May 6-10 was National Construction Safety Week and OSHA’s National Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. Fatalities caused by falls from elevations continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees. These stand down events served to remind workers of how to prevent falls, as well as raise awareness about the value of safety culture in construction.
GBCA’s Director of Safety Services Frank Durso visited several member Stand Downs during the week, and many other GBCA members also held stand down events. Some of the GBCA members that held stand down events included the following:
- B. Pietrini & Sons, Inc.
- Geppert Bros., Inc.
- Gilbane Building Company
- INTECH Construction
- Madison Concrete Construction
- PULLMAN SST
- Shoemaker Construction Co.
- The Safety Group/NextWave Safety
- Turner Construction Company
Read about the Safety Stand Down Events below:
B. Pietrini & Sons, Inc.
B. Pietrini & Sons Site Safety Manager Jamison Fazzi conducted Fall Prevention training with Filigree Precast Construction at the Riverwalk job site (at 23rd & Arch Streets) on Monday, May 6, 2019. In addition to a fall protection demonstration, the stand down included a toolbox talk.
Geppert Bros., Inc.
Geppert Bros., Inc. held Safety Stand Downs in support of OSHA’s National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction on May 8 and 10, 2019. These events included Toolbox Talks and discussions about preventing fall hazards on the job sites, such as the former Subaru Headquarters site, where Geppert Bros., Inc. is performing the demolition.
Gilbane Building Company
Gilbane Building Company has conducted safety stand downs every week this year on every job in the Mid-Atlantic Region in an effort to keep our subcontractors focused on going home to their families the same way they came in to work, incident and injury free. Gilbane held Safety Stand Downs on May 8 and May 10, 2019 at Live! Casino and Hotel Project in Philadelphia, conducted by Senior Project Safety Manager Dan Plefka and Safety Director Mark Wieder, respectively.
INTECH Construction
INTECH Construction proudly participated in the 2019 National Safety Stand Down to prevent falls in construction. Stand Downs were held on May 7 at the Sora West site in Conshohocken, and on May 9 at the New College House West site at the University of Pennsylvania. These events helped remind workers that statistics are people—colleagues and friends. Safety brings together tradesmen, company executives, project managers, foremen, safety professionals, industry organizations, and OSHA to discuss common goals & trends. Finally, trade unions help ensure fair and safe work conditions by providing world class training in occupational safety and health.
Madison Concrete Construction
Madison Concrete Construction arranged a Fall Protection Stand Down at the 3720 Chestnut Street job site on May 8, 2019. The stand down included a fall protection equipment demonstration.
PULLMAN SST
Pullman SST, A Structural Technologies Company, held a safety event as part of Safety Week in its head offices. The stand down included presentations, a harness inspection station, and a mobile phone video game which gave a quick quiz to attendees with the top 5 scorers receiving prizes.
Shoemaker Construction Co.
Shoemaker Construction Co. held a Fall Protection Stand Down at Fashion District Philadelphia on May 8, 2019. Damon Walker, Safety Manager, focused on ladder safety, as much of the project now involves work from ladders.
The Safety Group LTD/NextWave Safety
The Safety Group LTD, with NextWave Safety, held a Falls Stand Down event, featuring speakers and demonstrations from Med-Tex Services, GBCA, MSA Safety, and United Rentals. Speakers also included NextWave Safety CEO Lorenzo Gallo, OSHA Representative Nicholas DeJesse, Numa St. Louis, and Rosalie Hetrick, whose husband Tom Hetrick was killed in a site accident. Max Devenney conducted a demonstration on aerial lifts, fall trauma, and fall rescue.
Turner Construction Company
Work was suspended on 1,500 Turner jobsites around the world on May 6, for Turner’s 15th annual Safety Stand-Down. With more than 100,000 colleagues, trade partners, and clients participating, this year’s Stand-Down, themed “All In,” was the largest in Turner’s history. The Stand-Down leads off Safety Week activities in which we are holding daily toolbox talks focused on empowerment and safety topics, such as proper pre-planning, wellness and physical preparedness, and fall protection. “The topics were specifically chosen because they have a great impact on the safety and health of everyone on the projects every day,” said Cindy DePrater, senior vice president, chief environmental health & safety officer. The Philadelphia Office held several stand downs, included one at the Entercomm fit-out project at 2400 Market Street.
