This week (May 3-7, 2021) marks the eighth annual National Safety Stand-Down To Prevent Falls in Construction. Fatalities caused by falls still account for nearly a fifth of all deaths in the workforce and are the leading cause of death among construction workers. 20 percent of worker fatalities in the United States occur in construction, even though construction workers make up only 6 percent of the US labor force. Their safety must be brought to national attention.
Safety Stand-Down stands to create an opportunity for employers to speak with their employees about workplace safety concerns. OSHA has created a webpage dedicated to this event to help employers and employees participate in bringing awareness to the number of fatalities from falling.
At MATRIX, safety is of the utmost importance, especially when it comes to our employees. We have always encouraged open discussion and provide opportunities to address concerns or ideas to improve workplace policies. Our employees have access to an employee portal page on our website, which offers them the opportunity to contact us with suggestions or comments that can even be done anonymously.
These workplace fatalities are preventable. We hope that the type of open dialogue that Safety Stand-Down offers will continue to be a source of information that can be used to prevent further fatal injuries and protect our construction workers.