OHSA Announces National Stand Down Safety Campaign May 4-8

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will host its 7^th annual National Safety Stand-Down campaign from May 4-8.

The voluntary event is designed to help roofing contractors and other construction trade worker address safety issues on the jobsite, and to specifically discuss fall prevention, which remains a leading cause of injury and death in the business. Last year, OSHA reported that 320 of the 1,008 construction-related deaths recorded in 2018 were from elevated falls, and said all of them were preventable.

OSHA is partnering with key groups to assist with this effort, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), OSHA approved State Plans, State consultation programs, the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the National Safety Council, the National Construction Safety Executives (NCSE), the U.S. Air Force, and the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers. The hope is that employers will pause during their workdays for topic discussions, demonstrations and training regarding how to recognize hazards and prevent falls.

Anyone who wants to prevent hazards in the workplace can participate in the Stand-Down. In past years, participants included commercial construction companies of all sizes, residential construction contractors, sub- and independent contractors, highway construction companies, general industry employers, the U.S. Military, other government participants, unions, employer's trade associations, institutes, employee interest organizations, and safety equipment manufacturers.

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. OSHA provides more information and specific ideas on how to successfully implement a 'Stand-Down' session on its National Safety Stand Down website.

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Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.