Partners Re-Launch Construction Fall Prevention Campaign
OSHA, NIOSH, and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training collaborate on this campaign with the National Occupational Research Agenda Construction Sector Council.
Organizations involved in the national campaign to prevent falls at U.S. construction sites have re-launched it this week and hope to do even more to raise awareness of workers and safety managers during the 2013 construction season. The campaign reached hundreds of thousands of workers in 2012 with the message "Safety Pays and Falls Cost," and the three campaign websites received more than 500,000 page views during the year. Webinars, e-mail blasts, radio and TV broadcasts, publications, and training and outreach events also spread the word.
Falls are the leading cause of death among construction workers in U.S. private industry.
Fact sheets for the 2013 campaign are available in English, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian. A new, English/Spanish booklet on ladder safety is available that has been developed in partnership with the Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council and Ministry of Manpower. OSHA and NIOSH reported this booklet is OSHA's first-ever e-publication, so it can be read on desktop computers, smartphones, or mobile devices. OSHA soon will release a smartphone-accessible version of the campaign webpage with resources that are easy to read on a mobile device, and NIOSH will provide on its webpage alternative versions of the campaign poster in English and Spanish and spot-the-hazard worksheets.
Printed campaign materials are available by contacting Frank Meilinger, OSHA's director of Communications, at [email protected] or by calling 202-693-1999; materials are available at www.osha.gov/stopfalls/, www.cdc.gov/niosh/construction/stopfalls.html, and www.stopconstructionfalls.com.
The partners say supporters can help the campaign by distributing campaign materials; featuring any of the resources in publications or e-newsletters; following and retweeting campaign news from @NIOSHConstruct and @USDOL; joining the campaign online by sending your contact information toto [email protected]; or by promoting, holding, or sponsoring campaign-related events.
"The residential construction industry holds an important role in the economic vitality of our nation, and the health of this industry is tied to the health of its workers," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "The re-launch of this campaign demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that contractors and workers stay safe on the job by providing the knowledge and tools they need."
"As the nation's economy grows, we are seeing a steady increase in new construction activity and an influx of new, inexperienced workers," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, so it is vitally important for employers to provide the right equipment and properly train their workers in a language they understand so they can do their jobs safely. Falls can be prevented and lives can be saved by planning ahead to get the job done safely, providing the right equipment, and training workers to use the equipment safely."
"Too many times, we hear the phrase, 'It was an accident.' We know these incidents are preventable, which means that hundreds of fall-related deaths and thousands of injuries can be prevented," said Pete Stafford, executive director of CPWR. "Our years of data collection consistently show that falls constitute one-third of all construction fatalities, which makes falls the leading killer of construction workers. We're eager to re-launch the campaign and see fall protection used when workers are at heights."