Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 350 of the 937 construction fatalities recorded in 2015 (BLS data) according to OSHA. Those deaths, OSHA believes, were preventable. The National Fall Prevention Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.
A Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety. Any workplace can hold a stand-down by taking a break to focus on “Fall Hazards” and reinforcing the importance of “Fall Prevention.” It’s an opportunity for employers to have a conversation with employees about hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies and goals. It can also be an opportunity for employees to talk to management about fall hazards they see.
NATE Executive Director Todd Schlekeway encourages their member companies and all stakeholders in the wireless ecosystem to actively participate in the event.
“The 2017 OSHA National Safety-Stand Down Week is coming at a critical time as the industry prepares for a spike in work due to an increase in both macro and micro deployment activities,” Schlekeway said, “the beginning of tower-related work associated with the broadcast repack transition and as the FirstNet Public Safety Broadband Network build-out commences. NATE has many safety resources and best practice documents available for companies and workers to use throughout the week. The Stand-Down provides every employer and employee with a unique opportunity to double-down on a culture of safety at their respective companies,” he said.
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 Engineers (ASSE), the National Safety Council, the National Construction Safety Executives (NCSE), the U.S. Air Force, and the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers.
May 4, 2017
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