Another seat belt failure accident! The lessons of bloodshed require stricter checks on the use of seat belts
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On April 8, 2021, a power generation company based in Henan (hereinafter referred to as the Henan company) experienced a fall from height accident during renovation work on its enclosed coal storage area, resulting in the death of one worker who was carrying out work in the surrounding area. At present, the specific cause of the accident is under investigation. The relevant information is as follows: I. Course of the accident Around 10:25 on April 8, 2021, during the renovation work to enclose a coal yard carried out by a company in Henan (a project that was EPC-general contracted by a company in Zhejiang), Xu Mouqiang (the deceased) accidentally fell from a structure at a height of 21 meters above the ground. The safety belt he was wearing broke at the connection point on his back, causing him to fall onto the muddy ground; vital signs were detected upon arrival at the scene. At around 10:30, the on-site construction management staff of a company in Zhejiang arranged for the injured person to be rushed to the Fourth Municipal Hospital for emergency treatment; he died at 11:39 despite efforts to save him. Preliminary analysis indicates that the direct cause of this accident was the accidental fall of the worker, followed by the rupture of the safety belt he was wearing, resulting in injuries from a fall from a height. The indirect causes are: inadequate management of outsourced projects, insufficient implementation of safety responsibilities, inadequate identification of safety risks at the work site, and poor management of safety equipment.
Guangming Net, October 25, 2019 · Official Guangming Net account. Around 3 p.m. yesterday, in the Jiang’an Shoufu residential complex in Guangxin District, two painters who were working at height had their safety ropes break suddenly, causing them to fall from great heights and suffer injuries to various parts of their bodies. When the fire and rescue officers arrived at the scene, they saw two workers lying side by side on the third-floor platform, unable to move. Ye Weibin, the deputy captain of the Guangxin District Fire and Rescue Brigade, said that the two workers had blood flowing from their heads; one had a fractured right hand while the other suffered a cervical spine injury that prevented him from moving his head, along with a fractured left hand. Neither of them was able to stand. According to other workers, at that time the two workers were hanging on the fifth floor, painting the exterior walls, when they heard a \"bang\" and then fell to the platform on the third floor. Firefighters used a ladder platform truck to reach the third-floor platform and safely evacuate the two workers. Half an hour later, the two workers were safely evacuated to the ground and taken to the hospital for treatment.
(1) Course of the accident: At 6:30 on March 20, 2017, Gao Shengcai, the team leader at Shuguang Construction Co., Ltd., assigned Liu Yuchao, Xiao Shiming, and Zhu Yinhai, along with a 25-ton truck crane, to remove the steel formwork from pier P3-2 of ramp C. He also instructed the workers to take appropriate safety measures. After putting on their safety helmets and securing their fall protection harnesses, Xiao Shiming and Zhu Yinhai began to remove the bolts of the steel formwork from the southwest and north sides of pier P3-2 respectively; the work area where they were removing the steel formwork was at a height of about 8 meters above the ground. At around 7:10, as Liu Yuchao was about to climb up from the other side of the pier post, a loud noise was heard suddenly; he saw Zhu Yinhai fall from the pier post, with blood flowing from his mouth and nostrils. His safety belt was still tied to the steel form, so he immediately called the emergency number 120. About 6 minutes later, emergency responders arrived at the scene, tried to save Zhu Yinhai, but declared him dead. Someone at the scene called the police at 110, and officers from the Sakata Police Station arrived to investigate the accident.
(1) Immediate cause 1. The rupture of the seat belt was the immediate cause of this accident. The direct cause of this accident was that Zhu Yinghai fell from a height of about 8 meters when removing the formwork from the pier post, due to the sudden rupture of his safety belt. 2. Before carrying out work at heights using a safety belt, Zhu Yinhai failed to inspect the safety belt that he kept for his own use, violating Article 3.0.2 of the \"Technical Specifications for Safety in High-Height Work in Construction\" (JGJ80-2016), which states that \"before carrying out high-height work in construction, safety protection facilities must be inspected and approved; work may only commence after approval has been given\", as well as Article 3.0.5, which requires that \"persons working at heights must wear and use safety protection equipment and devices properly in accordance with regulations, and such equipment must be inspected by a designated person.\" It was another direct cause of this accident. (II) Indirect causes: 1. Shuguang Construction Co., Ltd. failed to fulfill its primary responsibilities regarding safety production; its safety management systems were inadequate and irregular, and there was insufficient effort in identifying and addressing safety hazards. Upon investigation, it was found that the company’s safety procedures for work at heights were not standardized or comprehensive; they did not specify requirements such as checking all protective equipment and other safety facilities prior to carrying out work at heights. 2. Shuguang Construction Co., Ltd. fails to provide adequate education and training for its employees. Upon investigation, although the company has established a \"Safety Education and Training System\" and provided employees with three levels of safety training as well as safety technical briefings, the content of this training and the technical briefings were not targeted enough. No appropriate training materials were developed based on the specific characteristics of different job roles, resulting in employees having an incomplete understanding of the hazards associated with their own positions. (III) Nature of the accident Upon analyzing the causes of the accident, the fatal fall from a height incident that occurred on March 20 at Shuguang Construction Co., Ltd. was an accident resulting from negligence in work safety.
