Preventing Fall Injuries at Construction Sites

A construction site with fall hazards


Statistics show over 11.4 million US workers were employed in construction in 2019. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths at construction sites, accounting for over 36.4 percent of fatalities.

 

The New York City Health Department notes that approximately 58 percent of fatal unintentional injuries among construction workers were due to falls. Most fatal falls because of scaffolds, ladders, and roofs. These injuries were preventable with proper fall protection.   

Fall Prevention at Construction Sites

 numerous measures to help prevent fall injuries and fatalities at construction sites, including the following:

Construction Workers Must Get Safety Training

Construction workers must get 40 hours of safety training, including eight hours of fall prevention training when working on construction sites with fall hazards. Construction sites with a site safety manager, site safety coordinator, or construction superintendent, must ensure they provide job-specific training to construction workers to prevent fall injuries and fatalities.

 

Workers can receive actively proctored online safety training. Actively proctored online training must satisfy the following conditions:

  • The person responsible for administering safety training must confirm the identification of the worker taking the training as established by the Department of Buildings. The DOB’s Site Safety Training Prescribed Courses include two fall prevention courses, including a four-hour and eight-hour course.
  • The person responsible for construction safety, such as Site Safety Manager, Coordinator, Superintendent, or a competent person, must actively monitor the construction site where such training is needed. In addition, they must ensure workers at these construction sites have a total of 40 hours of SST training according to local law 196 of 2017.
  • The training should comply with other requirements established by the DOB. You can learn more by visiting this link.

Construction Sites Must Use Fall Protection for Drops Greater than Six Feet

Drops greater than six feet must have fall protection, like installing guard rails and hole coverings. Workers should also have a safety harness for their protection.

Safety Harnesses

Safety harnesses aren’t enough. Safety harnesses must also be connected to a secured lifeline when working on construction sites with fall hazards. In addition, safety harnesses must feature a shock-absorbing lanyard for worker protection.

Guardrails and Safety Nettings for Floor and Shaft Opening and Leading Edges

Construction sites must also have guardrails and safety nettings for floor and shaft openings and leading edges. Leading edges are unprotected sides and edges of walking surfaces, like roofs and floors. Hole coverings are necessary for floor openings. These coverings must support twice the weight of the worker, material, or equipment above. In addition, it should have a warning marker.

 

The NYC Department of Buildings and OSHA recommends installing guardrails that can withstand 200 pounds of lateral force. Typical wooden guardrails feature a top rail, mid rail, and toeboard. These must be attached to 2” by 4” posts less than 8’ apart. 

 

Workers at a construction site

Prevent Fall Injuries and Fatalities with RC Safety Inc

RC Safety Inc provides professional and competitive site safety services for construction sites in NYC. The organization is a site safety consultant for NYC construction projects. If you’re seeking assistance with worksite safety or site safety management in NYC, consider visiting their website for more information. Alternatively, you can also contact them to learn more.

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