SAFETY BULLETIN – NEAR MISS: DROPPED 3″ EMT CONDUIT FROM MEZZANINE
On a recent project, an Encore team narrowly avoided a serious incident when a 10-foot length of 3-inch EMT conduit fell from an elevated mezzanine work area. The conduit dropped through a drop grid ceiling above a gowning room, coming dangerously close to striking a client employee working below. The piece was lost from the grip of an Encore electrician while attempting to maneuver it into place. Fortunately, no one was injured — but the potential for severe injury or fatality was very real.
As the investigation unfolded, it became clear that the root cause of this incident was not simply a matter of someone losing their grip. The task required three workers to safely handle large conduit sections, however only two electricians were present. No formal discussion or hazard review took place prior to the work beginning. Critically, the established Method of Procedure (M.O.P.) developed specifically for this high-risk work was not reviewed or followed. Most notably, the daily huddle was skipped.
The failure to conduct a daily huddle and review the M.O.P. directly enabled the following breakdowns:
- The crew composition did not meet the requirements of the task.
- Hazards associated with material handling at height were not identified or mitigated.
- The role of the third worker was never addressed, leading to unsafe handling of oversized conduit.
Leadership on site failed to enforce the expectation that all high-risk work begins with structured planning and communication. The M.O.P. is not a formality. It’s a framework for managing foreseeable risk, and it requires ownership from supervisors, foremen and team. When leadership allows work to proceed without it, we are not just violating a process; we are eliminating our primary line of defense against incidents like this.
We must recognize that leadership is more than assigning tasks. It is setting the tone, modeling the right behaviors, and refusing to compromise safety for the sake of production. When we skip a daily huddle or adjust the crew on the fly without reassessing the risk, we open the door for failures.
Going forward, all supervisors, foremen and team members are reminded:
- Daily huddles are mandatory
- The M.O.P. must be reviewed and followed. Deviations require re-authorization.
- Crew size and composition must align with task requirements. If you need three workers, don’t proceed with two.
- If the situation changes — stop, reassess, and escalate if necessary. There is never a valid reason to bypass planning.
This near miss is a gift — a chance to learn. But it only becomes a lesson if we act on it. Let’s hold each other accountable.