Working at height is dangerous. Construction, steel-working, roofing, tree trimming and firefighting are just a few of the professions that frequently involve working around unprotected edges with drops of 4 feet or more, where a fall can cause have serious or even fatal consequences. 

But falls aren't the only danger when people are working at height. It's important to remember that falling objects, like tools or hardware, are a significant hazard, too. Dropped objects are estimated to cause an OSHA-recordable injury every 10 minutes.

What Exactly Is a Dropped Object?

For safety professionals, the term "dropped object" has a specific technical meaning. A dropped object can be one of two things:

• An object that falls from a height by its own weight and gravity
• An object that falls from a height due to contact with an energy source

In other words, a dropped object can be something that someone drops – but it can also be something that falls after it gets dislodged from its resting place or mounting position. In this sense, dropped objects can include things like tools or equipment left behind after a task, as well as equipment mounted in elevated locations that could fall because of movement or environmental conditions.

Reducing the potential for dropped object accidents is an important part of any safety program where people are working at elevated heights. OSHA standards for construction (1926.451, 1926.501) and general industry (1910.28) require employers to mitigate dropped object hazards.

How a Little Thing Can Be a Big Hazard

You might be surprised by how dangerous even a small dropped object can be. According to Dropped Object Prevention Scheme (DROPS), an industry work group, objects that weigh less than three pounds can be fatal when they fall from a height of just 30 feet. As things fall farther, they move faster, resulting in more damage to whatever gets in their way.

The chart below shows the consequences of dropped objects of specified weights from different heights: