Recommendations from recent safety incidents

In the interest of making our industry as safe as possible, we would like to share some of the preventative measures taken by EGT host employers in response to recent incidents involving EGT apprentices.

Incident: Potential for asbestos exposure

An apprentice was found to be near asbestos when drilling into a wall. Although an Asbestos Clearance Certificate was in place, tests on the wall showed minor traces of asbestos.

EGT recommends that personnel wear protective equipment, such as N95 masks, when drilling or breaking into the walls of old buildings.

Incident: Electric shock (static)

An apprentice received an electric shock (static) when he touched an Elevating Work Platform (EWP) guardrail and roof support beam at the same time. 

After conducting a though incident investigation, the host employer determined that the shock received was a static shock. In response, the host employer fitted an earth strap to the EWP.

Incident: Finger laceration from power tool usage

An  apprentice suffered a laceration to their finger while fitting a hole cutter and dust cover to a portable drill. During this activity, the drill was accidently activated.

EGT issued Safety Alert 87 in August 2020 in response to a similar incident. EGT requires apprentices to remove the battery from the drill or unplug the power cord for corded units when attaching a hole saw. The host employer has now adopted this practice also and included this requirement in their Safe Operating Procedures (SOP).