If you, like many men and women across Alabama, make your living working at a construction site, you probably rely on scaffolds, or temporary, elevated platforms that allow you to work at heights, to perform certain jobs. While quite common, scaffolds are inherently dangerous, both because of their temporary nature and because of the inevitable dangers that come with working at higher elevations. At The Sapp Law Firm, L.L.C., we recognize that catastrophic injuries often result from scaffolding accidents, and we have helped many state residents who suffered injury while working at construction sites pursue recourse.
Per the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, scaffolding endangers a broad number of today’s professionals, among them construction workers, building erectors and building dismantlers. Because many scaffolding-involved accidents arise because of similar errors and situations, learning where scaffolding-related hazards lie is the first step in minimizing them.
Falls are an obvious possibility for anyone working on scaffolding. They can happen if you simply misstep while working on a scaffold, or if the scaffold collapses underneath you, which can happen due to improper erection or too much weight. You also run the risk of suffering electrocution when working from heights, if you or your crew members raise your platforms too close to power lines.
Working underneath scaffolds also brings with it inherent risks. If the scaffold collapses on top of you, you could suffer a serious or even fatal head, spinal cord or crush injury. You also run the risk of being struck by falling debris, tools or what have you when you work on the ground within close proximity to scaffolds. Find more about workers’ compensation on our web page.
