Falls from plasterers' work platforms in Australia
- Authors: Cowley, Stephen , Leggett, Susan
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Health, Safety and Environment Vol. 26, no. 3 (2010), p. 259-268
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Plasterers are over-represented in falls-related injury data. When accessing work at height, it is common for plasterers to use stilts, trestles, scaffolds and ladders (as well as other conveniently available items) as work platforms. To determine the prevalence of injuries sustained through the use of work platforms, a review of workers compensation claims recorded between 31 July 2002 and 30 September 2007 in New South Wales and Victoria was undertaken. During this period, 283 workers compensation claims (costing A$ 19.3m) were recorded. The greatest number of falls was from ladders, followed by scaffolds and trestles. Sixty-one claims (costing A$1.5m) were made for injuries sustained while alighting (stepping off) platforms. Very few injury reports implicated stilts. It is possible that this is associated with the veracity of the data within the claims databases or an under-reporting phenomenon. The findings have implications for policy formulation and demonstrate the need for empirical research that is not dependent on injury data.
Prevention of falls and manual handling injuries among plasterers : The case for intervention
- Authors: Cowley, Stephen , Leggett, Susan
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Occupational Health and Safety Australia and New Zealand Vol. 19, no. 5 (2003), p. 447-456
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Although there are few sources of information specific to plastering, there are data that suggest that individuals who do this type of work are at high risk of injury. While it is commonly accepted internationally that plasterers are exposed to significant risks in the areas of manual handling and falls, direct comparisons to and wholesale adoption of overseas knowledge are inappropriate. A literature review has demonstrated that there has been a great emphasis on defining the size of the problem. There is limited research relating to the adoption of evaluated risk control strategies, and what controls are known are not necessarily universally applicable. The risk control strategies that are known and available are in need of evaluation. To increase the adoption of evaluated risk controls, it is recommended that social marketing strategies be used.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000620