A quantitative and qualitative analysis on data collected from OSHA’s Stand‐Down Certificate of Participation database

Two Years of Stand‐Down Data: 2015 vs. 2014

Methods:

All data was generated from OSHA’s Certificate of Participation database. Company information is kept anonymous and confidential. Only demographic and descriptive information is used.

The majority of the 2014 data was analyzed last year, although I did go back to do some additional comparative analysis. The 2015 data was analyzed in the same way – through the OSHA Excel database – with one caveat: the certificate database website was down for a time, and the back‐up website kicked in allowing certificates to be printed, but not collecting any information for the database. During this time 891 certificates were printed. I included this information in the following ways:

1. Calculating new totals:
   1. The original database included 2,868 entries. Adding 891 new entries brought the total to 3,759.
   2. The original database included 794,500 workers. I calculated that the average number of workers reached per stand‐down, or entry, was 277. Multiplying this average by 891 gives us 246,807 additional workers reached, bringing the total to 1,041,307.
2. Calculating percentages based on the original database numbers and applying these to our new totals. So, for example, under “type of construction" the number of original commercial construction entries was 1,475. This was 51.43% of the original 2,868 entries. But using the adjusted number of 3,759 entries, 51.43% amounted to a total of 1,933 commercial construction entries.

The 2015 numbers included in this document are all based on the inclusion of the 891 certificates in this same way. Data on the original database without the additional certificates can be provided upon request.

In addition to this, it is important once again to note that these numbers are based only on the OSHA stand‐down certificate database. In both 2014 and 2015 the total number of stand‐down participants and workers reached are much higher than the numbers reflected here. For example, the US Air Force alone reported reaching over 650,000 military and civilian personnel internationally in 2014 and over 1.5 million in 2015.

Total Workers Reached

2015	2014
Total Number of Entries Submitted: 3,759	Total Number of Entries Submitted: 4,882
Total Number of Workers Reached: 1,041,307	Total Number of Workers Reached: 770,193

Multiple Stand-Downs

2015		2014
Number of companies who participated on more than 1 jobsite	449	Number of companies who participated on more than 1 jobsite	409
Number of companies who participated on more than 1 day	467	Number of companies who participated on more than 1 day	365
Number of companies who mentioned participating every day for 1 week	82	Number of companies who mentioned participating every day of the Stand‐ Down period (1 week )	209
Number of companies who mentioned participating every day of the Stand‐Down period (2 weeks)	85
Adjusted Total of “Workers by Stand‐Down Days"*	3 million	Adjusted Total of “Workers by Stand‐Down Days"*	1 million
*An estimated weighted total adjusted to account for improved reach by having the same workers participate in more than one day of events

Additional 2015 & 2014 Comparisons

Percentage of entries that include descriptive data about events:	2015: 76.7% 2014: 67%
Number of companies who participated both years:	598
Number of companies who participated in 2014 only:	2485
Number of companies who participated in 2015 only:	1492

Percentages by Type of Construction

	2015		2014
Type of Construction	Percentage of Entries Submitted	Percentage of Individuals Reached	Percentage of Entries Submitted	Percentatge of Individuals Reached
Commercial Construction	51.43%	37.56%	51.17%	64.82%
Other Construction	18.17%	8.46%	22.9%	17.49%
Non-Construction	14.26%	11.32%	12.78%	10.46%
Government	7.5%	39.02%	4.06%	3.42%
Residential Construction	5.96%	2.28%	5.63%	2.45%
Highway	2.86%	1.36%	3.46%	1.36%

Unique Entries by Type of Construction

Number of Workers Reached by Type of Construction

Stand-Downs with 25 or Fewer Workers

2015	2014
43.9% of Total Stand-Down Entries	49.79% of Total Stand-Down Entries
51.46% of Residential Construction Entries	57.8% of Residential Construction Entries

Stand-Downs with 10 or Fewer Workers

2015	2014
22.98% of Total Stand-Down Entries	29.35% of Total Stand-Down Entries
1.90% of Residential Construction Entries	1.99% of Residential Construction Entries

NOTE: Participants were not asked to indicate the size of their company so it is important that the distinction be made between companies of 25 (or 10) or fewer individuals and stand‐downs with 25 or fewer individuals in attendance. The information contained here refers strictly to stand‐downs that included 25 individuals or less. This includes large companies who simply divided their stand‐downs by site, companies that only employ a small number of workers, companies who only targeted their safety teams, and a number of other types of stand‐downs. It is also worth noting that many of the larger stand‐downs conducted by large contractors also included their subcontractors who employ 25 or fewer individuals and those may not be accounted for here.

Opinions of Companies with fewer than 10 workers reached:

OSHA requested information from the comments and recommendations made by companies reaching a small number of workers to inform future stand‐down promotion tactics and decisions. Note: The following information and quotes are all from 2015. The 2014 descriptive data was reviewed, but there was little to no acknowledgment of size on the smaller stand‐downs (< 10) and no anecdotal information on how they may have differed from larger stand‐downs.

Even companies with small staffs were excited to participate and felt that something was gained from participating in a national event:

“Held one on one meeting with my employee to discuss falling from heights and fall prevention methods."

“We did fall protection training. Focusing on inspecting and fitting a body harness, we used step reliefs and allowed them to experience being lifted off the ground and then using the step reliefs. Even though we are few in number, the staff likes being a part of this national event. They made it a goal to participate for five years... then I would owe them lunch!"

