Workplace falls, while among the most common causes of serious job-related injuries and deaths, also rank among the most preventable.  

On May 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Small Business Safety and Health Center at the Gulf Coast Safety Institute will host a free lunch and learn for small business owners and managers. The workshop will outline how construction and industry workplaces can implement a successful fall-prevention campaign.

The three-step model – plan, provide and train – can make a life-saving difference in workplaces with inherent hazards from scaffolding, equipment or holes in the floor.

Ron Sokol, certified safety professional, will be the guest speaker. The president and CEO of the Safety Council of Texas City, Sokol has been in the safety industry for more than 30 years and the leader of SCTC for over 20 years. Sokol previously worked for 10 years with Bechtel Corp. on various projects in the U.S. and abroad.

The Small Business Safety and Health Center is one of the four centers of the Gulf Coast Safety Institute of College of the Mainland. It focuses on providing the resources that small business owners, managers and supervisors need to succeed.

Lunch is included for those who RSVP by May 19 to Guinn Sharpe at gsharpe@com.edu or at 409-933-8338. “Fall Prevention at Work” will be held at Room 112 of the Gulf Coast Safety Institute, 320 Delany Rd. in La Marque.

The Gulf Coast Safety Institute is located at College of the Mainland. Established in 2007, the institute focuses on providing safety and health education, training and outreach. For more information on the institute, contact Cindy Lewis at 409-933-8495 orclewis1@com.edu, or visit www.com.edu/gcsi.