Fatality caused by stacked boards collapse

The term ‘boards’ also includes sheets and other similar materials such as doors, panels, worktops etc. These are common products used throughout the manufacturing and construction industries. They can be either wood based such as chipboard, plywood or MDF, or made from other materials such as plasterboard.
Although often large and awkward to handle the retrieval and movement of boards from storage is considered by many users to be a relatively low risk activity. However, boards are heavy and it is easy to lose control of them when they are being moved. This problem is made much worse when they are stored together in a stack leaning against a wall and several boards fall at once. Purpose designed storage racking will prevent this type of incident. These racks are relatively easy to construct and can often be made ‘in-house’.
Wooden boards generally have a standard size of 2440 x 1220mm (or divisions of) and can range in thickness from 3mm to 35mm. A single 18mm thick plywood board of this size weighs approximately 30 kg.
Over the last seven years there have been at least three fatalities caused by falling boards, including that of four year old child who was killed by a falling stack of kitchen worktops.

It is suggested that those companies who use boards on their premises should take steps to review their current arrangements of how boards are stored and moved.
Steps should be taken to provide suitable storage racking and appropriate handling aids as part of a safe system of work for retrieval and moving the boards.

Members may wish to look at the HSE Information Sheet ‘Safe https://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/manualhandling.htm