“Our crew couldn't say enough about the examples you had given us to use with them. I believe that helped a smaller [company] like my own get a better jumping off point to come up with great ideas that I thought would move our company further to better reiterate the importance of safety for us, for our employees and for our customers and by‐standers near our jobs. Thank you!!"

“Had an in depth discussion about fall protection on the job. Re‐evaluated what's working and where improvements can be made. Stand down just brings more emphasis on fall protection which is a great vehicle to initiate more discussion."

“This Stand down was very effective to the crew because they [saw] it from corporate down to laborer getting involved in the process."

Many participated as part of another company’s event or attended a training session to supplement their own activities:

“We attended a 2‐hour workshop on Preventing Falls sponsored by [Name] Occupational Safety and Health."

“[Company Name] participated in the stand down for a customer relations outreach. We have an ongoing relationship with the builder, [Company 2 Name]. We supplied the grill, meats and fixings for a customer appreciation luncheon to coincide with the OSHA training (Stand Down). There were 4 of our associates present for the event. We actually grilled the meats and prepared the buffet table. We also passed out a few company logo promo items and company literature to the [Company 2 Name] associates and crews who were present at the event. We were present to listen to the OSHA presentation which was given in English and Spanish!"

“We are a small occupational safety consulting firm for the general industry. The last two days we reviewed case studies and videos on fall incidents and discussed how they were preventable. As a group we reviewed the whole 1926.500 on fall protection. We also attended a fall awareness course offered [Company Name] in San Antonio. In addition we linked up with a safety director from [University Name] and spoke more on fall protection. We covered approximately 24 hours of fall protection education and leadership development pertaining to it. We used laptops, projectors, laser pointers, full body harness, fall brakes, [and] put together a live demonstration of a fall on a 220 lb dummy utilizing a harness and studied the anatomy of a fall. We all enjoyed the stand down and look forward to applying what we know to our clients."

“As a small company we sent all of our roofing crew to the OSHA half day class against falls in Hillside, IL. We conducted daily safety lectures on the basic fall hazards and different ways to prevent them. We conducted drills giving our men examples and situations of how to handle certain issues that may come up and how to react to them. We used ladders, harnesses, scaffolds in our demonstrations. Our men and women were very excited to get the more in depth training and I believe we showed them that they can handle any safety situation calmly and how to prevent these situations from happening and maybe save themselves as well as their co‐workers."

“The General Contractor had [Manufacturer Name] come on site and [conduct] a Fall Protection awareness presentation. They brought their mobile drop test apparatus and showed a few different types of lanyards being put through fall situations. The presentation also consisted of proper inspection protocol, how to put the harness on correctly, what fall protection to wear in different situations, etc. At the end there was a question and answer session with the Airgas Representatives."

“[Company Name], along with several other construction contractors working together at one site participated in the stand down together. Harness and fall arrest system inspection, ladder safety, and scaffold safety training was given to all in attendance. The group anticipates better understanding and awareness to fall hazards."

Others simply got creative on their own:

“Our company provides online occupational safety and health training to individuals worldwide, based upon OSHA's standards and regulations. Though OSHA's Safety Stand‐Down is primarily focused on the construction industry, we felt like it was important to talk about fall safety as it relates to our jobsite setting, which is an office. We kept our Stand‐Down short (about 15 minutes), talked about office fall statistics we found on the CDC website, watched some examples of office falls on YouTube, and then played Bingo. The answer spaces on each bingo card were all recommendations for preventing falls in the office (e.g., don't stretch to reach something while seated, if you're done with a drawer close it immediately, and do not use your chair as a ladder). Because of this Stand‐Down, we expect employees to be more aware of fall hazards in the office, realize that falls are more prevalent in an office setting than many realize, and to be [safer] as a result of their awareness."

“[Company Name] is a contractor in the wireless industry, with two‐full (4 person) crews. Our Stand‐Down meeting was held this Monday morning with the President and Vice President of the company present. During the meeting we covered a list of question and statements that pertain to safety and how our team (field and office) can work together to improve any policies or further improve the confidence during training in all of our workers. This let all employees voice opinions and concerns in all aspects of our industry. It also provided our office personnel an insight to the wide range of obstacles that the crews face for each site. Overall, it was a meeting that let down communication barriers and let everyone have a complete focus on safety always being the top priority."

Activities Conducted on Stand-Downs of 25 or Fewer

Activities Conducted on All Stand-Downs

Stand-Downs by OSHA Region 2015

Region	Total # of Stand-Downs	Total # of Individuals Reached	Commercial Construction (SD/Indiv.)		Other Construction (SD/Indiv.)		Residential Construction (SD/Indiv.)
1	183	20,514	81	10,768	30	2,781	16	951
2	304	31,447	151	19,730	72	6,528	20	1,402
3	478	242,000	229	22,274	89	7,246	21	5,559
4	615	230,025	349	44,683	80	5,838	32	3,955
5	560	76,953	339	41,669	110	8,456	38	2,136
6	674	158,383	296	43,656	148	43,507	22	969
7	189	29,261	86	12,223	14	964	31	2,505
8	173	14,474	115	10,703	40	2,963	8	180
9	398	49,983	212	23,462	67	4,833	25	5,130
10	127	20,305	54	5,124	24	1,186	10	96
INTL	58	167,962	21	156,823	9	3,792	1	859
Total	3,759	1,041,307	1,933	391,115	683	88,094	224	23,742

Stand-Downs by OSHA Region 2015 (Continued from Previous Table)

