Four Falls in New Jersey Prompt OSHA to Call For Increased Contractor Awareness

July 17, 2012 (Press-News.org) Four Falls in New Jersey Prompt OSHA to Call For Increased Contractor Awareness

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued the request that construction companies to ensure that employees working above 6 feet have the proper equipment to protect themselves from falls on the job.

OSHA has opened investigations following four unrelated construction accidents in New Jersey. The accidents include:
-a worker who fell from a roof into an acid vat in Clifton, N.J.
-a Bayonne residential construction site, where a worker fell
-a fall during the installation of a steel frame in Madison
-a fall from an aerial lift in Secaucus

A Call to Action

OSHA's Robert Kulick, the regional administrator in New York said, "These incidents are tragic reminders of the dangers posed to workers when they are not adequately protected from fall hazards."

Ongoing and Constant Danger

Falls remain the leading causes of injuries and death in the construction industry. Approximately 30 percent of all deaths in the construction industry are the result of falls. More than 250 construction workers died in 2010, and more than 10,000 workers were injured in falls in that year.

OSHA Fall Prevention Campaign

OSHA has developed a fall prevention campaign working with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program.

The program encourages employers to plan, provide and train methods of reducing the number of workers killed and injured in falls every year.

The campaign reminds contractors that they need to include the cost of safety equipment when bidding on a job and ensure that the proper safety equipment is at the job site.

It emphasizes the importance of having the correct ladders, scaffolds and safety gear for the workers to use, as different jobs may require different types of ladders or scaffolds.

Finally, all the safety equipment is of little value if the workers have not been properly trained to recognize hazards and know how to correctly use ladders, scaffolds, fall protection systems and any other required equipment necessary for the job.

Article provided by Edward Rogan & Associates LLC
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