By Billie-Marie Morrison, Esq.
When working at heights, there are many dangers that workers may face. According to OSHA and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 5,000 workers are injured each year. With the increasing number of buildings in Clark County, we’ve seen more than our share of unnecessary injuries and deaths.
Providing construction workers with the proper scaffolding safety training is the best way to prevent scaffolding accidents. Experts in the construction industry recommend:
Ensuring that all workers and persons on the construction site are familiar with their equipment prior to commencing work on a scaffold;
Provide all workers with the necessary protective equipment to prevent slips, falls, and balance failures. This is especially important to employees working on scaffolding with no guardrails;
All workers and persons on the construction site should be educated about all potential dangers, like removing coping stones or other types of stones used to cap freestanding walls; overhead electrical wires; planks slipping or breaking; rolling scaffolds; overloading platforms; climbing on scaffolding;
Ensure parapet walls adjacent to demolition work are stable and how to properly secure all tarps and temporary weather protection near any scaffolding; and
How to use, assemble, dismantle, repair, maintain, move, and inspect scaffolds, amongst many other preventive injury training.
Other safety concerns while working on scaffolds include falling from the scaffold, being struck by falling objects, electrical hazards, scaffolding collapses, and working under or around scaffolding.
OSHA provides detailed guidance on how to construct platforms, along with safety measures to ensure a safe construction site:
The type of planking to be used – wood, metal, fabricated planks;
The condition of the wood and the type of wood to be used for wooden planks;
Lumber grading requirements;
The spacing between planks;
How the planks should be laid to form a strong platform;
The allowable spans – meaning the distance allowed between supports;
The allowable deflection – meaning the bend of the work platform;
The gaps between supports and planks;
How to restrain scaffolding with guy wires, ties, and braces;
The width and length of platforms;
The types of finishes to be used on wood platforms;
Proper designing and building scaffolds;
Proper use and dismantling of scaffolds;
Knowing the load capacity for both the suspension and supported scaffolds; and
The compatibility of components used in scaffolding, amongst many other things.
Proper education is the first element in preventing scaffold injuries. All employers who work on or around scaffolding should be properly trained in the classroom and on the job site.
If you or someone you know was injured as a result of any type of defect or negligence due to scaffolding, please call or email Billie-Marie for a free consultation at 702-380-2800 or bmorrison@cpklaw.com.
