July 2, 2003—”Don’t Fall For It” is a major European Union campaign aimed at reducing falls from height in construction. The European Commission’s Senior Labour Inspectors’ Committee (SLIC) will carry out the campaign in 2003, supported by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. The campaign features two inspection initiatives, the first in June and then in September. All member states will be participating in the campaign.
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) “Don’t Fall For It” campaign was launched on the first day of a two-week national blitz of construction inspectors visiting sites across the country looking specifically at falls from height risks, and the start of a national advertising campaign. Since the beginning of April 2003, six construction workers have died in Great Britain after falling from height. Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of death, disability, and injury in construction in Great Britain, accounting for almost half of all deaths and nearly a third of major injuries in 2001-02. In the last five years 211 workers have died and 8418 workers have sustained major injuries from falls from height.
The UK “Don’t Fall For It” advertisements ask “Which white van will you be leaving in today?” and show an injured worker who has fallen from height leaving the site in an ambulance. The advertisements have appeared on billboards and in national newspapers and trade publications throughout the month of June. People working in the construction industry interested in finding out more can call 08457 181819 for a “Falls From Height Action Pack” that includes the free Height Safe video and a poster.
