Photo By Leon Roberts | Michael Wilkinson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District’s Construction...... read more read more
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teams around the world are taking time this week to talk about what it means to work at heights, and how to do it safely every time, all in support of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) nationwide Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.
Despite decades of advancements in equipment, training, and regulatory standards, falls remain the leading cause of fatalities in construction. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023 alone, 421 workers lost their lives from falls, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all construction fatalities.
While USACE numbers are significantly lower than the national average, this safety stand-down is an opportunity to reflect on how to plan, prepare, and protect workers from the most common cause of construction fatalities: falls.
Fall prevention is not just about using harnesses or developing checklists, it’s about applying proven practices with the right mindset. Safety begins long before a worker’s foot ever leaves the ground, with proper planning, preparation and ownership at every level.
USACE developed its first safety manual, EM 385-1-1 Safety and Health Requirements Manual in 1941, 30 years before OSHA was created. First designed for contractors, it is now used across USACE, required for any partners and contractors, and even voluntarily adopted by some of the biggest names in the construction and engineering industry.
Constantly evolving and adapting to new occupational safety and health data and trends, EM 385-1-1 is a proactive workplace safety system designed to identify hazards early and establish appropriate controls to prevent injury or death.
The manual’s five-step fall prevention sequence is critical to protecting USACE employees, partners and the mission:
1. Identify Hazards: Systematically examine each work activity to uncover potential fall hazards.
2. Assess Hazards: Evaluate the severity and likelihood of each risk, prioritizing action where needed.
3. Develop Controls: Design feasible, effective controls, prioritizing elimination, fall prevention, and engineered solutions.
4. Implement Controls: Integrate controls into work methods, ensuring certified fall protection equipment is selected, maintained, and ready for use.
5. Evaluate Controls: Continuously verify the effectiveness of controls, adjusting based on feedback, observations, and lessons learned.
But procedures alone don’t prevent falls.
Safety depends on understanding why these steps matter; having the right equipment is only part of the equation.
Workers must know what equipment to use, how to use it correctly, and believe in its purpose. Effective training transforms safety from a checklist into a fundamental part of daily operations. Supervisors and leaders play a key role in building this safety culture--ensuring workers are trained, equipped and supported.
USACE will be launching a new Fall Protection Program later this fiscal year to continue building on this momentum of rapid improvement in safety across our workforce and industry. The initiative will simplify and standardize safe work practices at height with clearer guidance, easier processes, and tools that empower every worker at every site to stay safe and speak up.
Throughout USACE history, we have learned that safety is not just a policy, but a promise to ourselves, our teams, and the Nation. As we commemorate 250 years of USACE, we reaffirm our commitment of safety improvement shaped by real-world lessons that reinforces our ability to deliver success today, drive innovation tomorrow, and uphold the standards that define USACE.
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2025 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 497047 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Planning for Safe Work at Height: USACE Builds on 250 Years of Safety Excellence, by Kathryne Gest, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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