Construction Workers Fall Accidents from Scaffolding in Gaza Strip

The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the main causes of fall accidents from scaffolding according to their relative importance as perceived by project managers and site engineers in construction projects in the Gaza Strip. A total of 50 questionnaires were distributed to project managers and site engineers, 35 questionnaires were received yielding 70% response rate. A total of 33 factors that cause fall accidents in scaffolding were identified through a literature review and consolidated by a pilot study. These factors were categorized into six groups: factors related to erection, factors related to the staff (Scaffolders), factors related to loads, factors related to the personal safety, factors related to the workers behavior, factors related to the personal competencies. The results indicated that factors related to the workers behavior are the major factors that caused fall accidents from scaffolds. The results revealed that the top ranked factors which caused falls accidents from scaffolding were: absence of personal protective equipment (PPE), missing ladders, wind loads, disguised the design code, lack of proper assembly or inspection, overhead tools and materials, climbing and neglect using ladders, lack of guardrails, missing bracing and working during fatigue. These findings would help contractors to understand the top factors that caused fall accidents so that they can take them into consideration in safety planning in order to minimize the possibility of their occurrences.