Alert
  • Published: 9 Nov 2016
  • Incident ID: 3997

Near Miss (with high potential) : Failure of Safety Gate Bar

Backup Cause & Consequence

Moving, flying or falling object, Slip, trip or fall on same level

Contributing Factor

  • Complacency

Description of Process

Routine inspection of tower

Description of Incident

In the process of stepping onto the ladder on level 2 gantry the safety gate bar came adrift from its hinge bracket. The individual already had one foot and his other hand on the ladder but still swung round and fell back against the backscratcher, just arresting a fall. Individual replaced the gate bar and immediately reported the event to the mechanical department.

No injury was sustained during the event.

Good Practice Guidance

Short Term

Mechanical department investigated gate bar and found that the retaining plate and bolt were missing due to the bolt working its way loose. Bar was repaired immediately by the Mechanical Technician.

Operations and instruments were informed of the issue

Ongoing checks of all safety gates to ensure they are functioning correctly

Long Term

Review maintenance strategy of safety gates

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