26.08.2012

New fall prevention campaign

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is joining with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to support a new Fall Prevention Campaign to help reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in the construction industry caused by falls while working at height.

ASSE claims that 225 construction workers lost their lives at work in the USA in 2010 and a further 10,000 were injured as a result of falls from height.

The national campaign to raise awareness about how to prevent falls in construction is also supported by state governments, private industries, trade associations, academia and unions. It focuses on providing prevention information and training materials on three major types of falls: roofs, ladders and scaffolds. The message is “Plan. Provide. Train.”
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The campaign's logo supplied as a decal

ASSE member Ron Sokol said: “This effort took some time to develop as we ‘proof tested’ all of the information in this campaign with workers and employers — in English and Spanish, but it was completed on a very aggressive schedule for a campaign of this magnitude. We want to reach as many people as possible to prevent construction workers and others from falling while at work.”

In addition, Sokol said the fall prevention literature will be translated into seven additional languages by OSHA for broader distribution. Also, the campaign information and resources will be continually updated.

“Planning ahead, identifying risks, providing training along with the right equipment will help prevent construction worker falls. The information from the new Fall Prevention Campaign will be invaluable. We urge everyone to share it with their company, friends, co-workers, community, schools and more. We are all part of the solution to help prevent falls.”
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The campaign's web page

ASSE was founded in 1911 as a professional safety society committed to protecting people, property and the environment. It has 35,000 members most of whom are responsible for managing, supervising of consulting on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues across government, labour and education.