Workers across the board suffer from workplace injuries all throughout the year. Some jobs hold greater dangers than others, though. This includes fields like construction, where heavy objects and great heights are a daily feature of work.
Due to the amount of fall-related incidents that happen every year, many professionals are putting their resources together in an attempt to campaign for awareness.
Fall statistics in construction
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lays out their fall prevention campaign. Their main goal is drawing attention to the fact that all falls are preventable, meaning injuries and fatalities related to were avoidable.
They point out that despite this, falls served as the leading cause of death in the field of construction. In 2018 alone, 320 workers lost their lives due to fall incidents on the job. That was out of 1,008 overall construction fatalities.
Three preventative steps
OSHA thus came up with three steps that employers can do to make the job easier and safer for employees. It focuses on planning, providing and training. For planning, employers should plan ahead to ensure a job gets done safely and efficiently. This includes deciding how you will do the job, what safety equipment you may need, and appropriately estimating costs to include these features.
You should also provide the right equipment. You need fall protection gear, the right kind of ladders, safety gear and correct scaffolds. Use harnesses and personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) that fit the workers and inspect them regularly for safety.
Finally, train the employees in the safe use of this equipment. Not only should they know how to use it properly, but they should always get updated safety information and training for recognizing job hazards. Together, these steps can help resolve the issue of dangerous fall risks.