May is when the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) joins with safety organizations and contractors for what is now the 6th annual
National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down
, that takes place this year from May 6-10. The focus of the week-long stand down has always been on preventing falls in construction, which are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry.
The national stand-down encourages employers and workers to pause voluntarily during the work day for safety demonstration, training in hazard recognition and fall prevention. This includes talking about hazards, productive methods, and your company’s safety policies, goals, and expectations.
This stand down happens for one week out of the year, but why stop there? Falls do not happen just in this one week. In 2017, falls accounted for just over 39% of all reported deaths in construction. Fall hazards/protection in construction continue to be the most frequently cited violation by OSHA. Of the top 10 most frequently cited violations,
four are related to falls and fall protection
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How do you prevent fall citations, hazards, and exposure? First and foremost, training! Second, create more awareness. Training cannot be just one time in a worker’s career. Human nature is to become complacent when tasks are repeated over and over again. As long as the core process is the same, a lot of us just do the job or task without much thinking. The more each worker hears about fall protection, ladder safety, and other worker awareness, the less complacent they will become. Talking about tasks and jobs related to falls should be at least a weekly task to keep it fresh in the mind. When I mention awareness it includes the training aspect, but I also encourage workers to report other workers doing something unsafe, such as using a ladder incorrectly, and not inspecting their harness and lanyard before donning. These are items that create more awareness and keeps everyone safe.
No one should have to be injured or die in the workplace because of a fall. There is no such thing as an accident in the workplace. There is always a cause and effect of what took place. It may not have been that day, that week, or even that month, but something led to the accident that injures or kills a worker. All workers should be able to go home the same way they arrived and until we have no deaths or injuries due to falls, heightened awareness and training must take place.
-Dale Erickson, WORKSAFE Manager
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Ladder Safety
The OSHA Standard for portable ladders contains specific requirements designed to ensure worker safety:
Loads
- Self-supporting (foldout) and non-self-supporting (leaning) portable ladders must be able to support at least four times the maximum intended load, except extra-heavy-duty metal or plastic ladders, which must be able to sustain 3.3 times the maximum intended load.
Slipping
- Ladders are to be kept free of oil, grease, wet paint, and other slipping hazards.
- Wood ladders must not be coated with any opaque covering, except identification or warning labels on one face only of a side rail.
Angle
- Non-self-supporting ladders, which must lean against a wall or other support, are to be positioned at such an angle that the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is about 1⁄4 the working length of the ladder.
- In the case of job-made wooden ladders, that angle should equal about 1⁄8 the working length. This minimizes the strain of the load on ladder joints that may not be as strong as on commercially manufactured ladders.
CLICK HERE
to read the full Ladder Safety article from OSHA.
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SAFETY PROFESSIONALS:
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Baker Group - Des Moines, IA
- ISU Steam Utilities Supply Replacement
Carl A. Nelson & Company – Burlington, IA
Drew Cook Excavating – Dubuque, IA
- Bowling & Beyond Site Building
Graham Construction Company – Des Moines, IA
- Des Moines University Clinic Building 6th Floor
- Wells Fargo Northstar – L2E & L3E Remodel
HPC, LLC – Ames, IA
- ISU Sports Performance Center & Jack Trice Stadium Improvements
Hubbell Construction Services, LLC – West Des Moines, IA
- Linc I at Gray’s Station
- Linc II at Gray’s Station
Merit Construction Company – Cedar Rapids, IA
- Iowa City Public Works Building
Western Specialty Contractors – West Des Moines, IA
- Kinnick Stadium and Paul W. Brechler Press Box
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WORKSAFE is a partnership between Master Builders of Iowa and Iowa OSHA, with safety services provided by Construction Safety Specialists, Inc. For more information on the WORKSAFE program or for safety inquiries, please contact Dale Erickson at 515-577-7622 or
Dale@IowaCSSI.com
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