Construction Fall And Scaffolding Accidents

The principal cause of death in the construction industry in the United States is falling. This is a category which includes scaffolding accidents. A fall or a scaffolding accident should not be a constant fear for every construction worker.

Hazardous scaffolding is a primary cause for lawsuits by construction workers and their families, who are pursuing compensation for the death or personal injury of the construction worker. There are particular laws and rules that are applied when worker’s compensation benefit laws are involved.

Our highly experienced lawyers seek to assist individuals harmed or injured in a scaffolding or construction fall accident to regain lost compensation and investigate the responsible parties.

Scaffolding Accidents

Construction work can be unsafe. Scaffolding increases that danger level as some work is performed high above the ground. It is estimated that roughly 10,000 of the 500,000 accidents that are reported on construction sites annually are scaffolding accidents. Scaffolding is essential to many construction projects. It allows construction workers to build some of the monumental structures that are seen today.

As a matter of fact, studies even suggest that roughly 65 percent of the construction industry involves scaffolding. Therefore, there are approximately 2.3 million construction workers who are at risk of sustaining injuries in a scaffolding accident. There are many factors involved when determining the cause of a scaffolding accident. However, many scaffolding accidents are simply caused by a lack of maintenance or shoddy construction of the scaffolding.

Although OHSA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) have stringent rules on the appropriate assembly and operation of a scaffold, in many situations the scaffolding still does not meet the OHSA standards. Various construction businesses and laborers often assume some pins as irrelevant or just too costly, and this can result in a hazardous scaffold.

Some of the most commonly-defied OHSA rules on scaffolds are:

A scaffold is required to be able to support at least four times the maximum expected weight.

The scaffold anchorage should be solid and should never be supported by unstable objects such as barrels or boxes.

All planking, platforms or scaffolds shall be overlapped by 12 inches at least possible

No more than 6 to 18 inches should a scaffold plank extend the end support.

In the event of overhead work, overhead protection should be provided to workers.

Hazardous amounts of debris, tools or materials should not be allowed to collect on a scaffold.

Scaffold Falls

As reported by recent studies, roughly 72% of injuries associated with scaffolding accidents correlated the incident with an injury to the worker in the way of a fall, struck by a falling object, support breakage or planking. Some of the most typical causes of a scaffold accident include:

  • Faulty scaffolding
  • Inadequately assembled scaffolding
  • Negligent maintenance of scaffolding
  • Falling objects
  • Failure or poor use of safety equipment
  • Contact with power lines of the scaffold

Scaffold falls often cause severe injuries or even death. Although most scaffolds are roughly from 12 feet or less, studies show that any fall from 8 to 12 feet can lead to a head or spinal injury. Below are some of the most common injuries from a scaffold fall:

  • Neck and head injuries
  • Back or spinal injuries
  • Broken or fractured bones
  • Internal trauma
  • Paraplegia (permanent disability)
  • Death

Construction Worker Falls

Construction sites are often considered one of the most deadly places of work with falls being the principal cause of death and injury in the United States. This is particularly the case for construction workers who are required to work on ladders, scaffolds, bridges or any overhead areas where there is a high risk of falling.

Construction Fall Accidents

According to a 2010 OHSA report, approximately one in five fatal work injuries in the United States occurred in the construction industry. Falls was listed as one of the top “fatal fours.”

Further studies show that approximately 35% of construction worker deaths annually are due to falls. Some of the most common types of falls include:

  • Slips and trip
  • Falls from a ladder or scaffold
  • Falls from a partially complete building

Fall Injuries

The devastating injuries caused by a fall are most commonly due to cluttered working surfaces, unguarded edges, poorly positioned ladders or floor holes.

Some of the most common fall injuries ranging from minor to fatal include:

  • Bruising
  • Cuts or Lacerations
  • Broken, fractured or crushed bones
  • Spinal injury including severed spinal cords
  • Head Trauma
  • Paralysis including quadriplegia or paraplegia

Scaffolding Accident and Falls Lawyer

Seeing as the laws applied in worker’s compensation benefits confine the financial recoveries of employees injured, our highly qualified lawyers are devoted to ensuring that you receive the compensation that you deserve when injured in a scaffolding accident or through a fall.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a scaffolding accident or through a construction fall, contact our investigating lawyers now for a free case evaluation.