No matter what you are constructing, you may notice signs of danger as you use scaffolds to work on a building.
Learning more about how scaffolding can put you in harm’s way when a routine procedure goes wrong can help you choose what to do next.
Improper construction or disassembly
According to the United States Department of Labor, even a loose board or forgotten screw can majorly impact how safe a platform is. Assembling a platform poorly can lead to it collapsing under the full weight of a worker.
If your coworkers have not followed safety guidelines or if a qualified person did not check the scaffold before use, then you could suffer from neck and spine injuries after it breaks apart. Falling only a few feet to the ground can leave you in pain and potentially unable to drive or work.
Dangerous items
If fellow workers fail to put away tools in their proper place after use, then you can easily slip and fall off a scaffold. A loose hammer or a slippery piece of material can catch you off guard.
In some cases, other people may accidentally drop their tools or other heavy items from the platform above you. Head injuries, which can lead to issues like brain trauma, can occur if these kinds of mistakes happen without warning.
Malfunctioning safety devices
When wearing a personal fall arrest system, you rely on it to keep you safe in the event you fall off a tall platform. If this is improperly installed, then it may not be able to hold your weight. Even a small amount of imbalance or a simple task may become life-threatening if the scaffold you are working on is unsafe.