The U.S. Department of Labor’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is June 2 – 6, 2014. A “Safety Stand-Down” is a voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety. The purpose of this year’s Stand-Down is raise awareness of preventing “Fall Hazards” and to reinforce the importance of “Fall Prevention.”
OSHA reports that “[f]atalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for 269 of the 775 construction fatalities recorded in 2012.” It believes that those deaths were preventable. It reported that “[f]all prevention safety standards were among the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards, during fiscal year 2012.” OSHA has posted on its website numerous fall prevention publications.
Additional Resources: OSHA, Fall Prevention Training Guide; OSHA, Falling Off Ladders Can Kill: Use Them Safely; OSHA, Fall Protection in Residential Construction Fact Sheet; U.S. Department of Labor, Stand-Down Frequently Asked Questions