This year from May 1st to May 5th is the National Safety Stand Down instituted by OSHA to help employers reduce fall accidents. This is a voluntary event that encourages employers to spend the week of May 1st through May 5th discussing strategies and developing programs that will ultimately help reduce the high number of fall injuries that occur each year in the US.
Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 378 of the 986 construction fatalities recorded in 2021 (BLS data).
Safety Todd is asking everyone to get involved in the Stand Down. Take this time to discuss your concerns about fall hazards in your workplace. Attend training that will provide you with the necessary skills to protect yourself from dangerous fall hazards. Ask questions about situations you feel may be fall hazards, and how to properly control those hazards. Learn about the proper PPE that you need to wear when working from heights as well as all the engineering controls that are available to protect you from a fall.
A-C-T has a long history of assisting our clients with fall protection training, as well as other forms of OSHA training. Fall hazards exist in the utilities industry, the space industry, at mine sites, in manufacturing operations, in chemical plants, and many other worksites throughout the US.
OSHA is partnering with key groups to assist with this effort, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), OSHA approved State Plans, State consultation programs, the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), the National Safety Council, the National Construction Safety Executives (NCSE), the U.S. Air Force, and the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers. Let’s partner with them as well at A-C-T!
Safety Todd’s Tip of the Month is that we all need to come together and make the May 2023 Safety Stand Down a huge success by getting involved and doing our part as both employees, and employers in reducing fall injuries. See the link below to OSHA’s Stand Down initiative.
