Despite ongoing efforts by safety & health professionals and industry stakeholders to improve awareness and use of fall prevention and protection solutions, falls continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry. According to recent occupational data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fatalities from falls, slips, and trips increased 11% overall in 2019, to 880 total deaths. In construction and extraction occupations alone, 408 workers died.

To better understand and prevent both fatal and non-fatal falls, more information is needed about their root causes.

So, we’re asking you to tell us about a fall incident or incidents that you experienced, witnessed, or investigated.

CPWR worked closely with the ANSI Z359 National Work at Heights Task Force and the NORA Construction Sector Council Falls Work Group to develop the survey, which aims to fill in some of the gaps in information available on common underlying causes of falls from heights. We hope to better understand the needs of the industry and the intricacies of how different organizational, human, and physical factors can interact to cause a fall. We will use the results to guide the development of new CPWR and NORA materials in support of the National Campaign & Annual Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction – such as planning resources for contractors, handouts for workers, and on-demand webinars – and to inform the voluntary standards put forward by the ANSI Z359 Committee. For more information about the survey and its goals, you can view our on-demand webinar, Identifying Common Root Causes of Falls from Heights.

The survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. No attempt will be made to connect a response back to the individual. If you are interested in participating in a more in-depth conversation with CPWR about your experience, you will have the option to provide your contact information at a separate and secure link, not connected with your survey responses. The results of the survey will only be reported in aggregate, and no identifying information will be shared.

Canada’s Institute for Work & Health recently published a report on their study of the effect of unionization on the incidence of workers’ compensation claims in companies from the Institutional, Commercial and Industrial (ICI) construction trade sector in Ontario. Using data from 2012-2018, this research updated an earlier IWH study (Amick et al., 2015), which used data from 2006-2012. The earlier study concluded that unionization lowered the likelihood of organizations reporting lost-time injury claims and increased the likelihood of them reporting no-lost-time injury claims. Both the present study and the Amick et al. (2015) study were consistent in finding a favorable union safety effect on injuries requiring time away from work, including both musculoskeletal and critical (more severe) injuries, among companies in Ontario’s ICI sector.

Read more at https://iciconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IWH-OCS-Safety-Study-Report.pdf.

CPWR provides funding up to $30,000 to investigate promising new research initiatives. The Small Study Program provides flexibility for initiating studies that are generally for preliminary, short-term projects and are non-renewable. The research plan proposed by the applicant must be related to the mission and priority research interests of CPWR.

Special Emphasis Areas:

• CPWR has an interest in studies addressing innovative approaches to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the construction industry through ventilation, distancing, and respirators.
• CPWR also has an interest in studies addressing the high fatality burden among small employers in the U.S. construction industry, defined by CPWR as employers with 1-19 employees. Proposed research projects aimed at innovative ways in which to research small employers are considered a high priority, especially with an emphasis on:
  • Engagement of stakeholders through partnerships and other means to understand the barriers and motivators for intervention adoption by small employers
  • Assessing communications channels in reaching small employers
  • Evaluation of promising translation products and dissemination strategies targeting small employers

View full announcement here.