The National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction, held June 2–6 and initiated by OSHA, encouraged construction employers and workers to pause during the workday to talk about fall prevention and discuss topics such as ladder safety, scaffolding safety and roofing work. But construction safety, and fall safety, are topics that are emphasized every day at Adolfson & Peterson Contruction.
In total, 1,389 workers on 39 Adolfson & Peterson Construction job sites from Seattle, Washington to Charlotte, North Carolina participated in individual stand-downs during that first week in June, though the company is justifiably proud of its every-day approach to safety.
"Adolfson & Peterson Construction’s safety program is so successful because of the commitment of all workers across our job sites,” said Paula Eick, A&P national safety director. “Each worker receives comprehensive safety training through our site-specific orientation process. They understand that the responsibility for keeping our projects safe lies with them. All workers are empowered to stop work if conditions are unsafe and take the appropriate action to maintain a safe working environment.”
Fall Safety Programs Varied by Site
Programs varied by site, but all followed OSHA guidelines for fall protection education, and workers received recognition for participating. As an example, workers on a Tempe, Arizona job site witnessed the impacts of falls in a demonstration utilizing a crash dummy in a harness.
"We take safety very seriously at A&P," said Eick. “Fall prevention is a key area of focus in maintaining safe job sites, and we are extremely pleased with the excitement and commitment our teams have shown in participating in the national stand-down.”
According to OSHA statistics, falls are one of the leading causes of injuries and deaths in the construction industry. The National Stand-Down was part of OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign that started in 2012. As part of the campaign OSHA provided employers with education materials and provided a means for participating workers to receive personalized certificates.
“Fall hazards are a particular concern on construction sites and we make sure that all workers exposed to falls have the proper training and equipment to perform the work safely,” Eick continued. “OSHA’s National Stand-Down was a great opportunity for us to communicate with our workers about different fall hazards. The message was tailored to each job site so it was pertinent to the work currently being done. Some jobs focused on fall protection gear, others focused on ladders or scaffolds. We felt it was important to make the message relevant for the work at hand so it would resonate with the workers.”
