Yet, in spite of readily accessible education like Stand Down, falls continue to occur. A recent, tragic accident highlights the extreme importance of proper safety equipment. According to an article on May 30th’s Boston Globe, “A woman in her twenties crashed through a skylight and fell nearly 20 feet to the concrete floor while working on a roof in Norwood Tuesday morning, officials said. The woman sustained a severe head injury and was unconscious after she fell at 9:30 a.m.” (Kilgannon, 2017). Channel 5 News reported at the scene, commenting that the “woman was doing roof repairs...backing up when she tumbled and fell through the skylight...falling two stories to the concrete below” (Saladna, 2017). The woman worked for Costa Roofing, a company that was fined in 2016 under OSHA article 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) for “serious safety violations related to fall hazards; employees were exposed to fall hazards over six feet, where fall protection was not utilized” (Saladna). According to Fox 25 News, Costa Roofing paid the $2,800 fine and the case was closed.
Unfortunately, there are many stories of fatal falls caused by insufficient or missing safety equipment; falls that could likely have been prevented if the proper safety equipment and precautions were in place. Please take a moment to educate yourself, your employees, and your workers in the best practices of fall prevention. According to OSHA’s website, “companies can conduct a Safety Stand-Down by taking a break to have a toolbox talk or another safety activity such as conducting safety equipment inspections, developing rescue plans, or discussing job specific hazards. See Suggestions to Prepare for a Successful "Stand-Down" and Highlights from the Past Stand-Downs. OSHA also hosts an Events page with events that are free and open to the public to help employers and employees find events in your area” (osha.gov).
Additionally, if you want to share information with OSHA on your Safety Stand-Down, Fall Prevention Programs or suggestions on future initiatives, please send your email to oshastanddown@dol.gov and share your Stand-Down story on social media, with the hashtag: #StandDown4Safety.
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