Most workers face multiple professional challenges during their careers. The most common yet dangerous among the challenges is an accident. For construction workers, scaffolding accidents are common because of multiple reasons. While construction work is on, most workers have to spend hours climbing up and down the building. For that, they need a temporary platform that provides them safety and enough space to work freely.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) scaffolding standard is something that all employers and contractors must adhere to. Here are some key points that will help you understand the scenario better:
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When you are setting up a temporary work platform, you have to ensure that it fits well and is stable enough to carry the weight of one or more workers. Therefore, before purchasing or fixing the platform, employers and contractors need to know the total number of people to mount the platform. It will help to arrange for a suitable scaffold.
Another important aspect is that apart from the scaffold itself, you need guardrails and an apparatus that protects workers from a sudden fall. The platform needs brackets around them so that in case of a disbalance, nothing terrible happens.
Training the workers is very important. You cannot introduce a new worker to a scaffold on the very first day of work. Before proper training and experience, employers should not encourage workers to try something that can prove to be dangerous.
Can An Injured Worker Claim For Compensation?
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Despite all necessary precautions and guidelines, it is true that accidents happen. Hence, some experienced lawyers safeguard the rights of workers to get compensation. However, common people might not understand what compensation truly is. It is not just an amount for the medical expense; it also includes lost wages, emotional trauma, future costs for medication, and much more.
Therefore, you need proper representation so that your point is valid and it comes across to the opposite party. Worker’s compensation also does not mean that you will receive an amount from your employer. It is essential to know who is responsible for the mishap, and it may be your employer or the contractor, the property owner, or the manufacturer of the scaffold.
An experienced legal firm will first hear your case history and indulge in investigating the case. They need witnesses, proper research, and analysis before claiming the compensation amount. Hence, being eligible for compensation and knowing how much you deserve is a big difference that most workers forget. Only experienced and reputed lawyers from Norristown Legal can get you the amount that you truly deserve.
Can You Make A Third-Party Claim For Compensation?
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Yes, you can make a third-party claim if the fault is not your employer’s. It may happen that your contractor forgets to set up or dismantle the scaffold properly, and that causes the fall. Or maybe your contractor does not provide you with all the protective gear or fails to install guardrails. It may also happen that the accident is because of faulty manufacturing. In that case, the responsibility of the third party and you deserve better compensation.
You must not take accidents lightly because your future and stability depend on them. Medical expenses are getting higher every day, and severe wounds need prolonged care and repeated testing. Also, you will need to take leave till the time you can join back work. Hence, your lawyer needs to include the lost wages. The stronger the claim, the better the chance of you getting the rightful compensation.
Ways to Avoid Scaffold Accidents
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Regular inspection and training of the workers are the best ways to avoid such accidents. Checking the parts before use and maintaining the standards for the work help protect workers and the reputation of the company. Creating a safe space for work should be one of the primary goals of any organization.
