Injuries sustained while on a scaffold can lead to long-lasting health issues.
While at work, you should always be aware of the dangers of these pieces of equipment and what you can do to help prevent further problems.
Regulations
According to the United States Department of Labor, every rig and site must strictly follow OSHA regulations. If they fail to do so, then the company could be at fault for any injuries that occur. Medical bills and even potential loss of wages from being out of work can impact your life greatly.
Obstacles
The most common occurance of these incidents is when someone walks onto an insufficiently supported plank and trips. Injuries also happen when a tool or piece of equipment falls through and strikes an unexpecting worker.
Due to the risky nature of the trade, accidents can happen suddenly and without warning. Workers should test every rope and rig so you know it holds multiple times its own weight or else you are at risk. Safety measures for scaffolds prevent serious bodily harm, and you should never assume a rig is safe without testing it first.
Prevention
A competent person should always be at the building site for each new scaffold, and a supervisor with the correct credentials must check each one before anyone else uses it. Those in charge should throw away unusable or damaged personal equipment and replace it immediately.
If there is any misuse of equipment or unsupervised building, then workers could easily become hurt. Filing for workers’ compensation may be the next step you should take if you sustain serious injuries while on the job.
