What Construction Site Fall Prevention Policies Will Prevent Workplaces Falls?

Falls are the number one cause of death in construction workplaces, and yet they are also among the most preventable kinds of death. The construction workforce suffered 1,075 deaths in 2023 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Falls are typically responsible for around 1/3 of the deaths in construction each year. Many of these falls were from a height of as little as six feet. And, in 2023, more than 14,000 construction workers in total were injured from falls.

Construction Industry Costs from Injuries and Deaths

And much more costly in several other ways, as it is for businesses when a worker is injured or killed. Every year in the United States, approximately $100 billion is spent on medical and workers' compensation costs.

There are also indirect costs — because projects need to remain staffed with enough workers in order to receive the best incentives, and there will be a delay before another inexperienced worker can replace the one that was lost.

Another cost is that construction job site moral and worker productivity has been reported to decrease by millions of dollars a year when a co-worker gets hurt or lost due to work related injury.

Anywhere in this list is one crash away from getting extremely expensive, even without a single accident from some low-ass altitude heat-seaker. Given all of this, preventing accidents on construction sites is critical.

OSHA Repurcussion

Due to the ongoing problem of fall hazards in construction work, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and NORA-The National Occupational Research Agenda combined forces to not only enforce compliance on fall prevention methods, but also provide training.

The organizations also present a variety of fall prevention facts and tips available on several flyers. The flyers are available here: https://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/factsheet.html

The group advises that one of the keys to preventing falls in construction is being proactive, and it offers its "plan, provide and train" scheme to protect workers at heights.

Plan to complete the job safely

One of the elements you need to plan for before any construction project gets underway is deciding which aspect of the job is going to force workers to work at heights from work equipment or buildings like roofs, scaffolds and ladders.

While you are planning the job, anticipate which training and construction safety equipment may be needed to keep workers safe for each of the stages of the whole project.

Provide the correct safety equipment.

Ladders, scaffolds and such fall protection construction equipment must be made use of should the work being done require workers to do their job from six feet or higher above ground level.

Different scaffolds and ladders are job specific according to the type of that job. Before job starts, make sure the have the right equipment on job site for each work type. Harnesses are required for any worker in personal fall arrest systems.

Before firing up any piece of construction equipment, do a walk-around inspection first thing in the morning to ensure that everything is operating properly.

Train all construction personnel in how to use the equipment the right way, safely

You cannot stop construction accidents simply by supplying proper construction safety equipment: such gear must be used correctly.

Ensure that all appropriate construction workers are trained to recognize and avoid the hazards involved in their work, including, but not limited to, personal fall arrest systems (PFAS), ladders, scaffolds, and exposure to electrical hazards. Also available workplace fall hazard courses construction workers can take to help the company and its employees in the fight against falls on the job.