The Importance of Proper Fall Protection Gear

Employers and employees both understand the importance of safety in the workplace, and want to ensure that the environment is compliant with regulation. Yet, in the United States OSHA has ranked falls as one of the most frequent causes of death in the workplace. In fact, falls account for 8.9 million visits to the emergency room and 4,690 deaths yearly. If your business includes any activity where falls are likely, or even a possibility, there is an inherent need for the correct fall protection gear to keep your employees and projects safe. Supplying the right equipment is one step of the way, but you also have to implement education into the company culture to minimize the possibility of injuries in the workplace. OSHA’s fall protection campaign, seen below, urges for people and companies to plan, provide and train.

The most common of fall-related deaths occur in the construction industry, which means that businesses in the construction realm must act in considerably cautious ways to ensure the safety of their employees. The key to workplace safety is understanding that most of these falls are preventable, and the only things that are standing between a healthy and safe workforce are the procedures and equipment the company stands by. When a worker falls and is injured or even killed on the job, that worker, their family and the company are all at will to bear the consequences. Around $70 billion every year is paid in workers’ compensation and medical costs. This sum shows the financial extent a business may face in the case of a fall, even if workers’ compensation insurance is in the conversation.

It is clear that fall protection is necessary in projects that incur any risk of falls. With the spread of technology and awareness, it is easy to keep your business up to speed on any and all OSHA regulations relating to fall protection. There is even an app from NOISH dedicated to ladder safety. Not only is keeping up with regulation essential, but also staying up to date on how to assemble, use, and store fall protection is imperative for workplace safety. FlexPAC is thrilled to be able to offer a course on fall protection and safety this spring. In Dayton, OH on March 15, FlexPAC will be hosting both authorized user and competent inspector courses. Topics to be discussed include OSHA regulations and local fall protection regulations, traditional fall protection, fall restraint systems and fall arrest systems. There is never any guarantee that falls won’t occur, so when they do, be prepared with the the right fall protection equipment.