Abstract

Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, and fall protection was the immediate response to many fatalities on job sites. It has received attention from legislators and government agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This paper examines several fall protection systems, the history of OSHA’s standards and regulations related to fall protection, define some fall protection systems proven efficacy in decreasing fatalities of the workers in the construction industry, discuss some misconception about the protection system, and finally how to optimize safety within the context of the engineering, and human factors. Further, the methodology to engage is comparing fall fatalities in the U.S. and the State of Michigan in the construction industry and all combined industries as well, based on data from the bureau of labor statistics. the information was categorized according to their types of industry. The paper compares fall fatalities in the construction industry and all combined industries. The third level of the research profiles MIFACE investigation reports of only the construction industry according to; age, type of exposure, causes, circumstances, and observation of the OSHA’s inspectors. The research provides recommendations for the safety protection systems that improve safety in the construction industry.

Keywords:Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); Fall Protection Systems (FPS); the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (MIFACE)