Is Your Fall Protection Program Falling Short?
Consider these three areas to improve your program.
- By Steve Crocker
- Mar 01, 2023
OSHA’s 2022 list of top cited standards has been released, and fall protection remains at the top of the list for the 12th consecutive year. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be the leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for over one-third of the 1,008 preventable fatalities in 2020. As those deaths were preventable so too were the $31 million in OSHA fines received by construction businesses in 2021 for violations of the duty to have fall protection standards. Advancements in fall protection technology paired with a heightened focus on a business’s safety program should cause the number of citations, injuries, and fatalities from falls to decrease. So, why are falls still so prevalent in the construction industry?
These costly safety concerns are generally the result of broader gaps in safety management programs. A business may have a fall protection program that is compliant on paper but finds themselves questioning why their program continues to fall short.
Successful fall protection programs do more than simply aim to comply with standards and protect your employees. A proactive program can help to lower your Total Recordable Incident Rate or Experience Modification Rate, keeping your insurance costs in line while helping you better compete.
There are three key areas to consider when optimizing your fall protection program:
1. Training
If your fall protection training program isn’t focused on providing the right content, at the right cadence, from the right communicator, your program could be missing the mark.
Consider the curriculum itself. Is your fall protection training content relevant and appropriate for each role? Does it address hazards present during the specific tasks performed by your workers? Design your programs to provide the proper individuals with focused and relevant information. Doing so allows your training content to be more easily absorbed and implemented by the worker.
Next, consider how that training curriculum is being delivered. Maintaining a regular cadence of training is important, but you must also ensure that you are delivering content in an engaging manner. For example, consider adding a hands-on component to your training rather than gathering folks in a conference room to present a PowerPoint. Get the trainees into their harnesses and have them look at the lanyards and anchor points. Programs that include this type of physical, active participation often help learners better retain the presented information.
This article originally appeared in the March 1, 2023 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.