Region	Total # of Stand-Downs	Total # of Individuals Reached	Non‐ Construction (SD/Indiv.)		Government (SD/Indiv.)		Highway (SD/Indiv.)
1	183	20,514	43	5,164	5	73	8	777
2	304	31,447	37	1,750	18	1,933	6	104
3	478	242,000	95	9,627	28	191,516	16	5,778
4	615	230,025	80	11,278	58	162,370	16	1,901
5	560	76,953	50	22,866	10	807	13	1,019
6	674	158,383	110	51,466	77	17,134	21	1,651
7	189	29,261	43	6,875	2	5,212	13	1,482
8	173	14,474	8	326	1	98	1	204
9	398	49,983	46	5,172	44	10,471	4	915
10	127	20,305	13	696	23	12,872	3	331
INTL	58	167,962	11	2,656	16	3,832	0	0
Total	3,759	1,041,307	536	117,876	282	406,318	101	14,162

Stand-Downs by OSHA Region 2014

Region	Total # of Stand-Downs	Total # of Individuals Reached	Commercial Construction (SD/Indiv.)		Other Construction (SD/Indiv.)		Residential Construction (SD/Indiv.)
1	289	20,380	107	7,818	38	8,241	19	498
2	452	77,091	239	61,813	118	6,738	26	1,810
3	514	64,104	275	33,513	80	7,727	28	4,438
4	925	78,120	494	34,527	177	23,620	67	3,906
5	824	105,489	460	69,922	202	23,388	42	1,193
6	663	61,271	307	27,126	208	21,459	18	918
7	211	15,517	103	8,522	48	4,050	13	591
8	186	19,230	102	8,978	32	3,515	7	2,226
9	543	266,668	309	218,957	121	11,155	42	1,599
10	158	10,347	72	5,667	39	3,394	9	157
INTL	115	51,837	29	22,239	55	21,427	4	1,531
Total	4,880	770,054	2,497	499,082	1,118	134,718	275	18,867

Stand-Downs by OSHA Region 2014 (Continued from Previous Table)

Region	Total # of Stand-Downs	Total # of Individuals Reached	Non‐ Construction (SD/Indiv.)		Government (SD/Indiv.)		Highway (SD/Indiv.)
1	289	20,380	42	2,137	21	232	62	1,454
2	452	77,091	43	2,807	12	2,137	14	1,768
3	514	64,104	95	11,280	22	6,076	14	1,070
4	925	78,120	123	9,662	40	4,747	24	1,658
5	824	105,489	85	10,047	21	518	14	421
6	663	61,271	89	7,362	21	2,601	20	1,805
7	211	15,517	35	1,926	7	166	5	258
8	186	19,230	34	3,165	7	752	4	594
9	543	266,668	41	30,920	25	2,779	5	1,258
10	158	10,347	25	483	6	470	7	176
INTL	115	51,837	11	780	16	5,860	0	0
Total	4,880	770,054	623	80,569	198	26,338	169	10,480

Stand-Downs by State
2015

State/Territory	Number of Stand-Downs	% of Stand-Downs	Number of Individuals Reached	% of Individuals Reached	State Plan State?
Alaska(AK)	27	0.73%	6,810	0.78%	SP
Alabama(AL)	37	1.00%	17,600	2.02%
Arkansas(AR)	34	0.92%	2,786	0.32%
Arizona(AZ)	69	1.86%	16,775	1.92%	SP
California(CA)	220	5.94%	23,520	2.69%	SP
Colorado(CO)	106	2.86%	9,945	1.14%
Connecticut(CT)	54	1.46%	8,890	1.02%	SP
District of Columbia(DC)	52	1.41%	8,540	0.98%
Delaware(DE)	42	1.13%	1,313	0.15%
Florida(FL)	215	5.81%	34,408	3.94%
Georgia(GA)	103	2.78%	134,877	15.44%
Guam(GU)	5	0.13%	134	0.02%
Hawaii(HI)	46	1.24%	6,012	0.69%	SP
Idaho(ID)	25	0.68%	1,586	0.18%
Illinois(IL)	149	4.03%	14,101	1.61%	SP
Indiana(IN)	51	1.38%	6,865	0.79%	SP
Iowa(IA)	14	0.38%	731	0.08%	SP
Kansas(KS)	69	1.86%	7,739	0.89%
Kentucky(KY)	65	1.76%	4,781	0.55%	SP
Louisiana(LA)	92	2.49%	32,920	3.77%
Maine(ME)	21	0.57%	1,733	0.20%	SP
Maryland(MD)	130	3.51%	12,716	1.46%	SP
Massachusetts(MA)	58	1.57%	6,219	0.71%
Michigan(MI)	77	2.08%	6,177	0.71%	SP
Minnesota(MN)	41	1.11%	36,621	4.19%	SP
Mississippi(MS)	14	0.38%	8,392	0.96%
Missouri(MO)	109	2.95%	14,321	1.64%
Montana(MT)	5	0.13%	486	0.06%
Nebraska(NE)	10	0.27%	7,203	0.82%
Nevada(NV)	58	1.57%	3,588	0.41%	SP
New Hampshire(NH)	29	0.78%	2,430	0.28%
New Jersey(NJ)	101	2.73%	9,909	1.13%	SP
New Mexico(NM)	38	1.03%	1,297	0.15%	SP
New York(NY)	194	5.24%	21,136	2.42%	SP
North Carolina(NC)	98	2.65%	22,020	2.52%	SP
North Dakota(ND)	16	0.43%	1,566	0.18%
Ohio(OH)	164	4.43%	9,606	1.10%
Oklahoma(OK)	81	2.19%	5,263	0.60%
Oregon(OR)	17	0.46%	2,683	0.31%	SP
Pennsylvania(PA)	161	4.35%	16,704	1.91%
Puerto Rico(PR)	9	0.24	376	0.04%	SP
Rhode Island (RI)	17	0.46%	610	0.07%
South Carolina (SC)	41	1.11%	3,801	0.43%	SP
South Dakota (SD)	3	0.08%	58	0.01%
Tennessee (TN)	41	1.11%	4,177	0.48%	SP
Texas (TX)	414	11.19%	115,341	13.21%
Utah (UT)	33	0.89%	1,840	0.21%	SP
Vermont(VT)	9	0.24%	641	0.07%	SP
Virginia(VA)	69	1.86%	199,636	22.86%	SP
Washington(WA)	58	1.57%	9,192	1.05%	SP
Wisconsin(WI)	77	2.08%	3,568	0.41%
West Virginia(WV)	23	0.62%	3,072	0.35%
Wyoming(WY)	10	0.27%	630	0.07%	SP
TOTAL	3,701	873,345		100.00%

