Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in construction in Washington State. Those deaths are preventable.
Each year in May, companies from all over Washington state and L&I participate in the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction with the goal of preventing fall fatalities and injuries. The 12th Annual National Safety Stand-Down is scheduled for May 5-9, 2025.
What is a Safety Stand-Down?
It's when you take a break from normal work activities so your crew can focus on a particular jobsite safety topic, such as training on safe use of ladders or inspection of full body harnesses.
Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in construction in Washington state, as shown in these infographic.
Falls in Construction | Spanish
Construction Fatalities from Falls | Spanish
Get involved!
Start now. Any construction business in Washington state can choose how to participate and what to address. You'll find plenty of ideas and ready-to-go resources on various topics.
Request assistance
Contact a safety professional for assistance with your company’s Stand-Down.
2024 Safety Stand-Down supporters
Share your success stories!
Tell us what worked for your company (Spanish) and print out a Certificate of Participation from L&I.
Stand-Down activities can range from short toolbox talks to scheduled, full-day events. Watch this video of one construction company's Safety Stand-Down and how they got their teams involved in developing their safety plan. Pick what’s right for your company.
See the Resources tab for additional information.
Stand-down Ideas
Planning for a full week of simple stand-down activities? Here are some ideas:
Day 1, Assess Your Fall Hazards: Use this Construction Safety Checklist to help identify fall hazards at your current job site. Get ideas from your crew about how to effectively prevent falls while doing the work. Use the results to create or refresh your fall prevention program.
Day 2, Ladder Safety: 15-minute Toolbox talk with crew followed by safety audit of job site ladders to make improvements.
Day 3, Roofing Safety: Falls Change Lives — David's Story — What happens when you fall from a roof? Hear the true story (Video) of one man's tragic fall and how it changed his life forever. Then ask your crew to share stories of “near misses” or injuries due to falls and ideas for successful solutions.
Day 4, Skylight, Floor, & Wall Opening Safety: Show a video or use a handout that addresses these fall hazards that may be common at your job site. Get ideas from crews about effective solutions for site issues and follow-up.
Day 5, Focus on Mental Health and Wellbeing: Prevent fall hazards by talking to your crew about mental health and wellbeing. Get information, resources, and support from L&I’s new Mental Health in the Workplace webpage.
Some simple stand-down ideas:
- Pass out a fatality narrative or bulletin about a real-life fall incident to spark discussion with crews.
- Watch a fall prevention video with crews and recap important messages afterwards.
- Remind crews on how to report damaged gear, equipment, and other safety issues that could cause a fall.
- Ask crews to share “near miss” stories.
- Demonstrate inspection, set up, and safe use of portable ladders.
- Review the site fall protection work plan with crews.
Hands-on Ideas
Planning for a full week of simple hands-on activities? Here are some ideas:
- Safety check jobsite ladders, fall protection systems, and other equipment using a checklist.
- Download and use NIOSH's Ladder Safety App.
- Guide crews through how to correctly inspect and put on fall protection
- Develop a procedure for reporting and addressing damaged equipment. Supply “out of service” tags or tape to mark bad equipment.
- Walk around the jobsite with crews and point out possible fall hazard issues and solutions.
- Create a “What’s Right with this Photo” handout for crews. Take photos of safe equipment and solutions to fall safety problems.
Ideas that require more planning:
- Contact a safety professional for an on-site consultation to review safety programs and help you identify and fix fall hazards.
- Find a safety speaker who is a fall incident survivor to speak to crews about what happened to them.
- Attend a safety event that offers training on fall prevention.
- Set up a safety demonstration from an equipment vendor.
Fall protection
Basic & Ready-to-Use
- Fall Protection Basics for Construction - Spanish
- Hazard Alert – Fall Protection Harnesses
- Head Injury After Fall from Stepladder Video
Hands-on
- eTool Unified Fall Protection Comparison
- Construction Checklist-Safety (see page 3 for falls)
Ladders
Basic & Ready-to-Use
- Roofer Falls 10 Feet from Fixed Ladder
- Instalador de techos cae 10 pies de una escalera de mano fija
- Framer Falls 8 Feet from Extension Ladder
- Instalador de estructuras cae 8 pies de una escalera de extensión
Don't Hit the Ground (Youtube Video - NICA)- Electrocution/Work Safely with Ladders Near Power Lines video
- Ladder Safety Guide
- Toolbox Talk-Falls: Extension Ladders
Hands-on
Scaffolds & Aerial Lifts
Basic & Ready-to-Use
- Laborer Climbing Scaffold Cross Braces Falls 25 Feet
- Siding Installer Falls 23 Feet from Pump Jack Scaffold
- Instalador de paneles laterales cae 23 pies de andamio de palometa de gato
- Toolbox Talk: Preventing Falls from Scaffolding
- Toolbox Talk: Aerial Lifts - Spanish
Hands-on
- Construction Checklist Safety (see page 4 for scaffolds)
Roofs & Skylights
Basic & Ready-to-Use
- Foreman Falls 17 Feet from Leading Edge of Roof Deck
- Roofer Falls Constructing Leading Edge of Metal Roof
- Roofing Falls in Residential Construction - Spanish
- Framer Falls 25 Feet from House Roof
- Preventing Falls Through Skylights video
- Toolbox Talk: Preventing Falls from Rooftops
Floor and Wall Openings
Basic & Ready-to-Use
- Carpenter Falls through Floor of Two-Story Garage
- You’re a Pro: Falls through Openings video
- Toolbox Talk: How do we prevent falls through skylights and holes?
