The U.S. Department of Labor will launch its 12th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction next week, encouraging employers and workers to pause work for safety education amid ongoing concerns about fall-related fatalities.
The nationwide event, scheduled for May 5-9, 2025, aims to address falls – the leading cause of worker deaths in the construction industry. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is asking employers to incorporate “stand-down” activities during the workday, including safety demonstrations, hazard recognition training, and discussions about job-specific risks.
Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling plans to participate in the initiative and will speak at an event held at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland, where multiple construction and renovation projects are currently underway.
To facilitate participation, OSHA will publish a list of free, public events on its website, helping both construction workers and those in other industries find local opportunities to engage with the safety campaign.
Decade of safety education
The National Safety Stand-Down serves as a key component of OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign and was developed in partnership with The Center for Construction Research and Training. This year’s event will run concurrently with Construction Safety Week and its National Safety Stand-Down Initiative.
Since the program’s inception in 2012, the initiative has provided fall prevention training to more than 10 million workers across the country.
Employers interested in learning more about workplace fall prevention can access additional information about OSHA’s national emphasis program through the agency’s website.
