DES PLAINES, Ill. — Each year thousands of workers are injured and hundreds die from construction-related falls. In order to provide the information and training needed to prevent worker injuries and fatalities in the construction industry, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is joining with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to support a new “Fall Prevention Campaign.”

The national campaign to raise awareness about how to prevent falls in construction is also supported by state governments, private industries, trade associations, academia, and professional and labor organizations. It focuses on providing prevention information and training materials on three major types of falls: from roofs, from ladders, and from scaffolds. More than 10,000 construction workers were injured as a result of falling while working from heights in the United States and another 225 were killed in 2010.

Ron Sokol, ASSE member, who also represents the association on the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Construction Sector that developed the campaign, and is president and CEO of the Safety Council-Texas City, noted that more is needed to be done to prevent falls, such as this new initiative.

“This effort took some time to develop as we ‘proof tested’ all of the information in this campaign with workers and employers — in English and Spanish, but was completed on a very aggressive schedule for a campaign of this magnitude,” said Sokol. “We want to reach as many people as possible to prevent construction workers and others from falling while at work.”

For more information, visit www.stopconstructionfalls.com.

Publication date: 9/24/2012