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Media Advisory: 7th Annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction

September 11, 2020
NIOSH Update:

MEDIA CONTACT: Nura Sadeghpour, uvg2@cdc.gov, 202.245.0673

WHAT

Kickoff Webinar: 7th Annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction

Featured speakers include:

  • Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health
  • Scott Ketcham, Director, OSHA Directorate of Construction
  • John Howard, MD, Director, NIOSH
  • Scott Earnest, PhD, Director, NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health
  • Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training

WHEN

Monday, September 14, 2020
1:00pm ET

WHERE

This Stand-Down kickoff webinar is virtual, open and free to the public.

Register in advance to receive information about joining: https://cdc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_F6cFqLFdS0SeAZNUe1ooYA.

BACKGROUND

Falls remain the leading cause of death among construction workers, accounting for 1 out of 3 construction fatalities – with residential workers and roofers at an even higher than average risk. Thousands more construction workers suffer serious injuries because they lack the right safety equipment, the knowledge, and training to prevent falls, or both.

To prevent construction falls, the National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction was launched through the NORA Construction Sector Council in 2012 with leadership from NIOSH, OSHA, and CPWR.  The cornerstone of the campaign is the National Safety Stand-Down where employers and workers take a break in the work day to focus on preventing falls. This year, business leaders, labor organizations, community groups, and other construction industry stakeholders will participate in virtual or socially-distanced Stand-Down events from September 14–18.  To kick-off the week, leaders from OSHA, NIOSH and CPWR will share some of the latest data trends and new fall prevention resources to use during the Stand-Down week and beyond.