Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance Program Highlights Need for Workplace Fall Prevention During National Stand‑Down Week
Falls remain one of the leading causes of death in the construction industry. Nearly 400 of the 1,034 construction fatalities recorded nationally in 2024 were caused by falls from elevation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those 389 deaths were preventable, and the National Safety Stand‑Down aims to raise fall‑hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.
To support the 2026 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance (KOSHS) program at the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) has released a new Hazard Alert on fatal falls in construction.
The National Stand-Down, held this year from May 4-8, encourages employers across the country to pause work and engage employees in conversations about fall hazards, prevention strategies and safety planning. According to the newly released Hazard Alert, the construction industry accounted for nearly half of all fatal workplace falls, slips and trips in the United States in 2023. In Kentucky, 41 construction workers died from falls between 2015 and 2024, representing nearly one-third of all construction-related fatalities during that period.
“Falls are consistently a leading cause of worker deaths in the construction industry in Kentucky and the U.S.,” said Rebecca Honaker, MPH, program director of the KOSHS program. “Falls in the construction industry are largely preventable but continue to happen frequently. In 2024 alone, seven Kentucky construction workers died due to injuries caused by falls.” The Hazard Alert outlines how quickly routine construction tasks can become life-threatening when fall protection is missing, misused or overlooked. Workers in Kentucky have suffered fatal injuries after falls from ladders, roofs, elevated platforms and structural openings. In several cases, fall protection equipment was available but not used or workers were performing tasks that required them to overreach or work near unguarded edges.
Honaker noted that KOSHS workplace fatality investigations frequently reveal similar contributing factors.
“Some of the most common contributing factors we see involve not developing or following safety protocols, improper use of equipment, and lack of safety training,” she said. “We often see cases where steps weren’t taken to identify and address hazards at the jobsite, fall arrest systems weren’t used, floor openings and skylights were left unguarded, and ladders were used unsafely.”
These patterns highlight the importance of planning ahead, choosing the right equipment, and ensuring that workers are trained and supported in using it correctly. The KOSHS Hazard Alert emphasizes several key practices that can significantly reduce fall risks on job sites. Employers are encouraged to conduct a hazard analysis before work begins, identify potential fall hazards, and develop a site-specific rescue plan. The alert stresses the importance of using guardrails or fall arrest systems when working more than 10 feet above a lower level and ensuring that ladders, scaffolds, and fall protection equipment are inspected before each use. Training workers to use equipment properly, and verifying that it is used consistently, remains a critical component of fall prevention.
The document also highlights the need to protect workers from structural hazards such as skylights, holes, and exposed rebar. In many situations, selecting safer equipment, such as scaffolds or aerial lifts instead of ladders, can provide a more stable work platform and reduce the likelihood of a fall.
Honaker said the Hazard Alert is designed to be a practical tool for employers.
“This Hazard Alert provides real examples of fatal construction falls that happened in Kentucky to help educate employers and workers so they can prevent similar incidents from occurring on their jobsites,” she said. “It includes recommendations for employers as well as links to additional educational resources. We hope employers can use this resource during their Stand-Down events or at a toolbox talk.” To help employers plan Stand‑Down events, the Hazard Alert includes links to national fall prevention resources from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction. These materials offer multilingual training tools, fact sheets, and planning guides that can be used during toolbox talks, safety demonstrations, and on‑site training sessions.
“We hope that employers take National Safety Stand‑Down Week as an opportunity to pause and evaluate their own safety practices when it comes to addressing fall hazards, and talk about fall prevention with everyone on their job sites,” Honaker said. By releasing this Hazard Alert during National Safety Stand‑Down Week, KOSHS aims to equip employers, safety professionals, and workers with the information they need to prevent future tragedies and strengthen a culture of safety across Kentucky’s construction industry.
The Hazard Alert on falls prevention can be found on KIPRC’s website here.
KOSHS, a program of KIPRC and the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), conducts surveillance of workplace fatalities and produces toolkits, fatality reports, and Hazard Alerts to support occupational injury prevention across the Commonwealth.
This project is supported by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2.5 million with 100 percent funded by NIOSH/CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by NIOSH/CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.