It takes one-third of a second for the body to become aware of a fall. It takes another one-third of a second for the body to react. A person can fall up to 7 feet in two-thirds of a second. While there are many startling anecdotes about falls and fall prevention, it’s a topic we cannot talk about enough.
That’s why we invite you to join in the National Safety Stand-Down scheduled from Sept. 14-18, 2020.
“Taking a pause for safety is always something we can get behind,” said Brandon Jones, director of Safety and Risk Services at Missouri Employers Mutual. “If the hours our field representatives spend talking about fall prevention stop just one more life from being changed or even worse, a life being lost, those hours are worth it.”
Falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the construction industry, making up one-third of all on-the-job deaths, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
At MEM, our data tells us what happens most during construction falls and what happens after. For example, a fall from a roof makes up 40% of all lost-time claims in the roofing industry and half of these falls are from a leading edge. What did they all have in common? None of the workers had proper fall protection.
What if the fall wasn’t as severe? You might be surprised to know that 40% of all construction lost time claims involve foot and ankle injuries. And those injuries? They result in an average lost-time claim cost of $96,000. And we haven’t even mentioned ladders.
Want to learn more about what happens most in lost-time construction claims? Check out our new job site safety infographic.