Over 40 deaths occurred in Michigan workplaces last year, the highest number in a decade.
The state has launched a new campaign to try and save lives.
Bart Pickelman is the Director of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
He helped launch the “Stop Falls, Save Lives”campaign.
“Plan ahead to get the job done safely. You know when you're working from heights like ladders, scaffolds or roofs employers must plan those work activities to be done in a safe manner, begin deciding how the job will be done and what safety equipment and training is needed to do that.”
21 out of the 43 Michigan workplace deaths were a result of falls in either construction or tree trimming jobs.
“We see a lot of these falls in construction are roofers and laborers, and so we are anticipating inspecting over 500 construction job sites this year as part of this campaign.”
Pickelman said OSHA has already inspected 17 tree trimming operations this year and plans to visit 500 construction sites in 2017.
Governor Snyder has declared May as Workplace Falls Awareness Month.