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• How to Avoid Scaffolding Accidents in Kansas City

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Scaffold Safety

Every year some 4,500 workers are injured on scaffolding and with approximately fifty deaths because of those accidents. Kansas City construction workers and business owners need to know the scaffolding safety tips that can keep workers safe and alive.

According to OSHA (Occupational Safety Health Administration) anyone that is going to utilize scaffolding must undergo training by a qualified trainer. More than two million workers use scaffolding in the workplace every year. Understanding scaffolding safety can help to prevent unnecessary injury and death. Minimizing workplace hazards also helps keep the costs of missed workdays and workers compensation claims down. Everyone benefits when safety procedures are properly followed.

To begin with, it is important to understand the dangers that scaffolding presents. People can be injured by falling from the scaffold, that much is obvious. But overloading the weight capacity of the scaffold can cause it to collapse; so can a poorly constructed scaffold that is unstable. Tools and other materials falling from the scaffold pose a risk to those below the scaffolding if the objects are unsecured and fall. Scaffolds placed too close to power lines pose electrocution risks for the workers who ascend them.

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics one quarter of those hurt in scaffolding accidents have never received training. Anyone who works with scaffolding, whether on the ground as an assembler or on top of the apparatus, must be trained to know the causes for most injuries. Training should cover the proper way to set up scaffolding, how to move safely while on the scaffold, and how to utilize safety systems designed to stop persons and objects from falling. Additionally, every worker should know the maximum load the scaffold can handle.

Other safety tips include:

1. Learn to use personal fall-arrest equipment in case of an accident
2. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for load limits; never change safety equipment from its original form
3. Never attempt to make the scaffold higher by adding ladders, boards, or other materials to increase the height
4. Inspect the scaffold carefully prior to every use
5. Follow exact procedures when climbing on or off the scaffold

Scaffolds come in different forms. Most people are familiar with the supported scaffolds that sit on top of a system of poles. Other scaffolds, like the types typically used by window washers on high rose buildings, are suspended by ropes or cables. Suspended scaffold support systems should be inspected constantly. Cleaning and servicing requirements made by the manufacturer should be followed to the letter. Modifications made to the scaffold that are not the maker's intent could cost lives. Never join the platforms of a suspended scaffold unless the scaffold was designed for that use.

Additionally, OSHA requirements state that work crews should be retrained if any of the following is true:

1. Workers show distinct deficits in safety skills on the job
2. New scaffolding equipment is added to the jobsite
3. Changes in working conditions add new dangers

Education and training are key to preventing tragedies. If you have been injured on the job by scaffolding equipment that was not used properly, the Kansas City construction accident lawyers at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys offer a free initial consultation. For more information, call 888-348-2616. Access your free copy of the resource guide How To Avoid Becoming A Work Injury Horror Story for further information.

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Latest News

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Construction Accident

• I'm a Kansas City construction worker who was injured on the job; I heard that I can't sue because of Missouri Worker's Compensation law. Is that true?

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