Falls continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). During OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down, MSA Safety, a global safety equipment manufacturer, conducted free fall-protection training sessions during the week of May 6-10.
MSA provided OSHA-compliant fall protection demonstrations at construction job sites across the United States using its fleet of mobile training vehicles. MSA's 50-person team of fall protection and confined space safety experts highlighted basic fall protection principles and necessary personal protective products through demos and hands-on training. Covered topics included ANSI/OSHA standards compliance, components of a fall-arrest system, equipment inspection and confined space entry and exit.
Over the past three years, MSA has trained more than 30,000 workers on how to best check, inspect and use their life-saving fall protection equipment. However, to ensure even more workers have the opportunity to learn about proper safety protocols, the company will be expanding its training efforts beyond the about 200 work sites they'll be visiting in person this week.
In addition to conducting job-site training, MSA will be raising awareness of the importance of proper fall protection training across the company's digital properties. Employers and workers not able to participate in an on-site demo can follow the company on social media to learn more about the dangers of falls and how to prevent them.
"OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down is a simple and focused way to remind workers and their employers of the risks of working at heights – and the steps they can take to mitigate those risks in order to return safely home each and every day," says Eleni Lucido, vice president and general manager of MSA's business in the United States and Canada. "As a safety company dedicated to seeing to 'that men and women may work in safety, MSA is committed to helping prevent workplace falls through proper training and the design of innovative products that will continue to raise the bar in fall protection safety."
For more information visit MSA's Web site at www.MSAsafety.com.
