A carpenter working on the Cathay Cargo project fell from a 600mm ledge onto unprotected rebar and suffered fatal injuries. All project managers are required to communicate this safety alert to contractors and ensure risk assessments and method statements involving rebar are reviewed. Protections such as barricades, covers, or reinforced caps must be used to isolate rebar and prevent falls or potential impalement. Several documents provide further information on rebar hazards and effective protection methods rated to withstand impacts.

1. Safety Bulletin No. RF-LFI-ALL-013
FOR ISSUE TO ALL SSE
SHE ALERT
EXTERNAL
Fatal Accident following a fall onto unprotected rebar
NOTE: Information received externally from Gammon and Balbour Beatty
What Happened?
A carpenter working at the Cathay Cargo project slipped from a 600mm high ledge and fell backwards
on to rebar. The rebar punctured the deceased in his lower back. He was assisted to a safe place by a
colleague, the site nurse administered first aid and an ambulance was called. He was taken to hospital
but on arrival his condition deteriorated and he died.
Please refer to the attached documents for more information.
Action required –
All project managers are to ensure that:
This SHE Alert is communicated to all our internal staff and shared with all our contractors to
allow them to communicate the information to their business and sub contractors.
Ensure all risk assessment and method statements referring to works involving rebar are
reviewed in line with the alerts attached.
Ensure that we monitor all works involving rebar to check that the controls and arrangements
remain adequate.
Issued by: T ony Stafford, SHE T eam Date of issue: 04:11:2011

2. 15204 – Cathay Pacific Air Cargo
Fatal Accident – 23 September 2011, 16:30
Cathay Pacific Air Cargo
Preliminary findings:
At 16:30 on Friday the 23 September a carpenter working at the Cathay Cargo project slipped from a
600mm high ledge and fell backwards on to rebar. The rebar punctured the deceased in his lower
back. He was assisted to a safe place by a colleague and the site nurse administered first aid and an
ambulance was called. He was taken to hospital and on arrival his condition deteriorated and he
died at 18:50.
The deceased has been working on the project for six months and at the time had been striking
timber from the inside face of a wall planter. He is 59 and married with two children aged 15 and 18.
A full investigation is underway and a review with the Civils Projects Managers has been held this
morning.
General scene
Scene straight on
T ony Small
Head of HSEQ Simulation immediately after showing where the
Deceased stood

3. ISSUE 01/2011, OCTOBER 11TH 2011
Protecting Employees from installed Reinforcement Steel (rebar)
Several hazards exist with installed rebar prior to concrete being poured. Rebar with exposed ends has:
1. The potential for cuts, scratches and bruises while passing near to rebar
2. The potential for impalement if falling onto exposed rebar
Based on a risk assessment of each individual area the following controlsmust be implemented:
1. Design and Planning must recognise the hazard presented by rebar and eliminate/minimise the risk during
these early project stages – for example pre-bend rebar, deliver as a completed module, minimise
exposed rebar ends
2. Any fall onto rebar (covered or uncovered) should be prevented, irrespective of rebar protection
implemented
3. Where impalement is a possibility the rebar must be isolated or capped with a combination of the
following:
a. Isolate the rebar by barricading the immediate area from entry or preventing the possibility of a fall
onto the rebar
b. Complete stirrups or “u-frames” soon after starter bars are installed
c. Use external covers strong enough to resist a fall (eg timber boxing, scaffold)
d. Cover exposed rebar with fall-resistant (reinforced) caps or a cap/timber combination (see below)
4. Where protection is required only from scratches and cuts use conventional rebar caps.
Rebar caps perform several functions:
1. Some, but not all, protect against impalement. See below
2. They protect against cuts and scratches for people passing at the same level
3. They draw attention an area of risk
IMPORTANT: Many proprietary rebar caps are not rated to protect when struck by a falling person. If protection is
required against impalement and caps are selected as the method of protection they must be rated accordingly.
The applicable OSHA standard is the relevant reference – link below.
Information from OSHA on protruding rebars
Information from OSHA on mushroom-style plastic rebar covers
Information from the US Department of Labor on the efficacy of mushroom-style plastic rebar covers
Research from an Australian Regulator showing that some rebar caps do not prevent impalement
Advice and guidance from California, USA on the need for adequate protection from rebar
Carnie Cap system which will withstand a 250-pound weight dropped from 10ft without the rebar protruding
Internal Balfour Beatty RCE best practice document
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4. Good Practice examples of protecting employees from rebar
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