Last year Philadelphia experienced a tragic building collapse that made headlines because so many lives were lost and so many others were injured. An investigation revealed that faulty demolition processes were responsible for the collapse and it could have been prevented.

Now Philadelphia is yet again seeing tragic construction accidents in the news, this time five in the past month, because of improper fall protection. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants the area’s construction crews to pay attention to these incidents and make sure they are going about the building process safely so no more lives are lost.

Since June 13 of this year five workers have been killed or injured because of improper fall protection, something that can typically be prevented.

In the past year Philadelphia area OSHA inspectors have conducted 129 inspections after worker falls at construction sites. They estimate that falls account for 40 percent of worker fatalities, the leading cause of death in the construction industry.

The administration, together with the Philadelphia Project on Occupational Safety and Health and the City of Philadelphia’s Licenses and Inspections, are trying to raise awareness about fall protection with a project called “Grassroots Injury-Illness Prevention”. The goal is to gather workers, employers, union members and workplace safety supporters in forums to address safety issues on construction sites and work together to understand more about the problem and the solutions. Workers should be able to expect a worksite that is safe and free of hazards.

Employers can protect workers with guardrails, personal fall stop systems with harnesses and lanyards, and even safety nets. OSHA has a site dedicated to fall prevention where employers and workers can learn more about preventing dangerous falls.