Stand-Downs by State
2014

State/Territory	Number of Stand-Downs	% of Stand-Downs	Number of Individuals Reached	% of Individuals Reached	State Plan State?
Alaska(AK)	28	0.59%	1,278	0.18%	SP
Alabama(AL)	61	1.28%	5,346	0.74%
Arkansas(AR)	30	0.63%	3,324	0.46%
Arizona(AZ)	91	1.91%	12,765	1.78%	SP
California(CA)	316	6.63%	243,176	33.9%	SP
Colorado(CO)	66	1.39%	9,669	1.35%
Connecticut(CT)	113	2.37%	4,831	0.67%	SP
District of Columbia(DC)	26	0.55%	7,701	1.07%
Delaware(DE)	14	0.29%	1,677	0.23%
Florida(FL)	265	5.56%	25,839	3.60%
Georgia(GA)	135	2.83%	15,465	2.15%
Guam(GU)	51	1.07%	1,422	0.20%
Hawaii(HI)	55	1.15%	5,034	0.70%	SP
Idaho(ID)	40	0.84%	883	0.12%
Illinois(IL)	211	4.43%	18,812	2.62%	SP
Indiana(IN)	69	1.45%	40,187	5.60%	SP
Iowa(IA)	37	0.78%	1,797	0.25%	SP
Kansas(KS)	55	1.15%	4,970	0.69%
Kentucky(KY)	70	1.47%	7,524	1.05%	SP
Louisiana(LA)	104	2.18%	13,032	1.81%
Maine(ME)	25	0.525	1,325	0.18%	SP
Maryland(MD)	109	2.29%	12,600	1.75%	SP
Massachusetts(MA)	79	1.66%	4,728	0.66%
Michigan(MI)	183	3.84%	6,118	0.71%	SP
Minnesota(MN)	73	1.53%	18,720	2.61%	SP
Mississippi(MS)	55	1.15%	2,598	0.36%
Missouri(MO)	96	2.01%	6,849	0.95%
Montana(MT)	18	0.38%	347	0.05%
Nebraska(NE)	23	0.48%	1,901	0.26%
Nevada(NV)	30	0.63%	4,271	0.59%	SP
New Hampshire(NH)	27	0.57%	1,195	0.17%
New Jersey(NJ)	121	2.54%	6,352	0.88%	SP
New Mexico(NM)	43	0.90%	2,853	0.40%	SP
New York(NY)	297	6.23%	69,677	9.70%	SP
North Carolina(NC)	224	4.70%	7,320	1.02%	SP
North Dakota(ND)	17	0.36%	874	0.12%
Ohio(OH)	171	3.59%	15,802	2.20%
Oklahoma(OK)	47	0.99%	1,624	0.23%
Oregon(OR)	19	0.40%	2,252	0.31%	SP
Pennsylvania(PA)	257	5.39%	27,733	3.86%
Puerto Rico(PR)	34	0.71%	1,062	0.15%	SP
Rhode Island(RI)	13	0.27%	6,731	0.94%
South Carolina(SC)	60	1.26%	5,074	0.71%	SP
South Dakota(SD)	6	0.13%	142	0.02%
Tennessee(TN)	55	1.15%	8,954	1.25%	SP
Texas(TX)	439	9.21%	40,438	5.63%
Utah(UT)	40	0.84%	6,341	0.89%	SP
Vermont(VT)	32	0.67%	1,570	0.22%	SP
Virginia(VA)	82	1.72%	12,543	1.75%	SP
Washington(WA)	71	1.49%	5,934	0.83%	SP
Wisconsin(WI)	117	2.46%	5,850	0.81%
West Virginia(WV)	26	0.55%	1,850	0.26%
Wyoming(WY)	39	0.82%	1,857	0.26%	SP
TOTAL	4,765		718,217	100%

 

Workers Reached by State in 2015

Note: The majority of states (37) fell into the category of 0 – 10,000 workers reached, so that was further divided into 0 – 5,000 and 5,001 – 10,000

Workers Reached by State in 2014

Note: The majority of states (39) fell into the category of 0 – 10,000 workers reached, so that was further  divided into 0 – 5,000 and 5,001 – 10,000

Stand-Downs Held by State in 2015

 

Stand-Downs Held by State in 2014

 

Comments & Recommendations

Many companies focused on secondary hazards in addition to falls. Heat was a big one both years, but had more mentions in 2014. In general, there were more secondary hazard mentions in 2014 as well:

2015 Secondary Hazard Examples:

"I used materials from [the] OSHA website about heat safety...[a] fall prevention video, [and] checked everyone's fall protection equipment. Went over safety in your surrounding area - metal gas cans, safety glasses, gave one out new gloves and safety glasses."