- Toolbox Talk: Falls Through Holes and Openings - Spanish
Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Find Support for Issues with Mental Health, Drugs, or Alcohol (resource page, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )
- Toolbox Talk Mental Health & Workplace Safety (AGC of Washington/Lakeside Industries)
Other resources
2024 Participants
Company | Company |
---|---|
Association of General Contractors of Washington | Nucor Rebar Fabrication Seattle |
Danard Electric LLC. | Robertson & Olson Construction LLC |
E2 Systems | Uniplex Construction |
Faber Construction | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries |
Hensel Phelps |
Tell us what worked for your company (Spanish) and print out a Certificate of Participation from L&I.
Previous Participants
Company | Company |
---|---|
Adolfson & Peterson Construction | JET Heating and Cooling |
Anderson Roofing, Inc. | John Erwin Remodeling |
ARS/Rescue Rooter | Kingsmen Contracting Inc. |
Artisans Group Inc. | Lake Stevens Sewer District |
Associated General Contractors (AGC) * | Legacy Telecommunications |
At Foam- Spray Foam Insulation | LKE Corporation |
Avalon Bay Construction | Lydig Construction |
BAI Environmental Services | MacArthur Company |
Barber Drywall Inc | Makah Tribe Makah Housing |
Bernal Panting LLC | Market Contractors Ltd |
Big Rock Construction. | Max J. Kuney Construction |
Blue Mountain Electric, Inc. | McBride Construction |
BNBuilders | Merit Construction Northwest |
Bsv Construction | Michels Corporation |
Burke Electric, LLC | MJ Takisaki |
Burnett Painting Company | Moncrieff Construction, Inc. |
BYK Construction | Mono Rooftop Solutions |
Cannon Construction Inc. | Mr Electric of Clark County |
Capstone Homes | NCW Framing |
CH Murphy/ Clark-Ullman Inc.CH Murphy/ Clark-Ullman Inc. | Neil Kelly |
Clark Construction LLC | Nucor Steel Seattle, Inc. |
Columbia River Steel & Construction | Olympia Master Builders |
Compass General Construction/ Compass Construction Management | One Way Construction NW |
Dawson Construction * | OSHA Region X |
Deacon Construction Seattle | Overland Group, LLC |
Dialect Remodeling Inc. | Petra Tile Art Llc |
DKB Inc | Phoenix Industrial |
DLT Washington | Pinnacle Roofing Professionals |
Drainage Systems Cleaning | Ports America and West Coast Terminal and Stevedore Inc |
Elite Construction & Development, LLC | PowerTek Electric |
Employer Resources Northwest | Puget Sound Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) |
Enga Building Services | R Miller Construction Co. |
Exxel Pacific, General Contractors | Red Hawk Fire Protection |
Fall Protection Consulting | Riggins Construction LLC |
Fields Roof Service Inc. | Rush Commercial Construction |
Fuentes Construction. | Ryan Companies |
Fuentes Construction LLC | Signature Safety |
G & D Developing, Inc. | Specialized Testing Services |
Gallardo Construction, LLC | Spilker Masonry |
Garco Construction | Start to Finish Painting Incorporated |
Gillespie Roofing, Inc. | Synergy Welding Inc |
Global Division Inc. | Thompson Bros Excavating |
Gravitec Systems Inc | Tri Pointe Homes |
Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County | University of Washington Environmental and Occupational Health |
Harris Rebar Seattle, Inc. | Vanport Mechanical & Fire Sprinkler |
Harris Rebar-Columbia Basin, Inc. | Vegas Granite |
Hensel Phelps | Veterans NW |
Hermanson | Vital Mechanical Services, Inc |
Hidden Rivers Irrigation & Landscaping | VKPowell Construction, LLC |
High Mark Concrete Contractors | Washington Water Service |
In Time Renovations, LLC | Wildwood Construction |