Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 364 fatalities recorded in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
To remind and educate employers in the construction industry about the dangers from falls and dropped tools, 3M Fall Protection proudly participated in the OSHA National Safety Stand-Down, May 8-12, 2017.
During the OSHA Stand-Down, 3M supported customers throughout the United States with demonstrations and training at participating construction sites to emphasize the importance of fall protection for workers and of protecting workers around them with fall protection for tools.
While falls represent the leading cause of death for construction workers, there were also 157,490 “struck by object or equipment” cases in 2015, according to the BLS. 3M has created a white paper to address falls and dropped objects, and how safety managers can protect workers. The white paper can be found online at go.3M.com/FPSafety.
“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are an estimated 18 injuries caused by dropped objects every hour in the United States. To combat this, 3M is emphasizing the need to incorporate fall protection for tools in every fall protection plan,” said Ray Mann, technical services manager for 3M Fall Protection.
“Although safely working at height depends on effective inspection of all fall protection equipment before and after use, we also see the annual observance of the Safety Stand-Down as a good time to remind users of fall protection to inspect and replace their equipment,” Mann added.
To help safety managers comply with regulations, and stay savvy about safety equipment inspections and training, 3M offers the 3M Inspection & Asset Management (IAM) System, a safety-focused and cloud-based software that is accessible both on and off the job site. With the system, occupational health and safety managers can assign and manage PPE and other equipment, record employee training information, automate notifications of recurring tasks, receive select compliance metrics in real time, and manage the diverse safety needs of their entire operation.
3M also offers comprehensive checklists to help inspect equipment, including full-body harnesses, lanyards, and self-retracting lifelines. If equipment looks worn, workers and safety managers can trade in their old fall protection equipment and receive cash rebates when they purchase qualifying 3M Fall Protection equipment with the 3M Fall Protection Trade-in, Trade-up program.
“As a proud supporter of the OSHA Stand-Down for the past four years, 3M is committed in helping the construction industry reduce the number of injuries and deaths from falls or fallen objects,” said Travis Betcher, product development manager for 3M Fall Protection.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
