Bulletin of typical workplace accidents in Shanghai, February 2023

(资料图片仅供参考)

Overview

In February 2023, there were 16 fatal workplace accidents in Shanghai"s industrial, mining, commercial and trading sectors with 17 deaths.

Some Accidents in February

On February 6, in the factory of Shanghai Yong’an Environment Technology Co. Ltd. at No.111 Guangcun Road, two operators entered a tank container for a cleaning and repairment job. They died of suffocation.

On February 7, in the industrial park at No.655 Gaoji Road, an operator of Taizhou Xinhui New Energy Development Co. Ltd. was installing photovoltaic power modules on a roof. The operator slipped off and fell to death.

On February 15, at the third floor of Building A, No.36, Lane 130, Hualian Road, an operator from Shanghai Aohui Cold and Heat Electric Machinery Equipment Co. Ltd. was removing an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. The operator fell off and died.

On February 26, at No.500, Lane 1915, Jiangchuan Road, an operator from Jiangsu Yuanjuka Enterprises Management Co. Ltd. was removing a spare tire. The operator was hit by the tire and was killed.

On February 27, in the injection molding workshop of Shanghai Xinpeng Plastic Products Co. Ltd. at No.198 Baofeng Road, an operator was found inside an injection molding machine and had already died.

Workplace Accidents in Previous Februarys

“2021·2·18” Crane accident at No.585 Tongshun Avenue

Summary of the accident：

At around 14:23, February 18, 2021, at the container storage yard at No.585, Tongshun Avenue, Pudong New Area, operators from Shanghai Yousu Logistics Co. Ltd. were using a rail mounted gantry crane to upload containers onto vehicles. The worker directing the job was crushed by a container to death.

Direct cause：

(1) The worker directing the job had not gained the certificate of directing container lifting jobs. The worker had not kept a safe distance with the lifting equipment and was staying in a dangerous area. The lifting job began before the lifting machine and the spreader were stabilized.

(2) The crane driver began to lower the container before receiving instructions to do so. As the worker directing the job was in the driver’s blind spot, the former was crushed by the lowered container.

Indirect cause：

The job site manager from Shanghai Yousu Logistics Co. Ltd. was not properly managing the workplace safety, failed to spot and stop its worker’s unsafe behaviors. The company had not thoroughly trained its workers about workplace safety issues, and its safety education was not effective.

Punishment for the accident：

Pudong New Area Emergency Management Bureau imposed administrative penalties upon Shanghai Yousu Logistics Co. Ltd.

Recommendations：

Shanghai Yousu Logistics Co. Ltd. should enhance its safety education among operators to improve their safety awareness; intensify its job site safety management to stop actions violating safety protocols; should host an all-staff safety training session based on this typical accident to ring the warning bell to avoid future accidents.

“2022·2·22” Fall from height accident at No.221, Huangxing Road

Summary of the accident：

At around 6:30, February 22, 2022, at a commercial building construction site at No.221, Huangxing Road, Yangpu District, two operators from Shanghai Building Decoration Engineering Group Co. Ltd. were installing curtain wall gussets in a man basket. The steel cable of the basket suddenly slipped off from the lifting mechanism and the basket tipped. One worker fell of the basket and died. The other worker was saved thanks to the lifeline the worker was wearing.

Direct cause：

The deceased worker was not wearing a lifeline as required so was not protected from falling when the basket tipped.

Indirect cause：

(1) The workers from Shanghai Building Decoration Engineering Group Co. Ltd. did not follow the standard safety operation process for man basket jobs in air by not setting a limit on the basket’s lowering level and not inserting the safety cable into a safety lock.

(2) The safety supervisor from Shanghai Building Decoration Engineering Group Co. Ltd. did not stop and correct actions violating work safety regulations and standard operation processes. The supervisor did not monitor or educate workers at the job site to correctly wear and use personal protective equipment.

(3) The safety supervisor from Shanghai Building Decoration Engineering Group Co. Ltd. did not supervise the company’s safety work, neither did the supervisor remove work safety hazards in time.

Punishment for the accident：

Yangpu District Emergency Management Bureau imposed administrative penalties upon Shanghai Building Decoration Engineering Group Co. Ltd. and the project manager.

Recommendations：

All professional sub-contractors must strictly follow work safety laws and regulations, design complete internal work safety rules, regulations, responsibility systems and standard safety processes. It should take up its safety management responsibility as a business operation entity. It should enforce the implementation of work safety rules and regulations as well as safety processes. It should give teeth to its regulations and systems by intensifying its job site safety supervision works to ensure all safety measures have been taken properly. It should improve its management of man basket usage by testing it before putting into use. If the company identifies any safety hazards, they must be removed in a designated time, otherwise problematic equipment shall not be put into use. The company should undertake all-staff safety education programs to educate and ensure they all correctly wear and use personal protective equipment. The company must improve its employees’ safety awareness.

The main contractor of the project should proactively shoulder its work safety management responsibility by intensifying supervision on sub-contractors. It should assign safety management personnel to coordinate and manage job site safety. It should require sub-contractors’ project managers, safety supervisors and operators to effectively implement safety measures at the job site.

Hazard warnings

➤(1) In February, many fall from height accidents happened during photovoltaic power module installations and outdoor units of air conditioner installations/removals. In recent years, we’ve seen many fall accidents related to leading edges, holes, building surface cleaning jobs, roof or wall-mounted equipment installation or repairment jobs. It shows that some companies have not properly identified safety hazards in work, some operators failed to wear safety belts, or job sites failed to install personal fall arrest systems with people working on a leading edge.

➤(2) In February, as many as four fatal machinery injury accidents happened because operators entered machinery operating zones without shutting down the power and not wearing personal protective equipment. This showed that some companies have low level of inherent safety design around machinery operations, lack job site safety management, and allow employees to work against safety protocols.

Companies with these hazards must seriously take up their safety responsibilities, thoroughly identify workplace hazards, and implement protective measures. At the same time, they should organize all-staff safety training and education programs to let them learn from real cases and raise their safety awareness. They should ensure that workers will stop unsafe behaviors to avoid future accidents.

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▌来源：协作发展处（研究室）

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