Although fully preventable, falls injure and kill thousands of workers each year across a wide range of industries. Government records indicate that 808 workers died from falls in 2001. There were 294,000 fall-related injuries in 2000. In addition to the human tragedy, falls exact additional costs, such as medical expenses, lost work time, insurance, workers' compensation and lost productivity.
The technology exists to fully provide workers with proper and adequate fall protection. The individual worker has complete control in preventing workplace falls through the correct use of fall protection equipment and devices. However, only proper and effective safety training will ensure that workers will have the skills and motivation necessary to use this equipment correctly, and take all the needed measures to maintain their safety. Let's briefly examine some of these core components of effective training.