In Missouri, falls present one of the biggest risks for workers of all sorts. In fact, they are the third leading cause of unintentional deaths related to injuries. While this statistic includes falls at homes, falls at work still prove a big danger.
But why is this such a big risk? Why do fall incidents continue to happen? Is there any way to cut them down?
Deaths and injuries from falls
The National Safety Council discusses the workplace hazard that falls present. They state that in 2016 alone, 697 workers died in falls to lower levels. 48,060 people suffered from injuries severe enough that they had to take medical leave. 134 workers died in falls that occurred on the same level.
NSC mentions that while construction workers have the biggest risk of fatal falling, falls happen in every industry. Even someone with a desk job can end up involved in a falling incident. In fact, while construction holds the highest number of fatalities, it does not hold the highest overall numbers of injuries.
That goes to government, with 63,350 total injuries occurring in the field due to falls. By comparison, construction suffered from 24,700 injuries. Education and health services has the fewest fatalities, but 18 people still died. Meanwhile, wholesale trade had the fewest number of injuries. They still had 10,250.
Causes of falls
Most if not all fall incidents are preventable occurrences, unfortunately. A workplace could greatly diminish their frequency. They can update safety equipment and follow all safety procedures appropriately. This would take cooperation from both management and other employees, which is tough but not impossible.