3M and Kraus-Anderson team up to curb fall-related deaths in construction

OSHA announces nationwide Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction, which account for more than a third of all deaths in the industry

To help build awareness of fall hazards in the construction industry, 3M and Kraus-Anderson® Construction Company are participating in the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety Stand-Down June 2-6, 2014. The Stand-Down is a nationwide event for construction companies to take a short break in their workday to educate workers about the importance of fall protection and prevention in the construction industry, which has historically seen high numbers of fall-related fatalities.

“Falls were the leading cause of death in the construction industry and the most frequently cited OSHA standard in 2013,” said Chris Dujovski, Construction Segment Lead, 3M. “With more than 40 years of safety leadership, we are encouraging construction companies to use the OSHA Safety Stand-Down as an opportunity to discuss fall prevention strategies and provide additional training to workers on using their fall protection equipment. 3M understands that companies value their workers’ safety. Leveraging the Stand-Down is another opportunity to remind their workforce about the proper use of harnesses, lanyards, lifelines and other rescue devices to ensure a safe work environment.”

Kraus-Anderson, one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers, is holding a Stand-Down on June 3 at 12:30 p.m. on the 3M campus near the corner of McKnight Road and Conway Avenue in Maplewood, Minnesota. The construction site is the future home of 3M’s 400,000-square-foot R&D lab. The building will house 700 scientists and researchers in the electrical and energy, safety and graphics and industrial departments.

“Safety is our top priority,” said Jake Leoni, Project Site Safety Coordinator, Kraus-Anderson. “We maintain and enforce a vigorous, proactive safety program, which has resulted in a safety record in the top 25 percent in the construction industry and 75,000 hours accident free on the 3M R&D building. As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, we look forward to participating in OSHA’s Stand-Down and providing our workers with another opportunity to ask questions about fall protection.”

“We’re very excited to participate in the Stand-Down event with Kraus-Anderson on the 3M campus,” added Andy Smoka, Minnesota OSHA. “It will encourage an open discussion between safety managers and employees about the methodologies and equipment that can be deployed to reduce fall-related risks in the construction industry and potentially save lives.”

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $31 billion in sales, 3M employs 89,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

About 3M Personal Safety Division

3M offers a comprehensive, diverse portfolio of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) solutions providing respiratory protection, hearing protection, fall protection, reflective materials for high-visibility apparel, protective clothing, protective eyewear, head and face protection, welding helmets, and other adjacent products and solutions such as tactical safety equipment, detection, monitoring equipment, active communications equipment and compliance management. Visit www.3M.com/PPESafety or http://m.3m.com/PPESafety.