Skanska’s 12th Annual Safety Week Urges Workers to Choose ‘Ladders Last’

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Skanska will launch the “Ladders Last” campaign at its job sites this week in an effort to educate its 11,000 U.S. employees to make their job sites and homes safer by choosing alternate ways to work from height other than a ladder. The campaign is the cornerstone of Skanska’s 12th annual Safety Week, May 1-7.

A study published by the CDC shows that ladders are involved in more than 80 percent of construction worker fall injuries across the industry and that falls remain the top cause of fatal incidents in construction. By taking time to properly plan work each day, Skanska hopes that its workers will find ways to use scaffolds, aerial work platforms and other methods to work from height that offer better safety.

Central to Skanska’s Injury-Free Environment philosophy is creating a culture where all incidents are considered preventable and where everyone is empowered to speak up when they perceive unsafe conditions.

This year, hundreds of the company’s project sites in the United States will address ladder use as part of daily Toolbox Talks each day of Safety Week. Additionally, they will participate in site-specific activities that range from training sessions and product demonstrations to workshops designed to increase comradery and communication among workers in the hope of empowering every individual to speak up for safety. Skanska’s office-based employees will also be able to participate in office-specific programs that focus on office wellness and home safety.

The company will also participate in the 3rd annual Construction Industry Safety Week, which it helped establish in 2014. This year, more than 50 partners from across the industry are participating.