The Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to an incident where a male of 46 years of age sustained critical but stable injuries after falling from the basement stairs of a building on June 07, 2021.
The incident occurred at a building on the corners of Prospect and Hilda Street in Hatfield, Pretoria.
The male patient was reported to have slipped from the rail of a staircase while trying to access the basement of the building for plumbing maintenance work in the basement. He apparently lost grip of the rungs of the stairs and fell approximately 3 metres down, sustaining head injuries.
Tshwane paramedics and firefighters lowered a basket and scoop stretcher where the patient was securely loaded into, after receiving bleeding and intravenous fluid treatment. He was then lifted to the surface with the assistance of members of the public in the building, Tshwane Metro Police officers and Tshwane Emergency Services personnel.
He was transported to the Mediclinic Medforum Hospital in a critical but stable condition. We would like to advise utility workers to ensure their personal safety by using appropriate personal protective clothing and fall arrest mechanisms when working from height.
Tshwane Emergency Services recommends that all workers must ensure proper grip on stairs when climbing down or up the stairs and ensure a systemic decent or climb of the stairs.
