An employee fell to his death today when…” is an all too common 5’oclock news story. In 2012 there were 219,630 “potentially” fatal injuries and 704 fatalities involving falls, slips, and trips. But with proper protection, many of these injuries and deaths could be avoided.
Get the Facts on Construction Fall Prevention
These injuries and deaths have led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to target fall exposures as one of the top four causes of fatalities on construction sites (https://www.osha.gov/Publications/3216-6N-06-english-06-27-2007.html). While it seems easy enough to put a person, in the construction industry, over six feet off the ground (excluding iron work) in a harness, do you really understand fall prevention? Are you aware of other contributing factors that can cause an employee to fall? Do you have a fall protection plan in place?
A Fall Protection Consultant Can Identify Your Fall Exposures
Hiring a fall protection consultant that has been in the business for many years will help you identify your fall exposures to prevent accidents before they happen. Their knowledge, understanding, and experience with fall exposures, fall prevention and regulatory changes related to leading edges, holes, openings (e.g., sky lights), excavations, trenches, brick work and stairwells can help ensure that your employees – and the financial security of your company – are safer.
Furthermore, fall protection consultants can address the “other” factors contributing to falls, such as slips, trips and ladder, scaffolding, and articulating lift / bucket truck use which account for a high number of injuries or fatalities.
Creating a Fall Protection Plan
Who is responsible for reducing the fall hazards created by you or another company? A fall protection consultant can help with fall prevention and identify these exposures to enhance your decision and mitigation making ability.
If you haven’t already benefitted from the services of a fall protection consultant, start today. Fall protection consultants identify, explain, train, and work to develop remarkably powerful and cost effective solutions such as temporary guardrails that eliminate and/or minimize the visible and hidden fall exposures.