Some of the most important jobs are also among the most potentially dangerous. Employment in the construction industry, for example, prove year after year to be among the most hazardous of all, with the sector regularly and regrettably topping lists of occupational deaths and severe injuries.
While every bit of danger will never be exorcised from the industry, the fact is that some great strides have been made. In fact, despite the often startling statistics, construction industry workers today are much safer than those of even a couple of decades ago.
For those who regularly work on high-rise construction projects, for example, the increasing ubiquity of capable Fall Protection Products has made an enormous difference. Twenty years ago, falls from beams and scaffolds were far and away the most common reasons for death on the job in the industry, whereas today their share of annual fatalities has declined substantially.
Generally Used in systems of complementary elements, Fall Protection Products center around harnesses, devices that cradle workers securely and reliably. Typically made of tough nylon webbing that can support stresses of thousands of pounds without failing, these harnesses resemble those worn by professional rock climbers and mountaineers.
Workers then clip themselves, using facilities provided on their harnesses, to anchor points and other secure stations at the projects they work on. Typically, this is done with lanyards that are likewise made from high strength nylon, although synthetic materials are sometimes used instead.
In practice, fall prevention systems of this kind are only as good as the processes that ensure their usage. Because of this, most companies focus on instilling good, repeatable habits in their workers, a precaution that can help to ensure that temporary oversights do not turn into tragedies.
The upshot of all of this is that fall accidents are less and less frequent in the industry, an improvement that saves many lives and many more people from serious injury every year. While there is still work to be done in this regard, the industry is finally on a path toward the time when it can truly be said that everything possible is being done to cut down on such dangers.
Visit Fallsafety.com for further details.