Disposal and proper use of seat belts 1. It is essential to recognize the importance of seat belts in terms of mindset. Countless examples have proven that seat belts are \"lifesaving belts\". However, a few people find it troublesome to wear a seat belt and consider it inconvenient for moving around, especially for small or temporary tasks; they think that by the time they spend time fastening the seat belt, the work is already done. What’s not realized is that accidents can occur in an instant; therefore, when working at heights, it is necessary to wear a safety belt as required by regulations. 2. Check that all parts are intact before use. 3. When working at heights and there is no fixed point for attachment, a steel wire rope of appropriate strength should be used or other methods employed for suspension. It is prohibited to hang it on moving objects, those with sharp edges, or unstable items. 4. Use high-quality items for low-level purposes. Hanging the safety belt at a high position while working below it is called \"high hanging, low use\". It can reduce the actual impact distance in the event of a fall; conversely, it is used for low hanging at high heights. Because when a fall occurs, the actual distance over which the impact takes place increases, and both the person and the rope are subjected to greater impact forces; therefore, safety belts must be worn with the anchor point high and the strap low, and wearing them with the anchor point low and the strap high must be avoided. 5. The safety belt must be fastened to a secure component or object to prevent swinging or collisions; the rope should not be knotted, and the hook must be attached to the connection ring. 6. The seat belt strap cover must remain intact to prevent the strap from wearing out. If the protective cover is found to be damaged or detached, a new one must be installed before use. 7. It is strictly prohibited to extend seat belts without permission. When using a rope 3m or longer, a buffer must be installed, and no components shall be removed arbitrarily. 8. After use, the seat belt should be properly maintained and stored. The sewn part and hook part of the seat belt should be checked regularly, and it is necessary to thoroughly inspect for any breaks or damage in the twisted wires. 9. When not in use, seat belts should be stored properly; they must not be exposed to high temperatures, open flames, strong acids, strong bases, or sharp objects, and should not be kept in humid warehouses. 10. Seat belts should be inspected once after two years of use; in cases of frequent use, regular visual checks should be carried out, and any abnormalities must be replaced immediately. Safety belts that have been used in regular or sample tests must not be used any further.
Check the seat belt: Before using a seat belt, it must be thoroughly inspected. The inspection should include the buckle, straps and D-rings, as well as the manufacturer’s information and other labels; it must comply with GB6095-2009 standards. If the seat belt is torn or worn out, it must not be used under any circumstances. Clasp: Ensure that the \"tongue\" of the clasp is longer than the clasp frame, allowing it to move freely without bending or wear. Ensure that the roller on the rotating bracket can rotate smoothly. Check the strap for worn edges, cracks, cuts, burns, or any other damage. Manufacturer’s label: Logo of the manufacturer or distributor, chest circumference suitable for the belt, materials used in manufacturing the belt, date of manufacture, model number, warning statements
Fasten your seat belt: Make sure the seat belt is of the right size before fastening it. Fasten the seat belt tightly at the waist. It should be tied above the waist, so that it doesn’t slide down to the hips or pelvis; the clasp should be on the front side, and the tail should fit inside the loop, without hanging outside. It includes straps that wrap around the shoulders, chest, and legs; when falling from a height, they distribute the force of the impact throughout the body, reducing the risk of injury.
Inspection: Clasp: Check for bending, cracks, or scratches; inspect it again after it is fastened to ensure the chain is secure. Straps: Check for worn edges, tears, cuts, burns, or other damage, and look for loose or broken stitches. D-shaped ring: Check for bends, cracks, scratches, or holes.
A full-body harness must be worn in the following manner: the D-ring should be at the back, between the shoulders; the letter A printed on the shoulder straps should be below the D-ring, and the arrow printed above that letter should point toward the D-ring. Safety devices – ropes and anchors: A rope is an elastic strap, synthetic fiber, or steel cable used to connect the harness or full-body harness to a life line or anchor. The shorter it is, the better, as this reduces the distance it falls. If a wire lock is used, a buffer must be used simultaneously. Inspection: Rope or strap: If there are three strands intertwined, carefully untwist the rope to check for any worn, cut, or broken fibers inside, but do not untwist it too much so that it cannot be restored to its original state. Spring clip: It must be able to lock itself. Manufacturer’s label: logo of the manufacturer or distributor, length and diameter of the strap, material used for the strap, date of manufacture of the strap, model number, warning messages, chest circumference range for the belt. Fixing elements: Fixing elements are used to secure the cables; they can be straps or belts capable of bearing weight, wrapped around the stable structure of a building, or they can be specialized devices that are installed on the building permanently or temporarily. To prevent workers from falling, it is necessary to withstand a gravity force of 3.5 KN, or an equivalent force equal to 4 times that of the worker. To prevent workers from falling and getting injured, it is necessary to withstand a gravity force of 22 KN, or twice the maximum force of descent.
Safety device——Life rope. A life rope is a man-made fiber or steel cable attached to a separate anchor point, and is typically used in fall prevention systems. It is divided into these categories: vertical life lines or grip locks. Vertical life rope: The vertical life rope must be able to withstand a weight of 26.7 KN. Note: Eyelets or knots can only be used at the end of the life rope ； Each anchor can only be used with one life rope ； Each life rope can only be used by one worker ； The end of the vertical lifeline shall not be more than 1.2 meters above the safety platform ； If the life rope is over 91 meters long, other factors must also be evaluated.