2014 Highlights

Last year, OSHA kicked off the first ever National Fall Prevention Stand-Down from June 2-6, 2014. The Stand-Down was a tremendous success, reaching more than 1 million workers, more than 1 in 10 construction workers in the U.S. Across the country, companies of all sizes paused to discuss the importance of fall prevention. Almost 5,000 Stand-Downs were reported to OSHA, with participation in all 50 states and internationally.

OSHA included over 150 free events open to the public on the 2014 Stand-Down webpage. Among these public events, NASCAR's Greg Biffle met with over 500 employees and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety Jordan Barab at the Daytona International Speedway renovation. In Washington, D.C., OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels joined 300 workers for a Stand-Down at the construction site for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The single largest participant in the 2014 Stand-Down was the U.S. Air Force, reaching more than 650,000 active duty, civilian and reserve service members.

The Stand-Down is a part of OSHA's fall prevention campaign, which was launched in 2012 with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) and The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR).

News

  • National Falls Campaign Stand-Down Data Analysis (PDF*). This report, prepared by CPWR (The Center for Construction Research & Training), provides 2014 Stand-Down data based on feedback from participants who downloaded Certificates of Participation.

Photos

500 workers attended a stand-down at the Daytona International Speedway with NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle. (Florida)

500 workers attended a stand-down at the Daytona International Speedway with NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle. (Florida)

A fall protection demonstration at a Stand-Down in Mississippi.

A fall protection demonstration at a Stand-Down in Mississippi.

A safety stand-down in Nebraska included a drop demonstration.

A safety stand-down in Nebraska included a drop demonstration.

Nearly 50 workers gathered for a Stand-Down in Wisconsin where an OSHA representative and a safety company provided demonstrations and information to workers on how to correctly use fall protection equipment.

Nearly 50 workers gathered for a Stand-Down in Wisconsin where an OSHA representative and a safety company provided demonstrations and information to workers on how to correctly use fall protection equipment.

YouthBuild Boston held a stand-down in Massachusetts.

YouthBuild Boston held a stand-down in Massachusetts.

A construction company halted work to discuss fall safety on ladders and scaffolding at a restoration site in Illinois.

A construction company halted work to discuss fall safety on ladders and scaffolding at a restoration site in Illinois.

A company demonstrated how to prevent falls when a worker wears the appropriate personal fall arrest system.

As part of the free Dallas Regional Office seminar, co-hosted by the University of Texas in Arlington's OSHA Ed Center, a company demonstrated how to prevent falls when a worker wears the appropriate personal fall arrest system.

Quotes from Participants

Our training consisted of a blend of hands-on, storytelling and safety information related to ladders and PFAS. . . in both English and Spanish to communicate in an effective manner to all employees. . . As the result of the Stand-Down training, our employees are better trained to be aware of fall hazards in the construction industry.

Georgia

April of 2013 we ourselves experienced a great lose to our community, we lost one of our own to a fall at our plant. This being so close to the anniversary has great impact. . . Safety training, cultural change and Fall Protection in all areas has reached a whole new level.

Wyoming

We are a small company, so we basically just took a 1 1/2 hour break to discuss fall protection and fall hazards. . . My main goal was just to bring attention to this issue and let everyone know that safety is a top priority and it is everyone's responsibility. . . The stand down went very well.

Missouri

We gathered in the shade of the trailer and had all hands bring their personal fall arrest systems and had each individual go through the inspection of harness and lanyards as we talked them through the inspection.

Utah

I believe this was a very good exercise, I was able to get our safety committee involved and enlighten the employees on the different types of fall hazards . . . We are general industry and are not exposed to most of the fall hazards you may encounter on construction sites, but it was a great exercise to just bring awareness.

Washington

We implemented a company-wide safety stand-down . . . Many of our events featured give-a-ways, BBQ lunches, t-shirts [and] a live fall protection demonstration using one of our top executives as the actual person wearing the fall protection equipment . . . We sincerely appreciate the nationwide emphasis that you have put on this topic and can't wait to participate again next year.

projects in Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma and California

We asked the crew to tell stories from their work experience about falls they had witnessed. . . This was a sobering talk for many of the younger workers who may not have witnessed the consequences of not tying off.

Alaska

We shut down the project and covered harness inspection, use, lanyards, proper anchor points and suspension trauma. Everyone enjoyed the class and some of the subcontractors picked up information they did not know.

Maine

As a global construction and environmental service provider, it was only right for us to share your message across our company. Project teams from Pennsylvania to Maine to Hawaii and Guam, and in Korea, Bahrain and Djibouti participated in Stand Down activities.

International