Myths and Facts about Falls in Residential Construction

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR--The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  Myth 1: Residential contractors don't get injured as badly as commercial construction workers. FACT: Half of all construction workers who have fallen to their death in Massachusetts worked in residential construction. Myth 2: You have to fall a long distance to kill yourself. FACT: If you hit your head hard enough, you can die from any height. Half the construction workers who died in a fall fell from a height of 25 feet or less. Even if you survive a fall, you may be laid up for some time with a disability. Myth 3: Experienced workers don't fall. FACT: The average age of construction workers who have fallen to their death was 43. These men had many years of experience. Myth 4: Fall protection equipment is more of a hindrance than a help. FACT: Nothing is more of a hindrance than a lifetime disability. Fall protection equipment is continually improving. Retractable lifelines allow for maximum flexibility. Roof anchors can be nailed into the structural members of wooden roofs. Myth 5: Working safely is costly. FACT: Some equipment isn't costly, such as ladder stabilizers, guardrail holders, and fall protection kits. Other items such as scaffolds are more expensive. Invest in this equipment, just as you would a quality tool. FACT: Falls can be prevented, plan ahead, bring the right equipment to the job, and use it correctly. Stay alert, always think first, and don't take risks. Watch out for others on the job. Train your workers, make sure that your employees know how to work safely at heights. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Construction Industry Mortality Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Safety Management Workplace
• Keywords:
  Construction Construction-equipment Construction-industry Construction-workers Fall-protection Height-factors Injuries Injury-prevention Mortality-data Mortality-rates Personal-protective-equipment Safety-education Safety-measures Traumatic-injuries Work-environment Work-practices

  More +
• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040749
• Citation:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2012 Apr; :1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), 8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20040801
• Source Full Name:
  Falls: the leading killer on construction sites
• End Date:
  20090630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8746ec4ff74a200f1b3941d1ab071839726d2ff6ca9afe08b1bdb029248f96cb54283df2a3688ce88b1d40f50686f68b1932b560034ca2d7d87a5b994f25a3e8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213089/cdc_213089_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.07 MB ]