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Why Construction Scaffolding Accidents Happen and How to Prevent Them

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), more than 70 percent of construction scaffolding accidents can be prevented by compliance with OSHA standards. In 2007, eighty-eight people lost their lives and thousands more were injured in scaffolding accidents in the United States. Many of these injuries were caused by New York and New Jersey scaffolding accidents that could have been prevented. The most common causes of scaffolding injuries are falling from scaffolding, scaffolding collapses, and being struck by an object that falls from a scaffold.

Falls from Scaffolding Injuries
The three types of scaffolding-aerial lifts, supported scaffolding, and suspended scaffolding-are meant to provide a construction worker with a safe place to work high above the ground. When proper safety measures (as defined by OSHA) are not in place, then a worker can fall from his or her elevated workplace and suffer significant injuries or death. OSHA recommends that guard rails and fall-arrest systems be used to prevent catastrophic falls from scaffolding.

Scaffolding Collapse Injuries
When scaffolding collapses construction workers have little chance of preventing serious injuries as they tumble through the air to the ground below. The collapse of scaffolding can be prevented with proper scaffolding construction, by not overloading the scaffolding with people or equipment, by requiring workers to use a fall-arrest system, and by having a trained person conduct regular safety checks of the scaffold.

Injuries Caused by Being Struck by an Object
Scaffolding accidents threaten not only the people on the scaffold but also people on the ground. If a tool or piece of debris falls from the scaffold and hits someone on the ground it can cause serious, even fatal injuries. The area on the ground below the scaffold should be barricaded so that people do not have access to that area while construction workers are on the scaffold. Additionally, a canopy or net can be installed to catch falling objects before they hit the ground.

Recovering Damages if You've Been Hurt in a Scaffolding Accident
If you've already suffered an injury from a New Jersey or New York scaffold accident then understanding prevention is important to understanding why your accident happened and helping you collect damages so that you can make a full recovery.

The New Jersey and New York construction accident lawyers of Hofmann & Schweitzer can help you recover the damages to which you are entitled pursuant to state law, including New York Labor Law 240, also known as the Scaffold Law. Damages may include compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call Hofmann & Schweitzer today at 1-800-362-9329 for more information.


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