Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2013 (Preliminary Results), fatal falls, slips or trips took the lives of 699 workers in 2013. Falls to a lower level accounted for 574 (82 percent) of those fatalities. In 2013, the height of the fall was reported for 466 of the fatal falls to a lower level. Of those, about 1 in 4 occurred after a fall of 10 feet or less. Another one-fifth of the fatal falls occurred from falls of over 30 feet.
OSHA says that employers must set up the workplace to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated workstations or into holes in the floor and walls. On OSHA’s Safety & Health Topics, Fall Protection page, the agency outlines its guidelines for providing fall protection on the job.