Safety Tidbit 7.07 - Focus Four - It's Not Just for Construction Anymore

Safety Tidbit 7.07 – Focus Four It’s Not Just for Construction Anymore

 

Reference: Neitzel, D. K., Kilbourne, C., Condon, C., & Staff, E. H. S. D. A. (2019, June 3).

OSHA's "fatal Four" – leading causes of fatalities in the workplace. EHS Daily Advisor. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/2019/05/oshas-fatal-four-leading-causes-of-fatalities-in-the-workplace/.

 

This Safety Tidbit was written by my student, Mr. Bradley Westrick – a senior in the Safety Sciences Program at the Indiana University of PA graduating Spring 2022.

 

Injuries and fatalities over the years have decreased substantially, but OSHA reports that there are still 12 work-related fatalities during a workday in the United States. Workplace deaths in the construction industry known as OSHA's fatal four lead the way. Being aware of OSHA's fatal four can help protect yourself and employees from the main leading causes of death.

 

·      Falls: Approximately 36.5% of all deaths in the workplace occur due to falling. Falls often occur due to a lack of fall protection. Implementing OSHA's fall protection requirements under 1910.269(g)(2) can reduce a large percentage of falls leading to death.

·      Electrocutions: About 8.6% of employees died due to electrocution. Workers face many electrocution hazards on construction sites, such as exposed wiring and coming into contact with overhead power lines, etc. In 2017, companies violated OSHA's lockout tagout standard (1910.147) over 2,877 times.  Strict compliance with OSHA 1910.331-.335 and NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Practice can prevent these accidents.

·      Struck By: An estimated 10.1% of deaths were from misplaced, falling, or swinging objects. Falling objects can occur from vehicle or equipment strikes, rigging failures, and loose or shifting materials.

·      Caught-in or caught-between: Being caught-in or between machines accounted for approximately 2.5% of deaths in the workplace. Interestingly, most of the deaths were due to trench and excavation collapsing.

 

OSHA, has for years, enforced a targeted inspection program in the Construction Industry for the Focus Four (or as I like to call them the Fab Four). Maybe it’s time for a similar program in the general industry as well.

 

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

 

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.