"Participated in OSHA Training Program at [Center Name] with [Leader Name] and Team. Discussed Fall Protection, Heat Illness, OSHA standard and general safety."

"We viewed the Fall Protection guidelines, ladder safety compliance, and scaffold safety guidelines as well as equipment used on a daly basis for safety. We also reviewed the heat safety guidelines as applicable to our business when working in conditions of extreme heat..."

"Once everyone had shared their stories, we continued on to our weekly safety meeting. We used a tool box topic on Fall Protection to reinforce the safety week topic, and followed up with an MSDS on Oxygen which is currently used on site."

"The crew is currently working on the ceiling in one of the production buildings at elevated heights. The crew took the time to gather and consider the dangers of working on scissor lifts, ladders and scaffolds and what we can do to protect ourselves, fellow workers. And [Manufacturer Name] workers in the area. We also completed a take two to identify any other hazards the job may present."

"Discussed specific on the job hazards and working safely around janitorial services with custodial staff at pre-shift meetings."

"Kicked off the week with the Monday morning safety huddle and discussed the situational awareness overview and how to be aware of hazards around us on the project as well as how to be prepared, recognize and avoid them before they happen. Tuesday morning we supplied lunch for the field staff and discussed the importance of pre planning daily work tasks before work commences and the use of safety huddles at the end of the day to discuss the completed task and if any improvement was needed during the preplanning stages. Throughout the rest of the week we discussed how all the members of the crew should have input into the task preplanning, everyone must be aware of their surroundings, regular tool and PPE inspecitons, and how to adjust to the situation."

2014 Secondary Hazard Examples (at least 30 mentions of heat):

"[Company Name] held Safety Stand Downs on many projects Nationwide the week of June 2nd... We covered Preventing Falls in Construction, and other topics ranged from Heat Stress and water keg sanitation, to PPE..."

"Discussed the importance of: Things that lead to falls, proper climbing technique, importance of monitoring safety equipment, ladders and structures, importance of keepign walkign surfaces free of trip hazards, proper attach points, proper use of portable ladders, importance of keeping hydrated during summer months and heat fatigue and or stroke..."

"First, we listened to a message from the vice president of the company; then we reviewed the incident rates for both company operations and our district operations. Next we used information from the OSHA website's Fall Protection Safety Stand-down for the fall protection information, and being the beginning of summer, we also presented informaiton on heat injury prevention from the OSHA website's Water Rest Shade campaign."

"A major emphasis was placed on behavioral activities and decisions that are made in seconds that carry such a high risk. Secondly, we pointed out common fall hazards specific to our project (holes, leading edges, roof work, ladder use, aerial lifts, scaffolds, etc). Thirdly, a major emphasis was placed on the OSHA focus four topics- just reminding workers what most often kills workers."

Falls aren’t just a construction issue. Plenty of general industry (and other) companies figured out how to make the stand‐down work for them:

2015 General Industry Examples:

“We are in the general industry within oil & gas. Fall protection is not just a construction issue. Walking & working surfaces affect every business. Over the weekend we made a mess of the shop (to our ocd shop foreman's dismay); we exaggerated tripping hazards as well as our shelving systems to show that even on a step stool, there is a potential hazard. We went about our morning as normal to see what the employees would do (all 2 of them). They couldn't help but start to clean up the debris blocking the forklift lane and taking high stacks of empty boxes from the top shelves. We stopped the job... Had a safety stand‐down moment. We talked about how a person doesn't need to fall from heights for it to be life threatening. It also depends on what hits the floor first, or what you strike during a slip, trip or fall...”

“Our event took place at the Federal Correctional Institution [Name]. Work was stopped and 83 inmates and 14 staff were provided a presentation on how falls continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry. They were provided instruction on ladder safety using institution equipment and were provided with several handouts on ladder safety and general industry fall prevention. The inmates were very appreciative of this event as it was the first one of its kind here. We expect both inmates and staff to take pride in the fact that their employer values their safety and wants to prevent injuries and even more so, fatalities as a result of falls in the work place.”

“We are a small occupational safety consulting firm for the general industry. The last two days we reviewed case studies and videos on fall incidents and discussed how they were preventable. As a group we reviewed the whole 1926.500 on fall protection. We also attended a fall awareness course offered by [Company Name] in San Antonio. In addition we linked up with a safety director from [University Name] and spoke more on fall protection. We covered approximately 24 hours of fall protection education and leadership development pertaining to it."

“Although we work in the Maritime Industry, fall protection still plays a part in the jobs we complete. Working atop a pilothouse or a mooring cell has specific hazards and our employees need to be trained on them. Ladders are another big part of our industry ‐ Proper Inspection and use are crucial points that we discussed. I expect to bring awareness to working at heights and the prevention of falls.”

2014 General Industry Examples:

“I engaged our team with a fall protection standards for general industry overview. I then reminded them of the fall protection equipment that is at their disposal and where to find it. I also discussed taking damaged equipment out of service and having a trained observer whenever you must tie off. All employees involved signed off on this training and acknowledged that they understood the importance of this topic. I think it served as a good intermediate reminder for the material covered in their annual fall protection training.”

