OSHA Safety Stand-Down Aims to Prevent Falls in Construction

Guest Post From Jim Maddux, OSHA

On May 17, 2012, 28-year-old temporary worker Adrien Zamora was sent up a scaffold to do restoration work on the façade of an 11-story luxury building in New York City. He was working in an area that was not protected with guardrails and should have been wearing a safety harness secured to an anchorage point. But he was not wearing any fall protection gear. His employer had not even provided him with required training on routine safety measures like fall prevention.

At the end of a hard day of work, Zamora and his coworkers were cleaning up when he slipped from the unguarded scaffolding and plunged 40 ft, landing headfirst on a construction shed below and losing his life. His wife and two young daughters will never forget the day he didn’t come home from work.

Stories like this are not uncommon. In fact, falls remain the leading cause of death in construction, accounting for more than one-third of deaths in the industry. In 2012 alone, 269 workers died from falls in construction. For those who survive a fall, injuries can be extremely painful and costly, preventing them from continuing to work. For employers, the cost of falls can be so burdensome that their business is jeopardized. National Council for Compensation reports that these falls can result in such serious injuries that the average workers' compensation for a lost-time claim is close to $100,000 per case.

To raise awareness on falls and provide training materials for employers, in 2012 OSHA partnered with the NIOSH to create the Fall Prevention Campaign. “Preventing falls in the construction industry benefits everyone, from the worker, to the employer, to the community at large,” says NIOSH Director John Howard. The campaign emphasizes that planning ahead, providing the right equipment and training all employees in proper use of equipment can save lives. OSHA has conducted more than 1,000 workshops on fall safety, produced low-literacy fact sheets and other publications and produced 10 fall-prevention videos in English and Spanish in an effort to reach workers all over the nation.

As part of the ongoing effort to prevent falls in construction, OSHA has announced a national safety stand-down for fall prevention in construction, June 2 to 6. During the stand-down, employers and workers are asked to pause their workday to talk about fall prevention in construction and discuss topics such as ladder safety, scaffolding safety and working on roofs. The national safety stand-down website offers information on how to conduct a successful stand-down, resources for employees and workers, and an opportunity to receive a personalized certificate of participation after completion of a stand-down.

“We’re working with employers, workers, industry groups, state OSH plans and civic and faith-based organizations to host safety stand-downs that focus on recognizing hazards and preventing falls,” says OSHA Administrator David Michaels. “We are getting the message out to America’s employers that safety pays and falls cost.” Secretary of Labor Tom Perez has also issued a video statement on the stand-down, detailing the best ways to get employers and workers involved.

ASSE is also encouraging its members to participate. "This effort provides the Society and its members with a great opportunity to demonstrate safety and health professionals’ leadership in reducing the leading cause of death in construction," ASSE says. If you have any questions about how to get involved, contact ASSE's Dave Heidorn or Tim Fisher.