Protect your employees with these fall prevention strategies endorsed by OSHA.
Unfortunately, working as a contractor or construction worker comes with certain risks. One of the most common and serious risks is the threat of falling. In fact, falls are currently the leading cause of death among workers. Fortunately, there are steps that employers and supervisors can take to prevent major falls from taking place on a construction site. Employing these preventative measures will not only keep your workers safe, but they will also help to reduce your workers compensation insurance costs. Here are some of the OSHA-approved fall prevention tips that you should practice at your company.
1) Educate
Fall prevention begins with education and proper understanding. While many workers have heard about or even witnessed major falls, many still believe that they are immune to this risk. This is why it’s so important to offer your workers statistics and real-life examples that illustrate just how serious and common fall risks are. By educating your workers on the realities of work-related falls, you can encourage them to take this risk more seriously.
2) Train
OSHA also recommends organizing on-site training sessions for your staff. These sessions do not need to be very long; 15-minutes should suffice. During these sessions, you should encourage your workers to ask questions and participate in a discussion. Your sessions can cover the following topics:
- Aerial lifts
- Preventing falls from roofs
- Preventing falls from scaffolding
- Extension ladders
- Step ladders
3) Inspect
Many workplace falls can be attributed to faulty or malfunctioning equipment. This is why it’s so important for supervisors and workers alike to carefully inspect the equipment and tools that they will be using. For instance, you should be sure to conduct safety inspections of things like ladders, scaffolds, aerial lifts, and personal fall arrest systems. Taking this simple precaution can help you avoid some very serious falls on your site.
These are some of the OSHA-endorsed suggestions that business owners should employ to reduce their workers’ risk of on-site falls. Want another way to protect your employees and commercial assets in the face of a major fall event? Then make sure you have the proper workers compensation insurance in place. For assistance with your workers comp coverage needs, contact the professionals at Artisan Insurance Solutions today.
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