DES PLAINES, IL (May 18, 2006) – Falling at work is the leading cause of fatal/catastrophic incidents, especially from ladders and roofs. Fatal on-the-job falls increased by 17 percent in 2004 countrywide. To address this issue, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will be host to the International Society for Fall Protection (ISFP) Fall Protection Symposium this June 14-15 in Seattle, WA, in conjunction with ASSE’s annual conference. Both will be held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.
Those attending the Fall Protection Symposium will learn to recognize and understand the key elements of an effective fall protection program, implement an effective fall protection program using a comprehensive management process, apply the most relevant and important lessons learned in fall protection, and to understand the current issues and problems and how they are being addressed by the international fall protection community. ASSE has 30,000 occupational safety, health and environmental practitioner members located worldwide and the ISFP, founded in 1988, has members from 14 countries.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the increase in workplace falls was led by a 39 percent increase in the number of workers who were fatally injured after a fall from a roof (from 128 fatalities in 2003 to 178 in 2004) and a 17 percent increase in the number of fatal falls from ladders (from 114 fatalities in 2003 to 133 in 2004) in the U.S. About 88 percent of the fatal falls from roofs involved construction workers, compared with 54 percent for fatal falls overall.
Fall restraints, fall arrest anchors, design criteria, standards and training will be the leading symposium topics. A recent National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study concluded that more than twice as many workers were injured from non-use or misuse of personal protective equipment than from lack of access to such equipment.
Attendees come from around the globe to attend the ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition (PDC) with more than half being safety directors, managers and engineers. Registration information for the International Fall Protection Symposium and ASSE’s Safety 2006 can be found at www.safety2006.org or by contacting ASSE customer service at 847-699-2929. Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is the largest and oldest professional safety society and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. ASSE has more than 30,000 occupational safety, health and environmental practitioner members who manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor and education. Go to www.asse.org for more information.
