Stories

A Day in the Life: Standing Up for Fall Protection

The Chinese Hospital team in San Francisco joined DPR jobsites across the country on June 4 to raise awareness for the continuing danger of falls. Photo by Jerry McKinley
“Don’t be #15” was the theme of the Safety Stand-Down in San Diego. Fourteen workers went up on stage to represent the 14 people who died from falls in California since the beginning of the year. Photo by David Cox
More than 200 workers at the project in Austin paused to discuss how every person can do his/her part to prevent falls from elevation and injuries on the job. Photo by Steven Paredes
At the MonteCedro senior living community in Altadena, CA, team members shared stories—reminding everyone what’s at stake every day on construction sites. Photo by Kelley Radtke
More than 6,125 signatures, including those from the Facebook project, were collected at jobsites across the country from participants who joined in the OSHA National Safety Stand-Down in June. Photo by Shawn Pepple
The Chinese Hospital team in San Francisco joined DPR jobsites across the country on June 4 to raise awareness for the continuing danger of falls. Photo by Jerry McKinley
“Don’t be #15” was the theme of the Safety Stand-Down in San Diego. Fourteen workers went up on stage to represent the 14 people who died from falls in California since the beginning of the year. Photo by David Cox
More than 200 workers at the project in Austin paused to discuss how every person can do his/her part to prevent falls from elevation and injuries on the job. Photo by Steven Paredes
At the MonteCedro senior living community in Altadena, CA, team members shared stories—reminding everyone what’s at stake every day on construction sites. Photo by Kelley Radtke
More than 6,125 signatures, including those from the Facebook project, were collected at jobsites across the country from participants who joined in the OSHA National Safety Stand-Down in June. Photo by Shawn Pepple

Calling attention to an important safety risk, construction workers across the country take time out to review, reflect

On June 4, simultaneously across multiple time zones, project teams on DPR jobsites and in offices throughout the country participated in a National Safety Stand-Down to raise awareness for the continuing danger of falls from an elevation.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which asked contractors to participate in the national campaign, falls accounted for 34.7 percent of construction deaths in 2012.

“Falls are preventable with the right tools, processes and training in place,” said David Flynn, an Environmental Health and Safety Plan (EHSP) leader for DPR in San Diego. “Our goal was to deliver a coordinated message to our teams and to encourage our workforce and the subcontractor community to share personal stories—reminding all of us what’s at stake every day on construction sites.”

Teams also shared four steps every worker should take to prevent falls:

  • Take a moment to recognize the fall hazards nearby.
  • Plan the work—what tasks will be involved and what equipment is necessary.
  • Use all the safety equipment necessary and don’t hesitate to request more or different equipment as an extra precaution.
  • Get training to use equipment properly and stay safe.

In total, DPR collected more than 6,125 signatures from participants around the country, which were submitted to OSHA for a certificate of participation.

Posted on August 5, 2014
Last Updated August 23, 2022