“On June 3rd we participated in the National Stop Falls Stand Down during our shift safety meeting. We are in General Industry, so we adapted it to fit our metal manufacturing plant.”

“The Safety Stand‐down was championed by or GM and VP of Quality of our facility. Our employees primarily work on commercial aircraft and routinely work at height on various pieces of equipment such as movable dock structures, off of ladders and Ground Support Equipment such as [Manufacturer Name] lifts and scissor‐lifts. We started the stand‐down with some statistics about fall from heights and fatalities associated from falls, both from the Construction industry as well as General industry.”

Companies appreciated the OSHA, NIOSH, and CPWR materials, but many got creative and made their own materials, found unique ways to motivate workers, and conducted activities that were specific to their jobsite:

2015 Unique Activities:

“We did two safety meetings and 8 daily toolbox talks. We generated materials specific to our work environment.”

“We developed a 30 minute Fall Protection and Prevention training film specifically for the 2015 Stand Down. It included fall protection PPE, scaffolding, and ladders. People were notified via e‐mail of the free training film and were carried by a link to YouTube for viewing. The analytics on YouTube show us that 105 people watched the video. All from the US, except 2 in China. We would like to do the same think next year! [Link retracted, but available]"

“We asked several of the workers what they enjoy doing outside of work. With a variety of answers provided we tied them back to could enjoy those activities if something were to happen as a result of not wearing PPE and thinking Safety overall. We made the reality of Safety pertaining to construction the primary function not only as the method of providing for the families and being capable of continuing to but to be able to enjoy time with the family and or in the activity that makes life fulfilling for each of them personally.”

“For every hour worked safely, [Company Name] plans to donate tot he top three charities picked by our employees."

2014 Unique Activities:

“A variety of materials were sent out to the jobsites daily. Some literature, videos, and pictures and PowerPoints. A variety every day. All of the materials were created in house. The materials were reviewed with our employees and given to our subcontractors.”

“We created a tool box talk for our supervisors that discussed fall prevention, safe use of ladders, scaffolds, and aerial lifts, and fall protection devices.”

"As members of [Training Company], we worked with our OSHA Alliance and the National Safety Council to create a free webinar about fall protection. 70 people participated. We also reviewed fall protection toolbox talks as part of our company weekly safety meeting."

"We used the suggested activites, but modified them to meet the conditions on our project."

Another interesting thing we noticed is that several areas decided to pull together community-wide stand-down events:

2015 Community-wide Stand-Downs:

"We held our Stand‐Down in conjunction with a couple of the organizations in town which took place at a specific date and time. The goal was to make it so that the entire city "went quiet" while this took place.”

“Two hours after scheduled, all Public Works Workers [from the town of [Town Name]] reported to Town Hall coffee and donuts were available. We started with Sec. Perez video then showed a DVD on Ladder Safety followed by a quiz and discussion."

"We at the City of [City Name] participated in the National Safety Stand-Down for Fall protection. We partnered with local [Organization Name] and did (15) separate meetings city wide effecting more than 200 people. Thanks you for the opportunity to spread the message of fall prevention."

2014 Community-wide Stand-Downs:

"During morning break [Town Name] viewed Power point on fatalities/injuries, types of falls, video of Thomas Perez on Stand-Down. Reviewed Town Written Fall protection Plan and Ladder safety JSA. Showed DVD on "Ladder Safety" (STS) W/quiz"

"[In the city of [City Name]] we had all divisions take 15 min in the start of each shift to talk about the importance of fall protection and the hazards thereof."

"The [City of [Name]] received an overview of the Stand down, and commentary about the need to improve safety in our areas from the IOSHA Compliance assistance Specialist Mike Whitmore. Then we had the opportunity to select one of two breakout sessions, then we watched as fall demonstration from the DBI SALA Rep. then a rescue procedure from the [City Name] Fire Dept."

Unfortunately, many companies were able to draw from real‐life examples of falls to make the stand‐down relatable. While this was true both years, it was more of a motivational factor for participation in 2015. In both 2014 and 2015, companies engaged their workers in conversations about real‐life situations or things that have happened to them, but in 2015 we had more companies mention recent fall tragedies as a reason for focusing on fall prevention.

2015 Real Life Examples:

"We had an employee death in May 2014, and our participation in this event was a way to remind all employees of the importance of fall prevention measures, and the serious consequences of taking shortcuts."

"Recent injuries and tragedies here in [City Name] steered us to re-enforce and reaffirm our commitment to safety during the tunneling operations. Supervisors checked and rechecked and rechecked personal safety gear and open conversation about current safety directives set forth by [Company] and [Company 2] were discussed."

"Unfortunately we were able to use a recent fatality in our area as a prime example of the need for such events."

"We watched several of the videos that were on the OSHA Stop Falls Stand Down Website and then had a group discussion about our personal experiences with fall protection and accidents that we have seen or have happened to us. Finally, we related our discussion on fall protection as it specifically related to our current project."

"Our Stand Down event was a big success. Every morning we did a short 10 ‐ 15 minute meeting using handouts, videos, group discussion along with real life experiences. We participated last year in the event and built our meetings on feedback from that event. The use of more videos along with sharing experiences kept our team members engaged."

"Most of the training conducted was hands on with demonstrations on site. We shared stories of our own experiences with falls, as well as stories and videos from the web."

