Canada appears to be stepping up its efforts to prevent fatalities from falls. Recently companies have been fined quite severely in Canada for accidents and for infractions of safety regulations. The great news is the Pro-Active approach to prevention and protection - saving lives.
Here in the USA we suffer from
a malaise that it's "accepted" that sometimes workers will fall and often resulting in fatalities (sometimes multiple deaths) or very tragic injury, lifetime disablement. This attitude and culture should simply not be tolerated.
Let's get Congress, the State legislatures, and Municipalities to pass laws & codes that make fall protection absolutely mandatory. Seatbelts are required in most states, because they save lives - and if you don't wear it, shame on you. Car seats for children are required nation-wide, because they save lives - if you don't put your child in it, shame on you. Helmets are required in most states for motorcyclists, because they save lives.
Fall prevention (restriction, limitation) saves lives by eliminating human error, by using warning lines, barriers, guarding, nets, or tie-back lines, which STOP people from going into hazardous areas.
Fall protection (injury reduction) saves lives by reducing significantly the shock on the human body in the event of a fall, when workers absolutely must enter a hazardous but necessary work zone.
Anti-fall legislation, regulation and standards help raise awareness, educate and force companies to implement life-saving devices. Fines and citations should be much more expensive to further cause the right behavior -- this is a no-brainer. Insurance companies should take note, because they often hav the burden of the multi-million dollar settlements or litigation.
The USA should have a ZERO TOLERANCE approach to fall protection & prevention!
Here in the USA we suffer from
a malaise that it's "accepted" that sometimes workers will fall and often resulting in fatalities (sometimes multiple deaths) or very tragic injury, lifetime disablement. This attitude and culture should simply not be tolerated.
Let's get Congress, the State legislatures, and Municipalities to pass laws & codes that make fall protection absolutely mandatory. Seatbelts are required in most states, because they save lives - and if you don't wear it, shame on you. Car seats for children are required nation-wide, because they save lives - if you don't put your child in it, shame on you. Helmets are required in most states for motorcyclists, because they save lives.
Fall prevention (restriction, limitation) saves lives by eliminating human error, by using warning lines, barriers, guarding, nets, or tie-back lines, which STOP people from going into hazardous areas.
Fall protection (injury reduction) saves lives by reducing significantly the shock on the human body in the event of a fall, when workers absolutely must enter a hazardous but necessary work zone.
Anti-fall legislation, regulation and standards help raise awareness, educate and force companies to implement life-saving devices. Fines and citations should be much more expensive to further cause the right behavior -- this is a no-brainer. Insurance companies should take note, because they often hav the burden of the multi-million dollar settlements or litigation.
The USA should have a ZERO TOLERANCE approach to fall protection & prevention!
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