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For Immediate Release

New Bern, NC- According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls from elevations continue to be the No. 1 cause of construction fatalities. To underscore the top priority we have for protecting workers, the Southeastern OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTIEC), led by NC State University and The University of Tennessee, and the NC Field Federal Safety & Health Council will host a Stand-Down for Safety event and demonstration on May 5th, from 1:30PM to 3:30PM at the Hampton Inn, 200 Hotel Drive, New Bern, North Carolina.

Federal OSHA officers will present a fall arrest demonstration, conducted by Capital Safety, illustrating the effective use of a full body harness and lifeline to stop a fall.

The Southeastern OTIEC, as well as safety associations, employers and workers across the country, have been voluntarily participating in Stand-Down initiatives May 2 – May 6, including safety discussions and trainings designed to raise awareness of preventing fall hazards.

This week’s stand-down is part of OSHA and the Department of Labor’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.

With a message that “safety pays and falls cost,” Stand-Down for Safety emphasizes that planning ahead, providing the right equipment and training all employees in proper use of equipment can save lives. The initiative provides employers with lifesaving information and educational materials, such as new low-literacy fact sheets and other publications, and several fall-prevention videos in English and Spanish in an effort to reach workers all over the nation.

In 2015, OSHA’s Stand-Down reached more than 2.5 million workers. This year, the agency’s goal is to reach 5 million workers.

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About the Southeastern OTI Education Center
The Southeastern OTI Education Center serves Region IV. Since our launch in 2008, NC State University and The University of Tennessee have partnered to provide high quality safety education to employers and employees in both the private and public sector with the ultimate goal of reducing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
Media Contact: Teresa Bradford, Director of Marketing, (919) 515-7885 or Teresa_Bradford@ncsu.edu