Sept. 26, 2012: ASSE Supports New Effort to Prevent Falls in Construction
DES PLAINES, Ill. — Each year thousands of workers are injured and hundreds die from construction-related falls. In order to provide the information and training needed to prevent worker injuries and fatalities in the construction industry, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is joining with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to support a new “Fall Prevention Campaign.”
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 professional and labor organizations. It focuses on providing prevention information and training materials on three major types of falls: from roofs, from ladders, and from scaffolds. More than 10,000 construction workers were injured as a result of falling while working from heights in the United States and another 225 were killed in 2010.