NRCA, OSHA Team Up for Safety Stand Down May 6-10

Roofing contractors everywhere are encouraged to join the annual safety campaign to stop fatal falls on jobsites around the country.

2021-osha-safety-stand-down — Image courtesy of OSHA.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) are teaming up to protect roofers from potentially deadly falls during the annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction week, May 6-10.

Throughout the week, roofing contractors in both residential and commercial markets will place extra emphasis on fall safety in a variety of ways. That includes a free NRCA webinar at noon Wednesday, May 8, featuring roofing contractor panelists from around the country who will discuss best practices and solutions to fall-prevention hazards on the jobsite.

The Center for Construction Research and Training recently release data indicating that roofing contractors led the construction trades in fatal falls, slips and trips in 2022. Despite largely being preventable, the data showed fatal falls increased by 53% from 2011 to 2022.

OSHA developed the fall prevention campaign as part of the national safety stand-down and in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Occupational Research Agenda, and The Center for Construction Research and Training. The stand down coincides with Construction Safety Week, an annual industrywide education and awareness event originally formed in 2014.

Since 2012, NRCA has worked with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to plan the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction to raise nationwide awareness about fall hazards

During these events, employers engage in discussions with employees to underscore the significance of safety measures. It also provides an excellent platform for employees to communicate with management regarding occupational hazards they observe, fostering a collaborative approach to workplace safety. In 2023, stand-downs included activities such as special training events, meetings/huddles, demonstrations, toolbox talks and refreshments.

OSHA offers suggestions to ensure a successful event on its website, an encourages roofing contractors to visit and share their safety Stand Down plans, stories and photos to . Learn more. Following the completion of your event, visit OSHA’s National Safety Stand-down to Prevent Falls in Construction page to document your participation and obtain a formal certificate from OSHA.

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Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.