Essential Fall Prevention Training: It’s a Matter of Life or Death

Fall prevention training saves lives. It’s just that simple. Even though New York City has strict building rules, accidents still happen. The best way to stay safe is to make sure you have the right training.

A Tragic Example

At Hudson Yards in Manhattan, a worker fell 50 feet and sadly passed away from his injuries. According to WABC Eyewitness News, the accident at 605 W. 30th Street in Manhattan happened when the worker fell through a hole on the ground floor. Even though he initially survived the fall, he later fell victim to his injuries.

This isn’t an isolated incident. According to OSHA, falls are the leading cause of death in construction.In 2023, there were 421 fatal falls to a lower level out of 1,075 construction fatalities (BLS data). That’s why  they encourage employers to adopt strict Fall Prevention Training requirements for workers on construction sites, over and above what’s required by local laws.

Building Codes Aren’t Enough              

New York City has been improving its building codes for over 150 years, starting with the appointment of a “Supervisor of Buildings” in 1860. That was a response to a fire on the Lower East Side that killed 20 people. The Department of Buildings, first created in 1892, developed comprehensive rules to make sure that the city’s buildings and its construction workers are as safe as possible. Whenever an accident does happen, the city’s codes are reviewed and revised to prevent that sort of accident from happening again.

In the end, it’s up to workers on site to make sure things are safe. Even if a construction site is up to code, accidents can happen if the workers on that site aren’t paying close attention. All the safety barriers in the world are not going to prevent an accident if someone doesn’t use active safety practices. Even if you follow all the right procedures, accidents can still happen if someone isn’t paying attention.

Remember, being on a construction site is a matter of life and death, every minute of the day! And, especially in a city like New York, you should constantly be thinking about falling and what you can do to avoid those falls. It only takes a second to get permanently injured or worse.

Don’t Guess – Get the Right Training

Preventing falls is an important part of your job. Some might say that staying safe is the most important part of any job! That’s why it’s critical that you learn all about fall prevention and what you can do to make sure you make it home in one piece, every single day.

The NYC Department of Buildings requires eight hours of fall prevention training for an individual applying for a Site Safety Training Card. But this training isn’t just a rule—it’s common sense. Knowing how to avoid falls can save your life.

The best way to get the training you need is Gallagher Bassett’s Online 8-Hour Fall Prevention SST course.  This online course gives you the information you need including NYC Local Law 196 regulations and how to avoid worksite falls. This course can help fulfill the requirement for an SST card and gives you .8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs.)

When you take our fall prevention course, you’ll learn the terms you need, how to recognize hazards in your workplace, and you’ll get the lowdown on OSHA’s Subpart M and NYC DOB’s Local Law 196 of 2017. You’ll learn how to make the right decisions in the workplace.

You can take our online Fall Prevention course anywhere you have access to the internet, on your schedule. Our state-of-the-art learning management system keeps you engaged and keeps things informative and fun!

Sources:

New York City Department of Buildings, About the Buildings Department (2007), archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20071011234826/http://nyc.gov/html/dob/html/about/history.shtml Welcome to OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign: https://www.osha.gov/stop-falls