Chicago Employers & May 2025 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls
“Fall” is such a small word for such a big and deadly danger. OSHA warns us that “…falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees…,” with 39% of construction work deaths being caused by falls in 2023. And this statistic involves only workers who fell to a lower level (think falling off a scaffold or a ladder). Slip and fall or trip and fall injuries on a construction site are also a great risk facing workers on any project.
A fall accident can kill a construction worker in an instant. This reality is particularly important to recognize here in Chicagoland because of the huge number and variety of road work zones involved in Project Rebuild Illinois.
For more, read: Protecting Workers in Chicago Road Work Construction Zones: Traffic Safety; Chicago Road Construction Work Zones: Unique Danger of Struck-by And Caught-Between Accidents; and Dangerous Combination in Chicago: Semi-Truck Traffic and Road Construction Work Zone.
This Week is 2025 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls
Illinois’ internationally renowned safety organization, the National Safety Council (NSC), joins the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other prominent partners, such as the U.S. Air Force; the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP); the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR); and the National Construction Safety Executives (NCSE), in the 15th annual national safety campaign devoted to raising public awareness of fall construction dangers.
From NSC President and CEO Lorraine Martin:
“The National Safety Stand-Down reminds us that every fall is preventable and every worker deserves to go home safely. We urge all employers, regardless of size or industry, to join this important event and reinforce a culture where safety is a value held by all.”
Employers Are the Focus of the Safety Stand-Down
OSHA defines a “Safety Stand-Down” as a “voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety.” The key topics here are the hazards and how to prevent accidents involving any type of fall on that particular worksite.
From the perspective of advocates of worker victims and their loved ones, this is a vital and needed focus to try and help those with legal responsibility for worker safety and care heed the great respect they need to have (and all too often fail to have) regarding keeping people safe on the job.
As OSHA points out, program participants have included not only construction companies, but members of general industry; unions; trade groups; and equipment manufacturers. Of note, OSHA pointedly includes here “…highway construction companies,…” This is good to see, and it is hoped that most local highway construction employers will be involved in this week’s Safety Stand-Down.
Road construction work zones, like those active worksites all over Illinois, come with special risks of fall injuries for those working on the repair, maintenance, demolition, or construction of bridges, tunnels, interchanges, exchanges, and more throughout the state.
Special Fall Dangers Facing Road Construction Workers
Road construction work, especially here in the Chicago metro area, is complicated. It is much more than some may assume: there is so much more involved than a simple asphalt repair of potholes in a street.
Road construction workers face special risks of harm from falls because of the unique types of tasks and variety of projects involved in highway construction or road work zones.
For instance, the “swing fall” is a special kind of work hazard involved in bridge construction. Also known as a “pendulum fall,” it happens when the worker’s personal fall arrest system (PFAS) is not kept directly above the worker’s head and the worker swings – sometimes at great speed or force. The American Road & Transportation Builders’ Association explains that “…a swing fall can generate a lot of horizontal impact force. A worker in a swing fall can easily reach 20+ miles per hour in the horizontal direction…. A face, shoulder, arm, or back smashing into equipment or a structural member will cause serious harm or death for a worker.”
Other fall dangers facing road construction workers include:
1. Falls involving Heavy Equipment or Work Trucks on the Road Work Site
Road workers can fall while working with, or near, things like excavators, pavers, and work trucks (think big dump trucks, for instance). The operator can fall while getting into or out of the vehicle or equipment. Other workers risk fall injuries from uneven terrain in the area, as well as falling from heights off the vehicle or equipment. Excavation work also means trenches are being made, or filled, with an obvious increased danger of fall accidents.
2. Falls Caused by Work Zone Traffic
Road workers can be hurt in slip and fall or trip and fall accidents when they are trying to avoid being hit by traffic in the work zone (think of the dangers flaggers face) or from being distracted by traffic while on the job.
3. Falls During Night Work
Highway construction may happen after daylight hours in Chicagoland, where less traffic is an advantage. However, avoiding peak-hours like this also means that the road workers are not able to see as clearly as in bright daylight. There is an increased risk of fall accidents of all kinds, from falling into trenches; tripping over hazards; or slipping on a ladder.
4. Falls From Road Obstructions
Road workers have to do their jobs alongside all sorts of special obstructions and hurdles. Things designed for safety, like concrete barriers, guiderails, barricades, or railings, may need to be jumped in order to get things done. However, climbing over any of these obstructions comes with the risk of a serious fall injury.
5. Falls From Elevated Work Areas
Road workers may have to work at heights (think the swing fall risk above) when the project involves a bridge, an overpass, or any kind of road elevation. They are at risk of a serious fall accident here; so much so, that there are specific regulations (e.g., 1926.501(b)(1)) mandating things like safety nets; PFAS, and rail systems to protect against these fall injuries.
6. Falls Involving Steel or Concrete Work
Road work is different from other kinds of construction projects in many ways, including the use of steel or concrete for many of the workers. Bridges, for instance, may need reinforcing steel or formwork. Concrete sections will be a part of various structures, like overpasses. These will require working from heights and road workers will be in danger of fatal falls. Protections include things like positioning device systems, rail systems, and more. See, 1926.501(b)(5); 1926.501(b)(12).
Road Worker Construction Fall Injuries
Fall accidents on any road construction worksite can result in a wide range of bodily injuries, where the worker may suffer for weeks, months, a lifetime or may die as a result of the accident.
Fall accidents in road construction may cause things like:
- fractures
- internal organ trauma and damage
- nervous system damage
- spinal cord injury
- traumatic amputation
- traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- wrongful death.
For more on these kinds of injuries, read: Work-Related Traumatic Brain Injury (WR-TBI) Dangers Facing Industrial Workers in Illinois and Indiana; Internal Injuries After an Accident Can Be Silent and Deadly; and Traumatic Amputations in Industrial Accidents.
Any road construction accident involving a fall must be given proper respect and must be investigated to determine the reasons for it happening. Breaches of safety and care may be discovered among several different companies or individuals, including the manufacturers of safety gear as well as heavy equipment, or those in control of aspects of the work environment who failed to provide proper lighting during night work, or adequate protection from traffic or equipment.
Read: Chicago Road Construction Worker Accidents: List of Third Parties Potentially Liable for On-the-Job Injuries; Engineers, Architects: Professional Liability for a Road Construction Work Zone Accident; and Construction Accident Expert Witnesses in Work Accident Claims.
This week’s annual Safety Stand-Down campaign is extremely important to all road construction workers, but especially those in the Chicago metro area. All those employers and companies participating this week are to be commended for their dedication to keeping people safe on the job.
Road construction falls can be catastrophic or fatal. The May 2025 Safety Stand-Down is a welcomed event for all those concerned about protecting road workers from the recognized high risk of construction site fall accidents. Please be careful out there!
