FACTS
- Fall protection is a broad concept that includes training, procedures, rules, systems, and methods intended to protect workers from fall hazards.
- Fall protection doesn’t mean bulky or cumbersome equipment, it doesn’t interfere with work tasks, and it doesn’t get in the way of co-workers.
- Fall protection implies shared responsibilities.
- If you are an employer, you must be aware of fall hazards and you must eliminate them or control your employees’ exposure to them.
- If you are an employee, you are responsible for following the policies, procedures, and training requirements established by your employer.
- Building owners and managers, architects, engineers, and equipment manufacturers have responsible roles to play during a typical construction project.
STATS
- Falls to a lower level have remained the leading cause of construction fatalities over time. Of 389 fatal falls in 2017, 367 (94%) were to a lower level. While making up only a small percentage of total fatalities, slips, trips, and falls on the same level were responsible for an increased percentage of fatalities in 2017 compared to 2011.
- The construction industry experienced more fatal falls to a lower level than any other major industry. In 2017, more than half (51%, 367 of the total 713) of fall fatalities to a lower level in all industries occurred in construction.
- While the number of fatal falls to a lower level increased after the Recession, the rate was relatively stable. The rate rose slightly after 2011 (3 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs)), and remained at 3.6 per 100,000 FTEs from 2014 to 2016 before decreasing to 3.4 per 100,000 FTEs in 2017.
- The risk of fatal falls varied among construction subgroups. From 2011 to 2017, the construction industry subsector with the most fatal falls to a lower level was Roofing Contractors with 512 fatal fall events, followed by Residential Building Construction ( 365 deaths) and Painting and Wall Covering (182 deaths).