WIESBADEN, Germany – In the blink of an eye a fall can result in disability or even death and falls from elevation are the leading cause of work-related injuries and fatalities in construction according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By educating employees and contractors, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District is endeavoring to empower workers to make a difference to help save lives and prevent these and other injuries all year round.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District is conducting training and raising awareness about fatalities caused by falls as part of its observance of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s National Safety Stand-Down Week, which is the week of May 3-7 this year. As part of ongoing efforts to eliminate potential safety hazards, Europe District is conducting its own District stand-down for employees as well as contractor partners to provide personnel the necessary knowledge, skills and training to maintain an accident free workplace.
"Our contractors and employees face significant fall hazards on sites every day, and this year we are focusing on increasing contractor participation to help educate workers on the significance and importance of protecting themselves from falls" said Europe District Commander Col. Patrick Dagon.
Safety outreach efforts will focus on fall prevention to combat this all-too-common construction hazard.
“Falls continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry,” said Europe District Chief of Construction Branch Zachary Kluckowski. “As part of the effort to keep employees safe from fall hazards we’ve requested our personnel to support this important event by attending the webinars and encouraging their contractor partners to participate by holding their own stand-down events.”
As part of the stand-down, employees will participate in a series of virtual teaching events. Throughout the week, Europe District’s Safety office will provide the latest data in incident rates, discuss the underlying causes of falls, and share real life safety stories to serve as reminders in avoiding complacency in the workplace. The live webinars will also cover subjects such as fall protection requirements and the proper procedures for inspecting fall protection equipment.