Accidents in hospital, causes and prevention.

  • Great Britain. South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
Date:
1971
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Accidents in hospital, causes and prevention. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    71/148 (page 57)
    (c) A painter fell from a ladder sustaining multiple injuries resulting in complete paralysis from the waist downwards. The ladder was unfastened, not properly footed and no person was stationed at the base to prevent slipping. Here again there was a breach of statutory regulations. (d)An accident occurred during the use of a step ladder to give access to a ceiling trapdoor. The ladder was not suitable for the particular task in that it was not high enough to reach the place of work and in the absence of a firm foothold there was no handrail at top level. (e) Injury resulted when the upright member of the back frame of a step-ladder split for approximately % of its length. It was unquestionably defective. It was immediately destroyed and the solicitors acting for the workman were denied the opportunity of carrying out an inspection. It is most important that all defective equipment giving rise to accidents should be carefully preserved. When visiting hospitals throughout the region it has been noted that ladders continue to be painted. On one such visit it came to light that new ladders and step-ladders were being painted. Paint serves to cover up defects and if protection is required then only clear varnish should be used. So far as the use of ladders is concerned Regulation 32 of the Construction (Working Places) Regulations 1966 is relevant and should be carefully studied. In a recent case, a ladder had not been securely fixed to its upper resting place in accordance with Regulation 32 (2) (a). The workman, an experienced plumber, denied any knowledge of the regulation and, furthermore, the building supervisor was not himself cognisant of this statutory obligation. While it is believed that most hospitals now have a proper system for inspecting ladders and keeping a record of all such regular inspections, these should not be confined to equipment under the direct control of the building department. The inspection procedure, which ideally should be carried out under a planned preventive maintenance scheme, should extend to all ladders and step-ladders throughout the hospital premises. During investigation of an accident which occurred when a ladder collapsed while being used in a ward it had to be admitted that only ladders and step-ladders in the building store were subject to regular inspection.