Reasons For Scaffolding Accident Injuries
The Mattiacci Law Firm has successfully handled many scaffold accident cases. Scaffold accidents happen for a variety of reasons, including unsecured or loose supports or planking, improper assembly, insufficient fall protection, lack of guardrails, or even from objects falling off of scaffolding. Other times, a scaffold may be improperly assembled. Still other times a scaffold may be leased or rented to a user without all necessary safety features, instructions, and warnings.
Regardless of how these scaffold accidents happen, they can be deadly. A Philadelphia scaffold accident attorney can help you navigate your case.
Because they are useful in construction, scaffolds are common fixtures on construction sites. Scaffolding can also a common source of injury and unfortunately, of fatalities. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) of the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 54 construction fatalities in 2009 involving them.
Scaffold safety is incredibly important, and OSHA 1926.451 lays out various requirements for the implementation and use of scaffolding. Each of its components must be strong enough to support, without failure, its own weight and at least four (4) times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it. (See 1926.451(a)(1)). They must also be fully planked and may require handrails.
Falling object protection is also addressed by OSHA, including the requirement that toeboards, screens, guardrail systems, or debris nets are used to catch or to deflect falling objects and debris and to protect workers. Hard hats are also required. (See 1926.451(h)(1)).
John Mattiacci has helped represent clients in these devastating cases, including a multi-million dollar settlement for a client that suffered brain damage from a scaffold fall and a client that suffered severe fractures after a fall from a scaffold without railings. Contact our offices today for a free consultation. You don’t pay until we win!