Zero deaths or injuries; that’s Tucker Paving’s goal on every construction site, and it should be yours, too. The first place to start is the prevention of falls on a worksite. This is because falls are the leading cause of death and injury for construction workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2022 there were 1,069 deaths in the construction industry, and 395 of those were the result of a fall from elevation; federal OSHA investigated 228 of those fatalities, and the rest fell under the jurisdiction of state OSHA programs. Similarly, the most frequently violated standard was for fall protection in the same year. While the number of fatal falls has decreased since 2022—with federal OSHA investigating 189 fatalities from falls in 2024 so far—even one death is one too many. In our 30 years in the asphalt and concrete paving industry, we follow these Best Practices on preventing falls.

Best Practices to Prevent Falls

These are the six best ways to prevent falls in the construction industry.

  1. Train Employees in Fall Prevention. Employees must be given training on fall prevention, and these trainings need to be more than required OSHA trainings or onboarding training. Safety trainings should be a regular, normal part of a company’s offerings to employees. Other safety events should also be utilized regularly, such as safety tool talks and participating in safety stand downs 
  2. Utilize the Correct Fall Prevention Equipment. It is an employer’s responsibility to provide employees with the necessary safety equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to perform the job safely. Safety equipment and PPE are not the area where a company should skimp on in an effort to save money; companies must ensure that the fall prevention equipment they provide to employees is the right equipment for the job and is in good working condition at all times.
  3. Conduct Risk Assessments. Companies should not just react to accidents and injuries; they should be proactive in preventing them through assessing jobsites for risk and then creating ways to mitigate the risks, such as safety inspections, daily walk-throughs, and more.
  4. Utilize Trained Workers. A company should never expect a worker to do a job for which they are not trained, such as when another worker is absent. Companies should also train Competent Persons for risk assessments, safety inspections, trainings, and more.
  5. Keep Worksites Neat and Clean. A messy or dirty worksite creates hazards related to slips, trips, and falls and more. Make cleaning and tidying a regular part of every job.
  6. Utilize a Safety Rewards Program. A rewards program that recognizes and rewards employees’ successful safety efforts will get even the most obstinate workers on boards, especially if cash prizes are included. The Tucker Paving team is constantly running a variety of recognition and rewards initiatives for safety in all of our different divisions, and our safety metrics are stellar.

At Tucker Paving, we have three decades in the asphalt and concrete paving industry, and safety has always been our first concern on any worksite. Contact us by calling (863) 299-2262, or use our contact form online, to inquire about your next project!