What's your BuildIQ: Jobsite Safety - Fall Safety Basics

While "America's Funniest Videos" and similar television shows regularly feature humorous clips of people falling, falling on the job site is no laughing matter. In fact, falling is the leading cause of death in the residential construction industry. Almost all jobsites have scaffolds, precarious leading edges, and openings workers could fall through at some point during construction. If these edges and openings aren't guarded at the site, or if workers aren't wearing fall protection, workers can fall, sustaining injuries ranging from sprains and concussions to death.

There are simple measures that can be taken to ensure worker safety on the jobsite. Making sure a guardrail is in place is an easy way to prevent falling from high levels including scaffolding. A guardrail system provides a barrier that keeps workers from falling off a walking or working surface.

Workers can use a personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) when working on open sides and leading edges. A personal fall arrest system is a body harness that's anchored securely with a lifeline to keep a worker from falling more than 6 feet.

It is estimated that 65% of construction professionals work on scaffolding or lifts frequently. The sad reality is that falling just a few feet from a scaffold can seriously injure someone and often does. Scaffold planks or a support giving way is the most common cause of scaffold injuries. Make sure the scaffolds on your jobsite have stable footings, frames, rails, and platforms.

For more information on what you can do to keep yourself and others safe from falling and to ensure a culture of safety at the jobsite, go to hz.buildiquniversity.com and enroll in Jobsite Safety I.