"When we assembled for our stand down, we noticed an electrician nearby who was standing on the rail of his scissor lift. We went over to where he was and I told our group about an exact same scenario of an iron worker who had stood on the rail of his scissor lift and slipped and fell out of the lift and fell head first onto some anchor bolts below, The accident put the iron worker into a coma for 4 months. We discussed how it could have been prevented. We then went outside to look at our own scaffolding and discussed situations where we would need to use a harness for fall protection."

2014 Real Life Examples:

"With the Recent Deaths in our area, everyone in our company is more focused with the informaiton that was given out and each Department is making sure that everyone gets HOME SAFE more than ever."

"The principal trainer, who is also a very qualified EHS professional and Paramedic, discussed both fatal facts and real life situations that really kept the attention of audience. No one ever sees themselves as becoming the victim, but the trainer uniquely places you there nd it opens your eyes to the reality that at risk behavior, carelessness can lead to serious injuries and death."

"All work stopped on project. We discussed the 2 incidents of falling deaths and then talked about fall protection requirements and ways to prevent accidental falls. Topic included ladder safety, scaffold safety, proper carrying of tools up ladders."

"...suggested a practice tower rescue for each crew this week. We listented to a recorded call into 911 dispatch where 2 men fall off a tower to their death and commented it among the group after. A good safety exercise with a group of guys who seem to take it seriously. I expect good safety audits from our team in the future."

“I opened the Stand‐Down by explaining to all the participants the definition Stand‐Down. I proceeded to talk about the stats of fall deaths in 2012, stating that all those deaths were preventable. We help an open forum to discuss the site specific fall hazards and different things that have happened to people and what different people have seen.”

“…Discussions ranged from questions about company policy and OSHA requirements to personal revelations about fall incidents. One individual had fallen 20 feet at a prior employer and sustained rather minor injuries. A few employees discussed either observing a fall or seeing the aftermath of a fall…”

On the flip side of the coin, many companies were also requesting statistics and videos that provided real‐life relatable stories along with the other materials OSHA,NIOSH, and CPWR provided.

2015 Requests for Real-Life Info:

"As a safety director, I feel the need for having more data in regards to real life statistics on fatalities and serious injuries related to falls. I know BLS and AFL‐CIO, has plenty on that, but if some real life information found from investigations can be used more so for this national stand‐down that would be even better. Not that we need real photos of blood and gore circulating, but those tend to send a serious message as well ‐ if that is even possible. Thank you.”

“Bring as many demonstrations and real life examples of what happens, how to prevent. Provide motivational speakers to communicate the importance of a workers safety and how it indirectly affects them.”

"[Improve] by providing real life videos- from real construction sites. I do use a lot of videos in our safety meetings, our field techs like to see how other people do things, it also helps to show that the requitements we have and we enforce are also enforced by others, hardhats, safety glasses, no shorts worn at the sites etc..."

"I believe one improvement is to have more related "war stories" or examples which help reinforce the topic and big closer to home for the individuals."

2014 Requests for Real-Life Info:

"It would be interesting to add statistics and interesting tidbits to help employees see this from a different perspective."

"I think that real life experiences/re‐enactments (video) that OSHA can gather from their investigations can impact and capture the attention of people that do this for a living. I would love to present a video that shows techs that this happens so we don’t get comfortable and stay aware that it could happen to "me" instead of "them"."

"OSHA materials should be real life situations instead of cartoon animations."

"The use of high quality, well produced videos make it easier to engage workers to bring the message home. Real life scenarios, recreating accident timelines, and features involving individuals from non‐fatal incidents, as well as witnesses recounting fatality incidents have high impact."

Opinions on doing a stand‐down for 2 weeks instead of 1 were mixed (2015 info only), but the majority of companies seemed to like the longer time frame and some even suggested doing 3 or 4 weeks:

"Last year's one‐week Stand Down seemed to work better. A more concentrated effort."

"No need to make this a 2 week stand down."

"We participated in the 2014 Stan Down. It was one week and the 2015 Stan Down was two weeks. Two weeks is fine but it seemed a little lengthy. In my opinion, in order to keep the events lively, informative, captivatingly interesting and impacting more employees throughout the year, I would spread the event into two one week events."

"I really think extending the initiative to a 2 week time frame and coordinating this topic with National Safety Week was an excellent change over last year. I think the amount of resources and information on this topic was fantastic..."

"I believe it was a good idea extending the campaign to two weeks this year."

"Did like the ability to conduct the stand down over a two week period. Allows us to schedule a better event with more participation."

"Go for three weeks, we had trouble getting to all our employees over the course of two weeks."

"I like the fact that it was extended to two weeks. We were able to get to more jobs and more people that way."

"I like that there is 2 weeks dedicated to the stand down, but it can get very busy with the multiple stand downs. Perhaps extend the initiative to 3 or possibly 4 weeks so that we can reach out to more job sites. It is a great program and very well received by the workers."

"It is hard to find a flaw in the campaign as it is being managed now. I do love the idea that the campaign was increased to two weeks."

Several companies acknowledged that the Stand‐Down was paired with the ASSE & Construction Safety Executives’ safety weeks this year and thought it worked well (2015 only):

"I really think extending the initiative to a 2 week time frame and coordinating this topic with National Safety Week was an excellent change over last year."

"Having the National Stand down on a day before or after safety week is another reason to highlight the importance. It was probably already a topic of discussion during the week for safety week anyways."

"I really liked the idea of combining safety week witht he stand down. Putting the two together really helped show how important the issue is our co-workers."

