Almost 40 percent of all construction fatalities were related to falls in 2014, and all of these deaths were preventable.
That’s the key message the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) delivered to employers and workers alike during its third annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls from May 2-6.
Falls continue to be the construction industry’s leading cause of death. Each year, hundreds of workers die and thousands more suffer catastrophic, debilitating injuries, according to OSHA. Despite these chilling statistics, the absence of proper fall protection remains the violation cited most frequently by federal safety inspectors.
“The men and women working in the construction industry drive our nation’s growth and prosperity,” says Thomas E. Perez, U.S. secretary of labor. “We rely on them to build our homes, our roads and our communities. They deserve access to the equipment, training and resources available to prevent falls and the tragedy they can inflict. I encourage everyone to join the 2016 National Safety Stand-Down and help ensure that no one’s livelihood is a matter of life or death.”
OSHA launched its first National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in 2014. Thousands of companies and more than 2.5 million workers took part in the Stand-Down in 2015, the agency says, making it the largest occupational safety event ever hosted.
A typical Stand-Down allows companies to stop work at a designated time to discuss and demonstrate how to best prevent falls, and to encourage workers to apply these methods consistently.
The National Safety Stand-Down is part of OSHA’s fall prevention campaign, started in 2012 and developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda and The Center for Construction Research and Training.
“The construction industry sees the highest frequency of fall-related deaths and serious, sometimes debilitating injuries,” says John Howard, director of NIOSH. “Preventing falls benefits everyone. The National Safety Stand-Down serves as an important opportunity for both employers and workers to stop and take time in the workday to identify existing fall hazards, and then offer demonstrations and training to emphasize how to stay safe on the job.”
Visit OSHA’s site for more information about the National Safety Stand-Down.