Ramping up for Spring safety

From Construction Safety Day to National Safety Month, Spring offers a range of safety initiatives for individuals and companies to incorporate and adapt. One of the leading opportunities to spread the safety word is OSHA’s annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Workplace Falls, held May 4-8 this year.

This year’s National Safety Stand-Down will mark its 7^th anniversary. The initiative was conceived by OSHA in 2014 to raise awareness surrounding the severity of fall hazards in construction and the importance of preventing them. The term “safety stand-down” is used to describe a wide variety of activities where normal work is paused and the entire construction site focuses on a particular safety issue.

Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees.

Statistics

• 320 of the 1,008 construction fatalities in 2018 were from falls
• 3,435 stand-downs were conducted in the U.S. last year
• 457,251 workers were reached from stand-downs

Contractors, workers and the entire construction industry can help prevent falls and save lives by planning correctly, providing the right equipment and offering training.

There are a number of ways to participate in the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Workplace Falls, including:

• Toolbox talks to discuss and develop rescue plans or conduct equipment inspections
• Give workers free hard hat stickers
• E-mail staff information about the campaign and share the link to www.stopconstructionfalls.com
• Provide training

For more ideas, The Center for Construction Research and Training, OSHA and The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have a variety of resources to help employers decide what will work best for their sites.

If a fall does occur on the jobsite, the following should occur:

1. Determine the cause of the fall,
2. Inspect and remove faulty personal fall arrest systems or equipment that may have contributed to a fall from use,
3. Have an open conversation with workers about their concerns,
4. Conduct a refresher training on fall prevention, and
5. Communicate the importance of fall protection throughout the organization.