It is common to see scaffolding erected around new buildings or those getting rehabbed. Remarkably, those metal rods can go up hundreds of feet, enabling workers to do repairs, cleaning, finishing, and other things.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 65% of construction workers in the United States use scaffolding daily, which adds up to millions of workers. It strictly regulates the installation and maintenance of the scaffolding to keep workers safe, and so pedestrians and vehicles passing by are less likely to be injured or damaged. Unfortunately, 510,500 injuries and illnesses occur in the construction industry annually, and 9,750 are related to scaffolds. Scaffolding accidents are still one of the most common causes of construction workers on the job, often causing severe or deadly injuries.
Common causes of injury
These temporary structures do not look safe to the average person, and looks are not deceiving. Common examples of injures caused by scaffolding include:
- Falling through walkway planks
- Workers slip
- The absence of fall protection
- Struck by an object falling from above
- The structure collapses
- Electrocution
While OSHA does regulate the scaffolding use, companies still occasionally improperly install them or do not use them as designed or planned for the project.
The injuries will vary
Catastrophic or deadly injuries can involve head trauma, burns, spinal cord injuries, electrocution. Workers often face a long recovery involving a worker’s compensation claim, perhaps knowing they will never return to work. Families grieving for lost loved ones may also need to take additional legal action with help from an experienced legal professional skilled at handling job site injuries.
If you or a loved one have been injured by scaffolding on a job site, you can receive a free consultation with an attorney at Goldstein, Ballen, O’Rourke & Wildstein, P.C. by calling us at 973-473-1113