By: David Keeling, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health

Last week, OSHA joined trade organizations, industry leaders, and workers around the country for the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. This annual event focuses on preventing falls, the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, and reinforces the importance of planning, training, and hazard awareness to protect workers.

I had the opportunity to participate in a Stand-Down event at Henry Bacon Ball Field on the National Mall, in Washington, surrounded by the many construction and infrastructure projects shaping our nation's capital. Speaking to the hundreds gathered there that day, I emphasized that protecting workers takes all of us. OSHA can't do what we do without the help of everyone involved in initiatives like these. America's workers have our total commitment when it comes to doing the right thing to protect them, their families, and the companies they work for that are invested in their safety.

Promoting workplace safety is a job for which everyone is qualified. We'd love to see how you participated in the Stand-Down. Please share your activities and any photos on social media using #StandDown4Safety, and visit our Stand-Down webpage to download a certificate of participation.

Assistant Secretary Keeling was not the only member of OSHA's leadership who participated in and spoke at Stand-Down events at major construction projects across the country. OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary, Amanda Wood Laihow, joined workers in Nashville, Tennessee; OSHA Chief of Strategy, Lilly Moon, participated in Montgomery, Alabama; and OSHA Chief of Staff Michael Asplen attended an event in Chicago. At every stop, their message was that OSHA cares about the well-being of all workers, and we are committed to ensuring they all return home from their job safe and healthy.

The Stand-Down aligns with Construction Safety Week, with an "All in Together" campaign that reinforces the industry's shared commitment to preventing serious injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Participants at a Stand-Down event in Boise, Idaho, displayed photographs of their loved ones as the reason that they work safely each day. The National Safety Stand-Down to prevent Falls was created as part of OSHA's mission to ensure that every one of America's workers gets to return home safely to their loved ones at the end of each day.

During the Stand-Down event in Washington D.C., OSHA Assistant Secretary David Keeling signed an Alliance agreement with Construction Safety Week President, Adam Jelen, highlighting a shared focus on safe workplaces in the construction industry. Together, OSHA and Construction Safety Week will strengthen efforts to prevent serious workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, while promoting Total Worker Health, and building safer and healthier worksites of the future.

Our Alliance Ambassador partner Lamar Outdoor Advertising donated space for billboards across the country to get the word out about this year's Stand-Down and raise awareness about fall prevention. In total, these billboards reached more than 300 million people, extending the campaign's safety message to family, friends, and coworkers nationwide.

In addition to promoting fall-prevention, speakers at Stand-Down events emphasized mental health awareness and electrical safety as critical parts of building safer workplaces.

Mental wellness, workplace stress and suicide prevention were also addressed by Stand-Down speakers. Employers were encouraged to create a work environment where employees feel comfortable talking about job stress and mental health challenges, and workers were urged to take advantage of mental health resources such as Employee Assistance Programs and ask for help when needed.

Workers also received demonstrations on electrical safety as part of the Construction Safety Week events in Chicago and Alabama.

As we approach the celebration of the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, we continue to feature important events in OSHA's history that have shaped worker safety in America.

The first National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls was held in 2014 to address the number one cause of worker fatalities in the construction industry. It was a tremendous success, reaching more than one million workers – more than 1 in 10 construction workers in the U.S.

Across the country, companies of all sizes paused to discuss the importance of fall prevention. Almost 5,000 Stand-Downs were reported to OSHA, with participation in all 50 states and internationally.

Visit our website to read highlights from the first Stand-Down and all the others that have taken place every year since then.

❓ Are there any other public education safety campaigns like the National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls that people can participate in?