7th Annual National Safety Stand-Down Commences This Week
After being postponed due to Coronavirus, OSHA's National Safety Stand Down to prevent falls in construction kicks off this week.
OSHA’s 7th annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction will take place virtually this week from Sept. 14-18, 2020.
The Stand-Down was created to spread awareness of workplace safety measures and foster dialogue between employees and employers in hopes of decreasing preventable deaths on the job. Employers are encouraged to pause during the workday to conduct safety demonstrations and train employees in hazard recognition.
OSHA has published a calendar that details events for the week-long stand down, which includes a Fall Hazard Awareness for the Construction Industry video conference on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Other events that employees can attend are the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) presentations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which will feature fall-protection topics. There will also be a panel hosted by the Latino Worker Safety Center that highlights the use of things like safety rails and personal fall arrest systems.
The event kicked off with a webinar on Monday that featured speakers like Scott Ketcham, director of OSHA Directorate of Construction and Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
Further information on stand-down webinars and links to register for them can be found at osha.gov.