Terex Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) is participating in OSHA’s National Fall Prevention Stand-Down, May 2-6, by offering free Genie marketing safety kits to support safety awareness and training initiatives in the aerial access industry.
The Genie kits help employers talk directly to employees about safety, focusing on coming changes in ANSI and CSA compliance and reinforcing the importance of standardized training in operation, inspection, and maintenance. The purpose of the National Fall Prevention Stand-Down is to raise awareness of work-at-height best practices in construction.
“The number one priority on any aerial jobsite should be to promote a safe workplace for both the operators and the people around them,” said Karen Stash, Genie senior director of global product management and marketing, Terex AWP.
“One of the biggest challenges in the aerial industry is increasing awareness about why safety is so important, especially as the standards change. Genie has achieved its five-decade legacy of ‘Building the Future’ through industry leadership, and driving safety awareness in the aerial industry has been —and always will be — a primary goal at Genie," said Stash. "We are pleased to offer these safety kits to support our rental customers’ safety and training initiatives."
Stash added that the kits are designed to help customers better understand the variety of training tools available from Genie.
The kits include informational pieces, such as one poster depicting 10 Safe Operating Tips for Telehandlers, and another highlighting the changes coming in 2017 to the ANSI and CSA standards. The pieces in the Genie safety kits will help rental store owners prepare for changes that will update industry responsibilities for safe use and training.
The Genie safety kits also contain tools to help employers and employees comply with industry standards for training and safe use of aerial equipment, including Genie Lift Pro training cards — five for AWP and five for telehandlers — with five additional enrollment codes for free online operating training and a Genie Tech Pro online training card for inspection and maintenance. The kit also contains items employers can use to remind employees of their commitment to safety: Genie Lift Pro window clings, Genie operator protective accessories brochures, product catalogs, and Genie 50th Anniversary hard hat stickers.
“Not only is safety at the core of the Genie culture,” adds Stash, “we also want to elevate our customers’ safety awareness about the proper use of aerial equipment on the jobsite. We developed these safety kits to go directly onto aerial jobsites and be used in the field, helping our rental customers emphasize to their customers the different ways aerials and telehandlers can be operated in a more mindful and safe manner.”
According to OSHA, fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for 337 of the 874 construction fatalities recorded in 2014 (BLS preliminary data). Fall prevention safety standards were among the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards, during the 2014 fiscal year. OSHA notes that the 2015 Stand-Down was a tremendous success, reaching more than 2.5 million workers. This year, the agency’s goal is to reach 5 million workers — meeting this goal means that OSHA will have touched more than half of the construction workers in the country. The agency is encouraging everyone to share Stand-Down stories on social media with the hashtag: #StandDown4Safety.
The free Genie safety kits are available to the first 200 requests. To ask for one, email AWP.Marketing@terex.com with your name, phone and mailing address.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
