By Katie Chimelewski, director of safety & certification, ARTBA 

ARTBA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are taking their commitment to safety to the next level with the release of a new training video to help significantly reduce the leading cause of death on project sites.

“Fall Rescue Safety” is the second in a series of “Just in Time” training videos that ARTBA is developing under contract with the agency. The first video, “Avoiding Blind Spots,” provides tips and techniques for training crews on how to avoid standing or working in areas around large trucks and equipment that cannot be seen by the driver.

Falls account for roughly 1,200 fatalities each year on construction projects. The new 8-minute video, produced in partnership with Lane Construction Corporation and the Prince William County (Va.) Department of Fire and Rescue, is designed to raise awareness of the severity of fall hazards in construction and the importance of safety plans and programs to prevent them. It covers topics such as site protection and rescue techniques, creating fall rescue plans, emergency response, and mitigation of suspension trauma.

Bob Alger, chairman of Lane Construction and 2019 ARTBA chairman, said the video “should be standard issue for anyone working from heights on construction projects.” J.R. Glascock, Lane’s director of corporate safety, had a major role in the production.

“I found this training video to be clearly instructive,” said Lieutenant Nick Baskerville of Prince William Fire and Rescue. “It meets all the expectations we would be looking for as first responders.”

The video was produced to coincide with the 7th Annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, scheduled for the week of May 4. While the physical activities around the stand down were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction companies said they will continue to break for toolbox talks, complete equipment inspections, review, update or create fall rescue plans or discuss specific fall hazards on the job.