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BACKGROUND: The use of digital storytelling as a fatality prevention tool has been previously demonstrated by FACE (Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation) programs in California, Michigan, and West Virginia. This Washington State FACE digital story tells the surprising story of a seasoned carpet installer who fell four stories to his death while unloading carpet rolls from an elevated wooden box through an unguarded window. The story aligns with the current national Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction by highlighting the lesser known fall risks for construction trades like carpet installers. While falls are the number one cause of death in the construction industry, they are less frequent among carpet installers compared to other construction trades. The employer in this story reported that he and the victim did not fully recognize fall hazards or the need for fall protection measures, and in his opinion, fall hazards are under-recognized by the carpet installation trade. In addition, the employer explained that working on a large, multi-employer worksite made it unclear who was responsible for managing safety hazards. Like this employer, carpet installers are often very small businesses having minimal safety personnel and/or resources and therefore may experience more barriers to implementation of safe practices.
METHODS: FACE researchers collaborated with the employer, family members, and industry stakeholders to produce a concise, impactful video informed by industry-specific knowledge and experience. Recorded interviews with the victim’s employer and family members are used to bring real-life significance and emotion to viewers. In addition, a range of incident-specific fall prevention strategies, including prevention through design (PtD), are presented. Images, audio, and video were edited using Adobe Creative Suite to produce a web-ready video.
RESULTS: The 4-minute digital story serves as a simple but powerful tool for both educating and spreading awareness about fall prevention in the construction industry. Audiences that may benefit from viewing the video include contractors and subcontractors and their employees, engineers and architects, health and safety professionals, and policymakers.
CONCLUSIONS: The digital story will be disseminated to a wide audience through the Washington State FACE construction email alert list, the Department of Labor and Industries’ video library, the SHARP (Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention) website, and other avenues generated with industry stakeholders. The impact of this video will be evaluated using an online survey, and additional feedback may be collected through focus groups engaging the carpet installation trade.