National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls Campaign Kicked Off This Week

Raising awareness about common falls in the workplace and how to prevent them has been the goal of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) since 2012. This partnership resulted in a weeklong fall prevention campaign, May 3-7, National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls.

Workplace falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs are a leading hazard and cause of death for maintenance workers and construction workers, according to 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The goal of this awareness campaign is to stop these fatalities and injuries by showcasing fall prevention training guides, toolbox talks on safety equipment inspections, and rescue plans.

The Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary event during which employer across the country are encouraged to speak directly to their employees about fall hazards and other job risks, and reinforce the importance of fall prevention and safety policies. To kick-off this week, a webinar detailed the latest OSHA enforcement and resources for fall prevention.

Other resources for this week include:

• Certification of participation
• Completion of a voluntary fall experience survey from the Center for Construction Research and Training, which closes May 14, 2021
• Prevention videos.

Employers and workers are encouraged to promote the week’s event by using the hashtag #StandDown4Safety on social media platforms.