Washington — OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program aimed toward lowering and stopping falls in all industries.
“The program establishes guidance for locating and inspecting fall hazards and allows OSHA compliance safety and health officers to open inspections whenever they observe someone working at height,” OSHA says in a May 1 press launch. “An outreach part of the program will concentrate on educating employers about efficient methods to maintain their staff protected.
“If a compliance officer determines an inspection is not necessary after entering a worksite and observing work activities, they will provide outreach on fall protection and leave the site.”
Falls to a decrease stage have accounted for 13% of the 40,531 office deaths since 2014, OSHA says, citing knowledge from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They additionally made up 13% of the 5,190 fatalities in 2021 (the latest yr for which knowledge is on the market).
In building, falls to a decrease stage have accounted for about 32% of the 7,861 fatalities within the trade since 2014.
In addition, Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) was OSHA’s most incessantly cited normal for the twelfth consecutive fiscal yr in FY 2022, with 5,260 violations. That’s greater than double the quantity of the following mostly cited normal, Hazard Communication (1910.1200), which totaled 2,424.
“Considering that falls remain the leading cause of fatalities and serious injuries in all industries, the agency has determined that an increase in enforcement and outreach activities is warranted,” the NEP states.
Within 60 days, State Plans should let OSHA know in the event that they’ll undertake the NEP or in the event that they have already got “policies and procedures that are identical to or at least as effective as the federal program.” If State Plans undertake the NEP, they need to accomplish that inside six months.
The NEP supersedes any regional or native emphasis packages that “are substantially similar,” however these with “other elements” can stay in impact. The phasing out of comparable REPs or LEPs will happen through the 90-day outreach interval.
OSHA’s announcement coincided with the beginning of the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, which runs by means of May 5.
“This national emphasis program aligns all of OSHA’s fall protection resources to combat one of the most preventable and significant causes of workplace fatalities,” OSHA administrator Doug Parker stated within the launch. “We’re launching this program in concert with the 10th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction and the industry’s Safety Week. Working together, OSHA and employers in all industries can make lasting changes to improve worker safety and save lives.”
