Injuries that come from a scaffolding accident are roughly the same as the ones that come from typical falls, except their severity is increased due to the elevation.
Workplace injuries are split into a multitude of categories. One of those categories is “slips and falls,” which refers to an accident that involves falling. These types of injuries are very severe and are even more so when that fall comes from a significant height. This is the case when you fall from scaffolding, which can be anywhere from six feet to multiple stories high. It is best to speak with a work injury attorney if you have been injured in a workplace scaffolding accident.
Common Scaffolding Injuries
Injuries that come from scaffolding are roughly the same as the ones that come from typical falls, except their severity is increased due to the elevation. Five common scaffolding injuries are traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, fractures, and organ damage. As you can see, scaffolding accidents have dire consequences. It is the responsibility of each worker to do their part to minimize risks.
Causes
Many factors go into a scaffolding fall. Some of them include poorly built structure, tripping, weather, overload, objects falling from above, lack of fall protection, and defective parts in the structure.
Safety Tips
Though these accidents are sometimes unavoidable, following simple safety tips will significantly decrease your chances of injury.
Walk Carefully – Resist the urge to multitask and let yourself be distracted. Walking carefully will allow you to avoid tripping and falling.
Inspect the Structure – Though you might not be a scaffolding expert, you probably have some idea of when it looks right and wrong in a structure. If you notice something that looks unsafe, speak up and tell your supervisor.
Mind the Weather – Try to avoid working on scaffolding when the weather is poor. Rain, snow, wind, or excessive heat will all increase your odds of falling.
Install Fall Protection – There are a variety of fall protection tools that workers can use to keep themselves safe. Two of the most common are nets to break the fall and ropes to ensure that you do not fall too far.
Personal Injury vs. Workers’ Compensation
The purpose of the workers’ compensation system is to replace the personal injury system for workplace injuries. There are many differences between them, but the two biggest are that in a workers’ compensation case nobody is deemed at fault and compensation has an upper limit. In a personal injury case, one party is found at fault and compensation has no limit currently (in the State of Missouri). If you are injured on scaffolding at work, you will generally file a workers’ compensation case. The only reason you wouldn’t is if your employer was severely negligent in their effort to keep you safe.
If you have been injured on the job it is important to discuss your case with an experienced attorney to ensure that your legal right to workers comp is protected right from the start of your claim. Give us a call 24/7 at (816) 399-3706 for a FREE case evaluation.
1 thought on “Getting Workers Compensation for Scaffolding Accidents”