According to Safety and Health Magazine, “falls continue to plague the construction industry.” And, according to OSHA, falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, and they were the number one cited OSHA standard violation in 2019. And, while falls can happen in any industry, the construction industry sees the most falls. In fact, 51% of fall fatalities are in the construction industry.
Fall Related Deaths in the Construction Industry
In 2016, 370 of the 991 construction worker deaths were due to a fall. And, in 2018, falls resulted in 338 (out of 1,008) deaths in the construction industry.
Safety and Health Magazine asserts that in many of these instances, the workers were either not wearing the proper fall protection equipment, or they were not provided with the proper fall protection equipment from their employers.
Falls from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs are a serious problem in the construction industry. But, the good news is that there are steps employers can take to prevent falls.
OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign
In order to help construction sites reduce fall-related deaths, OSHA has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and the Health and National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). Together, they have come up with a great campaign to help raise awareness among workers and employers about common fall hazards on construction sites. This campaign is called Plan. Provide. Train.
Plan
In order to keep their workers safe, employers must plan ahead. They must survey the site ahead of time and come up with a detailed plan of how the construction job needs to be tackled. They must also decide what safety equipment, including fall prevention equipment, will be needed to complete each task of the construction job.
Provide
Once the employer has surveyed the job and determined what safety equipment will be needed, they must then provide all the necessary equipment for their workers. They must ensure that their workers have the right kinds of ladders, scaffolds, and other necessary safety gear.
Train
Another thing employers must do to keep their construction workers safe is to train everyone on how to use the safety equipment, including how to set up the equipment. It’s also important to train construction workers how to recognize hazards while on the job so they can protect themselves.
Find The Right Safety Professional Today!
HealthSafe is a safety compliance consulting company with over 20 years of experience of helping keep workplaces accident-free. We work with clients from all industries, including construction, to create an OSHA compliant, safe workspace. Our site safety consultants can also help your firm develop and implement a worksite safety plan to protect your workers from falls. And, we can supply your company with a qualified safety manager that can stay onsite and ensure construction site safety is maintained throughout the entire project.
To learn more about how we can assist your firm with any construction site safety needs, please fill out our contact form. Or call HealthSafe today at (855) 862-2230 to learn more.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/construction/stopfalls.html
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17412-preventing-falls-in-construction
https://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/
