It’s that time of year when things fall. Leaves are falling. Temperatures are falling. With any luck, our risks of wildfires, hurricanes, and other extreme seasonal weather events will start falling soon, too.
People, however—people shouldn’t be falling. Not now, not ever, whenever falls are avoidable.
As we approach autumn and the end of many organizations’ fiscal years (including the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s), now is the time to reflect on your workforce safety outcomes over the past 12 months. There’s no better place to start than with fall protection.
How many slips, trips, and falls have occurred in your facilities since last year?
Are you doing everything you can to protect your workforce from the most common cause of workplace injuries and the #1 OSHA violation?
Join the National Safety Stand-Down To Prevent Falls
To help employers educate their employees on this all-too-frequent—and frequently deadly—workforce risk, OSHA is hosting a weeklong National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.
Safety Stand-Downs are voluntary dialogues between employers and employees about critical workplace health and safety issues.
Hosting a Stand-Down is simple. All you need to do is take a break from normal work to start a discussion about fall hazards, or conduct another safety-oriented activity—such as training or an inspection. For ideas and inspiration, check out OSHA’s suggestions and highlights from previous annual Stand-Downs.
Even if fall hazards aren’t a major risk for your workforce, a Stand-Down is the perfect opportunity to bring safety to the forefront of your organization.
Any employer (not just construction companies) can participate in the current National Safety Stand-Down. After participating, you’ll be able to download your very own Certificate of Participation you can proudly hang in your facilities.
Wow, holy smokes! A downloadable OSHA certificate!
I’m sure you can hardly contain your excitement.
Seriously, though, there are plenty of reasons to conduct a Safety Stand-Down. In addition to keeping employees unharmed and avoiding hefty OSHA fines, you’ll also be taking proactive steps to improve your team’s working conditions and build your safety culture. You may even get some valuable feedback and ideas from the members of your workforce.
For more details about the National Safety Stand-Down, click here.
KPA’s software, training, and consulting services can help you protect your employees from fall hazards and other forms of workplace risk. For more information, read our article about fall protection, check out our free resource library, or get in touch with a workforce safety expert.
