National Safety Stand-Down Kickoff Webinar

The start of spring means that the OSHA Stand-Down for Fall Protection is right around the corner!

• Since 2012, this event has been held annually to support awareness and prevention of fall fatalities and injuries.
• Falls continue to be the #1 cause of work-related deaths in the construction industry and account for about 1 in 3 construction related fatalities.

Now is the time to begin planning how your company will participate in this nationwide event and Crum & Forster has teamed up with the NJ American Society of Safety Professionals to help you plan and run a successful event! Please contact James Hunt at Crum & Forster Risk Engineering if you’d like help running your Stand Down event. James will forward free resources and hardhat stickers for your event.

What is a Safety Stand-Down and Who Can Participate?

A Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety. Any workplace can hold a stand-down by taking a break to focus on “Fall Hazards” and reinforcing the importance of “Fall Prevention”. Employers of companies not exposed to fall hazards can also use this opportunity to have a conversation with employees about the other job hazards they face, protective methods, and safety.

If you have fall hazards you are encouraged to participate. As a participant, you will be joining in with the biggest general contractors, the smallest independent contractors, general industry, and the military to educate the work force and bring awareness to the dangers of fall hazards. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the solution!

• ALL falls are preventable!
• Awareness and training are working! Rates and numbers of fall deaths in construction are trending downwards.
• The three primary sources of fall hazards are roofs, ladders, and scaffolds.
• Planning, training, and using the right equipment are all necessary to prevent falls.

Participation is easy!

You can partake in the event simply by taking a break from work to talk about fall hazards. This could be in the form of a toolbox talk, special training session, rollback and inspection of fall protection equipment, developing rescue plans, or discussing job specific hazards.

OSHA has prepared resources to help make hosting your event even easier including:

• Suggestions to Prepare for a Successful Stand-Down (https://osha.gov/stop-falls-stand-down/suggestions)
• Highlights from past years events (https://osha.gov/stop-falls-stand-down/highlights)
• Additional OSHA and Partner Resources (https://www.osha.gov/stop-falls-stand-down/resources)
  • Posters and campaign materials
  • Training and video
  • Fact sheets, guidance, and tools
  • Reminder wallet cards

Planning steps 

1. Try to start early. Designate a coordinator to organize the stand-down. If you have multiple work sites, identify the team that will lead the stand-down at each site.
2. Think about asking your subcontractors, owner, architects, engineers, or others associated with your project to participate in the stand-down.
3. Consider reviewing your fall prevention program. This will help provide a more effective stand-down.

• • What types of falls could happen:
    • Falls from ladders
    • Falls from a roof
    • Falls from a scaffold
    • Falls down stairs
    • Falls from a structural steel
    • Falls through a floor or roof opening
    • Falls through a fragile roof surface
  • What needs improvement? Is your program meeting its goals?
  • Are you experiencing fatalities, injuries, or near misses?
  • Are employees aware of the company’s fall protection procedures?
  • What training have you provided to your employees? Does it need revision?
  • What equipment have you provided to your employees? Is better equipment available?

4. Develop or acquire presentations or activities that will meet your needs. Decide what information will be best for your workplace and employees. The meeting should provide information to employees about hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies, goals and Hands-on exercises (a worksite walk-around, equipment checks, etc.) can increase retention.
5. Promote your event with Flyers, Posters, Fact Sheets, and Social Media Make announcements during Toolbox Talks or with paycheck notices. Don’t forget to include #StandDown4Safety, #Crum&Forster, #NJASSP in your social media posts. Try to make it interesting to employees. Some employers find that serving snacks increases participation.
6. Decide when to hold the stand-down and how long it will Decide if the stand-down will take place over a break, a lunch period, or some other time.
7. Hold your stand-down. Try to make it positive and interactive. Let employees talk about their experiences and encourage them to make suggestions.
8. Follow If you learned something that could improve your fall prevention program, consider making changes.

OSHA Stand Down Certificate of Participation

Employers will be able to provide feedback about their Stand-Down event and download a Certificate of Participation following the Stand-Down on OSHA’s website. Crum & Forster will provide a free certificate frame and congratulatory letter to mark this positive achievement! Please simply forward contact and address information to James Hunt.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.