NRCA once again will hold events in support of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) fifth annual National Safety Stand-Down May 7-11 to prevent falls in construction.
The safety stand-down is meant to raise awareness among employers and workers about the hazards of falls. Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for 384 of the 991 construction fatalities recorded in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; falls accounted for 92 of 115 fatalities in the roofing industry.
OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Center for Construction Research and Training are leading the effort to encourage employers to pause during their workdays for topic discussions, demonstrations and training regarding how to recognize hazards and prevent falls. Once you participate in a National Safety Stand-Down event, be sure to visit OSHA's stand-down page so you can provide feedback and download a Certificate of Participation.
In support of OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down, NRCA will hold a free webinar and fall-prevention awareness seminar during the week.
The free one-hour webinar, will be held Monday, May 7, at 1 p.m. CDT. OSHA Director of the Directorate of Construction Dean McKenzie will introduce the program and presenters. NRCA Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management Tom Shanahan and Director of Enterprise Risk Management Rich Trewyn will explain how to use a job hazard analysis (JHA) along with other pre-job resources and activities during the job and after it is complete. The presenters also will discuss how to create a company safety culture and its effect on fall prevention. Click here to register for the webinar.
The free live half-day fall-prevention awareness seminar will be held Tuesday, May 8, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Holiday Inn adjacent to NRCA's office in Rosemont, Ill. OSHA Region V Administrator Ken Atha will kick off the event. We encourage attendees to participate in the webinar before attending the seminar as the topics covered will relate to the webinar and include performing a JHA; discussing hazards and demonstrating controls associated with rescue and self-rescue of a fallen worker while suspended by his or her personal fall-arrest system; key fall-protection regulatory requirements; and case studies built from attendees' fall-related experiences. Click here to register for the seminar.
Additionally, NRCA encourages contractors to share photos and videos of their stand-down events during the week. NRCA will be sharing some of your photos, so be sure to use #StandDown4Safety and tag NRCA!
For more information about NRCA's support of OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down, click here.
For more information about OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down and how you can participate, click here.