Some participants appreciated the momentum generated by building on the same event year‐to‐year, and there were several positive comments in 2015 that this year was even better than last year. In both years there were suggestions to keep the stand‐down but change the topic from year to year (see below), however in 2015 there seemed to be more support for a repeated stand‐down to prevent falls:

2015 Support for Annual Event:

"I believe it was better this year than last year. I would recommend that possibly assist the small companies with instruction."

"I felt it was eveen better than last year. We participated in several stand downs in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois."

"Start planning for next year's Stand Down and make it bigger and better than last year."

"This and last years' safety stand down are well-received. Consider making this an annual event. Each company should tailor their stand down to their most critical elelments, as we have."

"Being a young initiative, I think it just takes time to get the recognition. Once other employers understand the initiative and the importance of continuing safety education, the event will continue to build momentum."

"Message went out but failed to reach the hearts and minds of all workers as there [were] a few incidences following the stand down. Please continue your efforts in this regard and we will increase our efforts until this travesty is eradicated."

2015 Requests for Additional Topics:

"Great initiative. We need more exposure to these stand downs on all points that are related to safety."

"If we had more stand down weeks throughout the yearover more topics to further educate all employees."

"I thought it was a great idea. Every month during the summer shoudl be a different Safety Stand Down topic."

"My thoughts are, has some one thought of doing a stand-down for hand safety?"

"Maybe next year we can have a different topic for more days to keep it interesting for all who attend?"

2014 Requests for Additional Topics:

"An initiative on MSD's, Muscular Skeletal Disorders, which plague our industry and what can be done to prevent them would be appreciated. More involvement from the OSHA representative would be appreciated."

"[It would be a] great idea to have different topics throughout the year for companies to participate in."

"Add more topics in the future"

"Continue developing safety stand downs on different topics that employers can show to employees to create awareness and prevent injuries."

Other positive feedback that was the same for both years included:

• Great marketing of this program
  
  
• Great resources- comments indicated appreciation of posters, materials & sources of information available
  
  
• Great job! And so changes needed- many companies felt that the event could not by improved upon.

Additional positive comments for 2015:

• Employees were engaged

"I expected that most of the employees might think of the training to be a waste of time. I was pleasantly surprised that each worker had valuable input and appreciation for the training received."

• It's great to be a part of a national event

"It went better than expected because of the General Contractors we were working for were also involved in the Safety Stand-Down campaign and our crews felt like they were a part of a national event. We are an industrial sub-contractor and our safety requirements are based on the facilities safety programs for the plants we work in and a campaign like this one helps us stay ahead in our training and gives over company safety program credibility."

• There was more notice than last year

Additional Recommendations

Other recommendations made both years included:

• Provide materials in other languages (not just English and Spanish) - this was a bigger request in 2014 than 2015, but was mentioned in both years
  
  
• Expand audiences and add a wider range of information (i.e. general industry, families of workers)

2015-"Future Safety Stand downs shoud have a big area dedicated towards the telecommunications tower industry, towers are a big part of today's work place and it would be good to see topics on towers instead of just construction sites, it all relates to each other but is different at the same time."

• Create ways for companies to share their efforts through social media

2014- "It would be nice if you had a place where we could upload photos of the safety meetings taking place. I strongly that people enjoy seeing visual material especially in the construction industry."

2015-"Get organizations to share and discuss, through a site or social media during hte event time line."

• Create some competition- this goes along with sharing on social media; several companies mentioned that contests could provide motivation.
  
  
• More involvement from OSHA on particular sites (send local officers or area directors, prepare written or recorded statements/information on OSHA programs and efforts), and more public/local events
  
  
• Promote the event better and earlier

2015- "We did not know about this event last year and I found out about the event this year when I was looking up some OSHA Regulations on their web-site. Find a way to get the word out."

• Provide more/better materials, especially videos
  
• Provide free web training with tests/quizzes afterward that trainers can administer to workers; increase training available online and on DOL sites
  
  
• Several folks mentioned providing hardhat stickers- some did not know they were availabe, others wanted more(the fact that this was still a regular comment in 2015 is interesting considering CPWR also created hard hat stickers this year, and all 3 organizations distributed stickers widely)
  
  
• Confusion around the term stand-down-- this was a bigger issue in 2014 by far, however it was still mentioned in 2015.

Additional Recommendations in 2015:

• Be consistent in the date and format of the stand-down

"I would keep the stand down the same dates each year as last year's stand down was in June"

"Last year this was in June?"

• Change up the materials from one year to the next

"I would like to see some new material. The material this year was the same material from last year."

• Improve the certificates- several companies mentioned wanting more detailed certificates from OSHA

"Name of the client, name of the project, and number of participants on the certificate would be excellent. I am filling out 12 different certificates for Texas projects, and each says the same thing."

• Too many options/need more focus

"It may sound funny, but you offered too many options. Maybe keep it more focused and specify what you want companies to do (as far as the resources for this) to keep it focused."

• Problems posting to OSHA event calendar

"We invited the general public to attend our free seminar/speakers on fall prevention on May 15th, 2015. 150 people attended the sessions. We advertised this event on the local radio stations. We also conducted tool box talks related to fall prevention during the two week stand down that reached over 100 teammates. We sent a request to put our event on the calendat but it didn't make it on the site. We would have liked this to be on there for others to see."

For more information on the Campaign to Stop Falls in Construction and the National Safety Stand‐Down, visit the joint OSHA‐NIOSH‐CPWR campaign site stopconstructionfalls.com

stopconstructionfalls.com
SAFETY PAYS
FALLS COST