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Protecting Yourself from a Scaffold Accident
Posted on August 07, 2011 by Ronald Todd
Scaffold Accidents Injury and Kill Construction Workers
Over 2.5 million workers use scaffolding for their construction jobs. Each year there are approximately 5,000 injuries and 100 construction fatalities. Scaffolding injuries are usually severe because they involve falls from height. Seventy-five percent of all scaffolding accidents involve:
- Faulty planking
- Faulty scaffolding support
- Faulty or absent fall protection
- Falling objects
Reducing Scaffold Injuries
Scaffolding accidents can be reduced or eliminated when general contractors enforce OSHA regulations under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart L, Scaffolds and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M, Fall Protection. Ten common regulations that general contractors need to enforce at their construction sites are:
- Contractors must have a safety plan to prevent accidents. The safety plan must include frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials and equipment by a competent person (29 CFR 1926.20(b)(1)).
- Construction jobsites must have specific site safety rules for erecting and dismantling scaffolding (29 CFR 1926.219(b)(1)).
- All workers are required to wear personal fall protection attached to an independent lifeline that is secured to a substantial structural portion of the building (29 CFR 1926.451(i)(8)). The lifeline must be adjusted as the work progresses (29 CFR 1926.451(l)(8)).
- Contractors must train workers to recognize and avoid potential construction site hazards while working on scaffolds (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)).
- Contractors must install guardrails on all open sides and ends of the scaffold (29 CFR 1926.451(a)(4)).
- Contractors must provide a positive procedure to ensure that materials do not fall on a worker (29 CFR 1926.5(a)(1)).
- Scaffolds must use tie backs as secondary anchorage on two-point suspension scaffolds (29 CFR 1926.451(i)(4)).
- Ladders or the equivalent must be used to access the different scaffold levels (29 CFR 1926.451(a)(13)).
- Scaffold planking must only consist of scaffold grade lumber or its equivalent (29 CFR 1926.451(a)(1)).
- All scaffolds must be constructed to support at least four times the maximum load (29 CFR 1926.451(a)(7)).
Contact a Construction Accident Attorney at Ronald S. Todd, P.C.
If you have been impacted by a construction accident, you know all too well of the painful realities. Lost work, wages, deteriorated health are all results of dealing with the aftermath.
At the law offices of Ronald S. Todd, P.C., we understand your financial worries. Your financial concerns should never interfere with your family's welfare. As a result, we handle all construction injury cases on a contingency basis. This means that you don't have to pay any attorney fees until you receive the compensation that you deserve.
If you or a loved one has suffered a construction site injury, contact our offices today at (317) 375-7718 or online at www.ronaldtoddlaw.com to talk to a construction injury lawyer for a free case review.
This entry was posted in Construction Accidents, Falls from Height, Ladder & Scaffold Accidents, Construction Fatalities, Construction Injury Attorney, Construction Injury Lawyer, Construction Site Accident Lawyer, Construction Site Hazards, Ronald S. Todd, P.C., Scaffold Accidents, Scaffold Injury
