During the week of June 2-6, work was momentarily suspended on KBS jobsites to deliver an important message as a part of National Fall Prevention Stand-Down, a nationwide effort by OSHA to promote safety in the construction industry.
During this pause for safety, our Safety Inspector, Christine Miller, led ladder and basic fall protection training sessions with participation from the KBS project teams and subcontractors.
Mark Lambert, Corporate Safety Directory said, “Our commitment to safety is strongly integrated into our company culture. Taking time out to for these Safety Stand-Downs is one way that KBS is proactive in maintaining a safe work environment and ensuring that every worker goes home safely every day.”
The stand-down is part of OSHA’s ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign, which was started in 2012 and was developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda program.
OSHA reports that fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for 269 of the 775 construction fatalities recorded in 2012. Those deaths were preventable. Fall prevention safety standards were among the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards, during fiscal year 2012.
In an effort to prevent these injuries and fatalities through education and outreach, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched the 2014 Fall Safety Stand-Down, which was held from June 2-6. An estimated 1 million workers and 25,000 businesses, including construction industry leaders, were expected to halt their work for one hour during the week to discuss the importance of recognizing fall hazards and implementing fall safety measures.