Labor Department Implements “Weekend Work” Initiative

To target one of the construction industry’s most dangerous hazards – falls from elevation – the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a new initiative to conduct safety investigations on weekends in select counties in Colorado’s Front Range, Montana, and South Dakota.

Since 2017, OSHA has investigated 10 fatalities and numerous serious construction-related fall injuries in these areas. In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that falls from elevation led to 351 of the 1,008 deaths among construction worker.

Through the fall of 2022, OSHA area offices in Denver and Englewood; Billings, Montana; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will undertake the “Weekend Work” initiative to open workplace safety and health inspections on weekends in Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson, El Paso, Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Larimer and Weld counties in Colorado; Yellowstone, Carbon and Stillwater counties in Montana; and Minnehaha, Lincoln, Brookings, Pennington and Union counties in South Dakota.

“OSHA’s Weekend Work initiative will identify and address construction-related fall hazards on weekends, when many employers typically do not monitor their job sites well,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous in Denver. “Our proactive approach will identify hazardous worksites, ensure that workers are protected from needless injuries or worse, and help ensure employers provide a safe and healthful workplace.”

OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about hazards and proper safety procedures.