In 2014 there was 874 total deaths in construction, about 349 of which were falls. Falls are preventable but still remain to be the leading cause of death on construction job sites across the country. The OSHA National Safety Stand Down event from May 2-6 is held to promote employers and employees talking about fall hazards and taking the right steps to ensure that everyone finishes the day safely.
Here are a couple of steps to successfully conduct your own company Stand-Down fall prevention talk.
Promote your Stand-Down in a positive and interesting way
You want people to take the Stand-Down seriously, and you want them to be an active part of the conversation. Some companies might serve snacks or drinks to promote their Stand-Down. Ensuring that everyone wants to attend is crucial because without an audience, the Stand-Down won’t be effective.
Take a new look at your fall prevention strategies
This is the perfect time for improvement, how has your program works thus far? How often are you experiencing injuries or close calls? Are your workers even aware of the proper fall protection procedures? What equipment and training have you provided to your workers, and is it time to update any of it?
Ask your workers to present their ideas
Workers know the job sites better than anyone and they might have some insights on how to improve fall prevention in a new way. Encourage them to make suggestions. It’s important to keep the Stand-Down positive and interactive.
Respond
After you’ve held your Stand-Down, consider what you learned and decide on what improvements can be made. Employees will feel more involved when they see their suggestions making a difference in the workplace.
Holding a Stand-Down can make a difference in your company’s fall safety and might even bring other issues to light that you hadn’t been aware of. Taking the time to listen to your employee’s suggestions can improve engagement and lower injury rates. However, it doesn’t need to be May 2-6 to hear the suggestions of your employees. Our team at Sospes believes that every day is good day to improve safety. That’s why the Sospes Software allow workers to report incidents, close calls, and make suggestions in real time from any job site, all on a mobile device. Reports are then sent to the safety professional no sooner than they are submitted. The best way to listen to your employees and get them involved in fall prevention, is putting safety in the palm of their hand.
