Worker Safety Pays, Falls Cost: Northwest Arkansas Community College hosts Stand-Down event in Bentonville, Arkansas, May 13

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, with hundreds of workers dying each year and thousands more facing catastrophic, debilitating injuries. Yet, lack of proper fall protection remains the most frequently cited violation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Last year, thousands of companies and more than one million workers across the country joined OSHA in a weeklong Fall Safety Stand-Down, the largest occupational safety event ever hosted. Building on last year's unprecedented participation, OSHA hopes to significantly increase participation by employers and employees in this year's Fall Safety Stand-Down on May 4-15, 2015.

Northwest Arkansas Community College will be a part of this nationwide effort May 13, 2015. More than 100 workers are expected to attend the event in Bentonville. The stand-down is being coordinated through the Little Rock Area Office. It will feature a discussion by Mary Walter, OSHA's compliance assistance specialist in the Little Rock Area Office that will include information about fall prevention, OSHA standards and the National Safety Stand-down campaign. Vendors will be present to demonstrate fall protection equipment and provide training on the use of the equipment.

"Falls cause more than a third of all deaths in the construction industry," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "One fall can cost a worker his or her life and irreparably harm a company. Every person participating in these events is showing their commitment to preventing a senseless loss of life and livelihood."

The Stand-Down event is part of OSHA's ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign, which was started in 2012 and was developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program.

WHO: OSHA's Fall Safety Stand-Down

WHAT: Free event

WHERE: Northwest Arkansas Community College 1 College Drive, Room 2414 in Burns Hall Bentonville, AR 72712

WHEN: 1p.m. to 4p.m. CDT, Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Join the conversation on Twitter by using #StandDown4Safety and tagging @USDOL

Press interested in attending these events should contact Diana Petterson or Juan Rodriguez using the contact information provided below.