Falling objects

Most frequent risk situations

• Storage and stacking. Overloaded, poorly anchored or impact-damaged shelving, unstable or excessively high stacks, and poorly palletized or unstrapd loads.
• Mechanical handling of loads. Improperly slinging loads, overloading of cranes, forklifts and hoists, lifting with unsuitable accessories and passing suspended loads over people.
• Working at heights. Tools, materials and debris falling from scaffolding, platforms, roofs or slabs, especially in construction projects with overlapping work.
• Installations and structures. Detachment of elements from facades, roofs, false ceilings, lighting fixtures or machine parts due to lack of maintenance.
• Excavations and demolitions. Landslides and material falls in trenches and slopes, and collapse of elements during demolitions.
• Vehicles and transport. Falling of goods during the loading and unloading of trucks and containers due to inadequate stowage or securing.

Preventive measures according to the hierarchy of controls

The first measure is to avoid risk through design and work organization: plan storage areas with shelving suitable for the load, anchored, protected against impacts and with the maximum load marked; limit the height of stacks; organize work at height so that it does not coincide with other tasks at lower levels; delimit and mark the passage areas of suspended loads and prohibit circulation under them; and maintain order and cleanliness on platforms and edges.

Collective protective measures take precedence over individual ones: toe boards and nets on scaffolding and platforms, canopies and covered walkways on construction sites and access points, mesh and shelving guards, shoring in trenches, skips and containers for lifting materials, straps and ties for palletized loads, and tool securing devices for work at height. Lifting equipment and its accessories must be suitable for the load, inspected in accordance with Royal Decree 1215/1997, and used by trained personnel.

Safety helmets and toe-toed footwear are the last barrier: Royal Decree 773/1997 includes helmets as protection against impacts from falls or projectiles and requires their selection according to the risk assessment, their free delivery and their mandatory use in the marked areas.

Obligations and regulatory framework

• Law 31/1995. Risk assessment in each position and area, planning of measures, information and training, and coordination of activities when several companies are involved.
• Royal Decree 486/1997. Workplaces: structural safety conditions, resistance of floors and structures to loads, order, cleanliness and signage.
• Royal Decree 1627/1997. Construction works: Annex IV requires protecting workers against falling objects or materials, preferably with collective protection, and placing or storing materials in such a way as to prevent their collapse, fall or overturning.
• Royal Decree 1215/1997. Work equipment: requirements and checks of load lifting equipment and its accessories.
• Royal Decree 773/1997. Personal protective equipment: helmets and safety footwear against falling objects.
• Royal Decree 485/1997. Safety signage: signs requiring helmets, warning of suspended loads and delimitation of zones.
• INSST Technical Prevention Notes. Technical criteria on storage in metal shelving, mechanical handling of loads and protections on construction sites.

Organizational application: how to control falling objects

1. Identify in the risk assessment the areas and tasks with a risk of falling objects: warehouses, loading and unloading areas, work at height, excavations and areas under installations.
2. Design and organize storage: suitable and anchored shelving, marked maximum load, impact protection, limited stacking height and periodic inspections with damage recording.
3. Plan work at height to avoid overlapping tasks, install toe boards, nets and canopies, lift materials in trays or containers and use tool clamping systems.
4. Control mechanical handling: use appropriate and checked lifting equipment and accessories, slinging by trained personnel, prohibition of passage under suspended loads, and signage of the areas.
5. Define the areas where helmet and safety footwear use is mandatory, deliver the equipment and check its use.
6. Train and inform staff and coordinate with participating companies on measures in shared areas.
7. Investigate incidents and near misses involving falling objects, review safety measures, and maintain facilities, shelving, and equipment.

Preventive management software allows you to link areas and tasks with a risk of falling objects to the assessment, plan inspections of shelving and lifting equipment, manage the delivery of protective equipment, record incidents, and maintain traceability of measures and coordination with contractors.

Limits and common mistakes

1. Relying on helmets as the sole measure without addressing storage, organization, and collective protections.
2. Allowing overlapping work in construction and maintenance without intermediate protections or delimitation.
3. Overloading shelves, not repairing them after impacts, and not indicating the maximum load.
4. Lifting loads with unsuitable or damaged accessories and allowing people to pass under suspended loads.
5. Do not hold tools when working at heights or remove loose materials from edges and platforms.
6. Failing to investigate near misses caused by falling objects, which foreshadow serious accidents.

Specific measures depend on the activity, facilities and risk assessment; this sheet is for informational purposes only.

Regulatory and reference framework

• Law 31/1995, of November 8. Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; principles of preventive action and hierarchy of measures.
• Royal Decree 486/1997, of April 14. Minimum safety and health provisions in the workplace; structural safety,workplace housekeeping .
• Royal Decree 1627/1997, of October 24. Minimum health and safety provisions in construction works; Annex IV, protection against falling objects.
• Royal Decree 1215/1997, of July 18. Minimum provisions for the use of work equipment; load lifting equipment.
• Royal Decree 773/1997, of May 30. Use of personal protective equipment; helmets against impacts from falls or projections of objects.
• Royal Decree 485/1997, of April 14. Minimum provisions regarding safety and health signage at work.
• NTP 298. Storage on shelves and structures . Technical safety criteria in storage.

The regulations for construction works and work equipment are complemented by the technical standards for shelving, lifting accessories and collective protections and by the INSST Technical Prevention Notes.