World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 28 April

April 28 is an important date for anyone who works in the field of occupational safety and prevention of occupational risks, as it is celebrated as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

The aim of this day is to increase awareness in society about the importance of working in a safe environment, reducing the number of workplace accidents, and improving the health of workers.

What is the origin of this day?

To discover the origin of this day, we have to go back to 1996, the date on which the International Day of Remembrance of Dead and Injured Workers began to be celebrated, remembering the memory of all the victims of accidents at work and occupational diseases.

From that day and since 2003 the International Labor Organization (ILO) created the April 28 campaign, celebrating the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

In this way, not only the memory of the affected workers is celebrated. We also celebrate that work-related injuries, accidents, diseases, and even deaths from work can and should be prevented.

What is the aim to achieve?

The main objective of the celebration of this day is to promote awareness and preventive culture in companies.

The entire company must participate in this work of awareness and sensitization in the field of occupational risk prevention, from the employer to the workers, since safety and health at work is everyone’s business.

As we have mentioned on other occasions, maintaining health and safety, and controlling the risks to which workers are exposed is still a pending task, since the accident rates in the country continue to rise.

Falls from height in construction.

In Construction Falls from heights are between 8% and 10% of fatal cases of occupational accidents. The ladders they are one of the most dangerous tools. They cause around 5,000 accidents a year.

In 2020, in the Construction sector, the rate of occupational accidents decreased by 14.9%. Fatal accidents decreased by 18% compared to 2019, with 120 deaths in total. It should be noted that in 2020 the sector was paralyzed for a few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If we compare with the data from 2018, the number of deaths increased (+20). In the Industry sector, the rate of occupational accidents in 2020 decreased by 17.9%. However, fatal accidents grew by 21%, with a total of 108 deaths.

(source: Occupational accident report of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security 2020. Statistics on Accidents at Work. ATR 2020 )

Fortunately, the numbers related to the risks that cause accidents or deaths have been considerably reduced if we compare them with those that occurred 15 years ago, the approximate date on which April 28 began to be celebrated as World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

Despite this, there is still work to be done until we get all companies and their workers to be 100% aware of how important it is to implement and make use of all the mandatory and recommended safety measures. The most important goal is for all workers to get home safely after a day’s work.

There is a wide range of solutions on the market.

It is necessary to take into account the evolution of technique and product innovation and that there is a wide range of solutions on the market for carrying out these jobs at height: scaffolding, MEWPs such as electric scissors, one-person and low-height lifting platforms.

The employer must be made aware that these means are safer, even if they are more expensive, and the customer must be made aware of the fact that they can carry out the work with more safety and fewer risks for workers, even if it means a higher cost in the budget.

There is a wide range of solutions on the market, including our Pecolift or Ecolift lifting platform that features an energy storage system that allows for a very light crank action to lift the platform manually.

These machines are available for work at heights up to 5 meters. Weighing 180 and 305 kg respectively, they can withstand material loads of up to 150 kg. They have parts for easy transport. Both options allow workers to lift their tools and some materials and allow for safer, faster and more efficient work.

Liftisa, a company committed to safety in work at height

Studies have shown that it is three times faster to work from a lifting platform for work at height than from a ladder. The lifting platform has no restrictions. Both hands can be used to carry out the work, have all the tools within reach and reduce the risk of falling.

At Liftisa we are experts in lifting. We are specialists in solutions for low-height work.

Since 1989, at Liftisa we have been offering solutions for companies that need to increase safety, productivity and efficiency in work at height.

We differentiate ourselves by our level of service and flexibility. Always oriented to find the best solution for our customers. Innovating and improving our product. We have a Large, new, modern fleet, of lifting platforms for people and material, from the best brands. Specialists in Lifting platforms for low-height work.

For us, safety comes first and we are firmly committed to communicating the Regulations and Training necessary to work at height safely.

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