Nearly 60 HazTek individuals organized and/or presented National Safety Stand-Down events at nearly 50 sites across the country. Participation from our safety professionals and our clients was far beyond anything we expected with so many of our team members committed to make this annual initiative such an overwhelming success.
A Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety. This OSHA program was originally a two-year effort, launched on Workers’ Memorial Day in 2012, to raise awareness of preventing fall hazards in construction. It’s an opportunity for employers to have a conversation with employees about hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies and goals. It can also be an opportunity for employees to talk to management about fall hazards they see. The event was so successful that it continues annually at the start of every construction season.
The HazTek-led Safety Stand-Down events ranged from short talks to scheduled, all day events. The activities came in many forms including Toolbox Talks, videos and discussions, webinars, jobsite walk-throughs with fall protection checklists, and hands-on demonstrations.
Our HazTek safety professionals spoke on a variety of fall safety training procedures, including fall awareness, fall protection measures and systems; falling object protection; fall arrest systems (demonstrating the proper use and inspection of equipment); fall solutions; fall rescue; ladder safety; ladder fails; the repercussions to workers and their families when fall injuries and fatalities occur; the importance of effective communication and teamwork between crafts; suspension trauma; types of fall protection and our exposure; statistics on general industry and construction fatalities; OSHA’s Fatal Four; slips, trips, and falls due to uneven flooring, mud, steel plates, and materials; a review of crisis management protocols for field and office personnel; the hazards of potential injuries; hand and finger injury prevention; confined space rescue; serious injury; being a part of safety programs; fall hazards associated with ladders, scaffolds, and platforms; aerial lifts; deep excavation; fall hazards from heavy equipment; the mission to look out for each other and not being afraid to speak up for safety; and a JSA/JHA Review, “Investing in Your Future… Invest in Your Safety Programs.”
Credit to: OSHA