood in as many different
cultures and languages as possible).
4. Improve the individual worker’s ability to identify hazards.
5. Integrate easily with other hazard identification processes (Loss
Prevention System [LPS], JSEA, Behavior-Based Safety [BBS] and
Permit to Work [PTW]).
A hazard identification tool should NOT be another process to implement.
Hazard ID Tool Purpose:
Increase awareness of energy sources that present hazards in the
workplace.
For dropped objects, identify and eliminate gravity hazards through
a focused Hazard Hunt.
Gravity Hazard Examples:
Crane loads being lifted
Falling objects, like tools overhead
Body trips or falls
Are there any gravity energy conditions at your location that
could pose a hazard?
Areas routinely occupied under potential falling objects, such as
overhead loads or tools? Are they identified?
Areas requiring fall protection PPE?
Surfaces slippery or wet from weather conditions, water or oil spills?
Stairs and ramps with loose or missing handrails or damaged tread?
Surface protrusions or loose surfaces, such as thresholds, cover
plates or grating or unsecured floor mats?
This simple tool is a wheel featuring graphic icons illustrating specific
sources of energy that, if not properly handled, could lead to injury or
damage to property or the environment.
Energy sources are always present in the environment. Every aspect of
our daily life requires the use of energy in one form or another. However,
some energy sources can contribute to the dropped object hazard.
Those energy sources are:
Gravity – Enables objects to fall, roofs to collapse and people to trip and
fall
Motion – The movement of vehicles, vessels, water, wind or even body
movement
Mechanical – Rotating equipment, drive belts, conveyers, motors or
compressed springs
Electrical – Including power lines, transformers, static charges, lightning,
wiring and batteries
Pressure – Piping, compressed cylinders, tanks, hoses, pneumatic and
hydraulic equipment
Temperature – Including ignition sources, hot or cold surfaces, steam,
friction and weather
Chemical – Vapors, toxic compounds, combustibles, corrosives, welding
fumes and dusts
Biological – Bacteria, viruses, animals, insects, and contaminated food
or water
Radiation – Including solar rays, microwaves, X-rays and welding arcs
Sound – Equipment noise, vibration, high-pressure release and even
voice communication
16.0 Part of a Complete Safety Package
The Hazard Identification Tool has been designed as either a stand-alone
resource or to augment existing processes such as safe work practices,
JSEA and PTW.
It is important to understand that this is not a new process to implement.
It’s a new tool that can enhance our existing processes by strengthening
our ability to recognize hazards.
16.1 Hazard Hunt Using the Hazard ID Tool
Purpose
Increase awareness of energy sources that present hazards in the
workplace.
Identify and eliminate motion hazards through focused Hazard
Hunts.
16.2 What is a Hazard?
A hazard is a condition or action with the potential for an unplanned
release of, or unwanted contact with, an energy source that may result in
harm or injury to people, property or the environment.
16.3 What to Do Following a Hazard Hunt
Use SWA to immediately address the imminent hazards.
Prioritize hazards and identify actions required to eliminate or
mitigate.
Enter maintenance items into database.
Leaders communicate a summary of the Hazard Hunt by email to
their immediate manager.
16.4 Inspections
One of the most important aspects of a good dropped objects program is
the ability to inspect all equipment aloft.
Periodic inspections identify potential hazards.
Report all non-conformities found in these inspections for correction
immediately.
16.5 Temporary Equipment
Any temporary equipment brought into the site is subjected to the
same guidelines as fixed equipment.
Site management ensures inspection of any third-party equipment
before installation.
To ensure all temporary items are accounted for and have been
removed, document the temporary equipment.
Review all temporary equipment to ensure hazards from dropped or
falling objects are identified and monitored.
17.0 Area Ownership
Site management should clearly identify all risk areas and assign risk area
ownership.
Divide the location into areas.
Assign the areas to an individual or group to check the area as often
as the level of risk demands.
Use checklists for consistency.
Identify actions for each area of concern.
Deal with all actions.
Include any transportable or temporary equipment.
To make the area safe, use SWA if a dropped object is found.
18.0 Pre-Job Risk Assessment
Complete a pre-job risk assessment such as a JSEA before beginning any
job/task, with the following goals in mind:
Identify any dropped object hazards before starting a job or task
and communicate these at a toolbox talk.
Include discussions on tools and equipment in the JSEA.
Ensure all personnel are involved in the discussion, understand the
associated hazards and implement the mitigation.
Include the use of a dropped objects checklist.
