The Importance Of Occupational Safety And Safety

With today’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (OSHA) regulations along with today’s technology on fall protection, why do we continue to see and hear about falls in the construction industry that leads to injury and/or loss of life? By OSHA’s statistics it is the primary cause of fatalities in the construction industry with approximately 300,000 of those resulting in injuries, (Wallace, 2010). Prevention techniques have been developed in order to deter falls and keep workers from being injured or cause a fatality. But fall accidents continue for different reasons such as, the lack of priority or enforcement by supervision and/or not knowing the regulation. We also see this if they don’t take the time to analyze the hazard in

Some of these costs may include lost wages, medical expenses, insurance administration fees, property damage, and indirect costs. Along with monetary costs we are seeing all accidents affect the morale which in turn affects productivity. Like falls, many accidents not only have the cost factors to contend with but it is the amount of work time that can be lost from the injury, (Wallace, 2010). In order to succeed in lowering the injury, fatalities, and the costs associated with falls there needs to be a stronger emphases in the Engineering, Education, and Enforcement of Safety and Health Programs within the Industry, (Goetsch,

The training will focus on erection, handling, use, inspection, and care and include the installation of fall protection, guardrails, and the proper maintenance of fall arrest equipment. Fall protection will consist of either personal fall-arrest systems or guardrail systems, meeting OSHA guidelines, reference 1926.451(g)(1)(vii), and must be provided on any scaffold 10 feet or more above a lower level, reference 1926.451(g)(1), ("Scaffolding eTool | Supported Scaffolds - Fall Protection," n.d.). Initial and sustainment training will be conducted at every jobsite and as conditions change. Safety requirements will be included when setting up scaffolds by anchoring so that it is rigid and capable of carrying the maximum load without settling or moving. Setting up and using scaffolding will meet the following safety criteria, poles, legs, or uprights of scaffolds must be plumb and securely and rigidly braced to prevent swaying and displacement. No ladders or other devices will be used to increase working heights on scaffold platforms. Scaffolds will not be moved while employees are occupying them and if employees are working on suspended scaffolds. They must utilize a personal fall-arrest system on scaffolds and are to be attached by lanyard to a vertical lifeline, horizontal