Capitol Hill Stands Down for Construction Fall Safety

OSHA and Turner Construction Join Together for Fall Stand-Down in Senate Park

WASHINGTON – Restoration work at the U.S. Capitol Dome has been a prominent feature of the D.C. skyline for more than a year now. Inside an impressive 288-foot vault wrapped by a web of scaffolding, the dome’s workers safely climb in and out every day making repairs to cracks in the iconic structure. In the shadow of this historic project, Turner Construction will stop work to remind those responsible for its completion and the nation why fall prevention is so vital.

On May 6, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health and Administration will be joining Turner in Senate Park for a fall prevention safety stand-down. Deputy Labor Secretary Christopher Lu will deliver remarks alongside the company’s high-level representatives and safety experts.

The leading cause of death in the construction industry, falls take the lives of hundreds of workers and leave thousands more with catastrophic, debilitating injuries each year. At Wednesday’s event at the Capitol, Secretary Lu to reiterate the department’s call on the construction companies nationwide to take part in the National Fall Safety Stand-Down in recognition of these hazards. In 2014, thousands of companies and more than one million workers joined OSHA in a week-long series of events, the largest occupational safety event ever hosted.

Building on last year’s unprecedented participation, OSHA hopes to significantly increase participation by employers and employees in this year’s Stand-Down, a two-week event from May 4-15, 2015.

WHO: U.S. Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Christopher Lu Turner Construction Executives and Safety Experts

WHAT: Safety Stand-Down event to prevent falls in construction

WHERE: Senate Park (Zone 2), United States Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C.

WHEN: May 6, 2015 / 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Join the conversation on Twitter at using #StandDown4Safety and tagging @USDOL.

Contact: Lauren North, 202-693-4655, north.lauren.a@dol.gov
Ann Mangold, 202-693-4679, Mangold.ann.r@dol.gov

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