Did you know that a whopping 4,209 workers were killed while they were on the job back in 2011? Not only that, but in 2009, construction jobs caused more fatal injuries than in any other industry and according to OSHA, there are at least 1,000 construction workers who suffer from injury on the job every year. While these figures might be a bit deceiving, since construction safety risks are hard assess due to the fact that each and every one is different from the next, but the fact of the matter is that it is still to high of a number.
All that being said, if there has ever been a time to better train workers and to better equip them with fall arrest equipment, that time is now. In order to curb these fatalities, employers can train their workers to know things like, for example, how a chain hoist, which is used for lowering or lifting heavy loads usually by using a drum or lift wheel, can be properly used according to safety regulations.
More importantly, companies need to begin investing more and more into fall arrest equipment. A fall protection system, backed by fall protection training and fall arrest training can save hundred, possibly thousands of lives.
There are two major types of fall arrest equipment. There is general fall arrest equipment, like a safety net, or personal fall arrest equipment, like a lifeline. However, the most common type of system employed in the workplace is the Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS). This system includes four elements. There is the anchorage, which literally anchors everything. There is the body wear, which is the harness. The connector, which is a sub system component that connects the harness and the anchor, like a lanyard. And then there is the deceleration device, which is designed to dissipate the forces associated with a fall arrest event.
Fall arrest equipment provides an easy way to curb this atrocious amount of on site fatalities. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask in the comments! Helpful research also found here: www.certex.com
Holy cow I cannot believe that over 4000 people died that year. That is crazy. Why are these companies not putting the safety of their workers first?
Like the article said, that statistic can be deceiving since every risk is different. Fall arrest could save more lives, but it cant save all of them.
Like the article said, that statistic can be deceiving since every risk is different. Fall arrest could save more lives, but it cant save all of them.