The Occupational Safety and Health Administration extends for three months its temporary enforcement measures in residential construction through December 15, 2012, which includes priority free on-site compliance assistance, penalty reductions, extended abatement dates, measures to ensure consistency, and increased outreach.

Fatalities from falls are the number one cause of workplace death in construction, OSHA says, and the agency has been working closely with the residential construction industry to assist employers in complying with the new directive. Since October 1, 2011, OSHA's On-site Consultation Projects performed more than 2,500 on-site visits, conducted 925 training sessions, and delivered 438 presentations related to fall protection in residential construction, the agency says. OSHA's regional and area offices also conducted more than 800 outreach activities on the directive. OSHA offers a variety of educational and training materials to assist employers with compliance, which are available on the Web pages for residential construction and the Fall Prevention Campaign.