Statement by Dr. David Michaels Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health
Targeted News Service |
Thank you all for joining us as we talk about this important nationwide event. This week, across the country, employers and workers are voluntarily stopping work to focus on achieving safe working conditions and saving workers' lives by preventing fatal falls. With this stand-down, we are reaching more workers, more businesses, and a wider variety of workplaces than ever before.
Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry-279 workers lost their lives in 2012 in falls from heights and more than 8,800 construction workers were seriously injured by falls. Lack of fall protection is also the most frequently cited
As Secretary Perez mentioned, we are thrilled to be joining with 25,000 businesses across the country in this unprecedented partnership to raise awareness among employers and workers about the hazards of falls - and the common sense steps necessary to prevent these tragedies. The reach of this effort is unprecedented with more than 1 million workers expected to participate in stand-down events in all 50 states.
During this week,
There are hundreds of events happening all across the country this week. Here are just a few:
Tomorrow in
On Wednesday,
And in
Our
In
Maryland
There are also dozens of outdoor billboards across the country promoting stand-downs locally, including in
This week's stand-down grew out of our Fall Prevention Campaign. We first kicked off the campaign in 2012 in partnership with the
We started this campaign together because, as Secretary Perez said, year after year falls are the leading cause of death for construction workers. Hundreds of workers die in falls every year - and thousands more are seriously injured and disabled. The campaign focuses on falls from roofs, ladders and scaffolds, which accounted for more than a third of all fall fatalities in the construction industry in 2012. And these injuries and deaths--- these tragedies -- are preventable.
Our message is "safety pays and falls cost." We emphasize planning ahead and providing the right equipment- such as guard rails or safety harnesses, lines and anchors, and training all employees. These simple steps can save lives. Whether working on roofs or scaffolds, climbing ladders, or performing any work from heights - falls can be prevented with the right equipment and training.
In stand-down events across the country this week our partners will be using the materials we produced over the last few years, including what we call "toolbox talks," which supervisors can follow to train their workers on fall prevention requirements. Our materials are in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian, and include posters, factsheets, safety videos, stickers and web materials.
These materials use plain language and clear illustrations to ensure that workers get the information they need. Providing effective training in a language and vocabulary workers understand and complying with
All of our materials reinforce our message that Safety Pays and Falls Cost. Falls are devastating enough - the toll they take on workers, families, coworkers, and communities - and all that without considering that workers compensation costs from one serious fall could put a small company out of business.
The nation's largest provider of workers compensation data-the
As you've heard us mention several times, the number of businesses and workers partnering with
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