How can coworkers on a scaffold cause injuries?

As you work on a construction site, climbing on a scaffold may feel like second nature. However, the coworkers you are around may leave you in a dangerous situation.

Noticing how risky or unsafe coworkers lead to construction injuries can help you after one happens to you.

Playing around

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, slip and fall incidents are a typical kind of hazard for those working several feet or more above the ground on scaffolding. If your coworkers are trying to race around you or roughhousing near you, they may push you. Even one shove can knock you off-balance and send you falling.

Dropping tools

Coworkers may toss tools or other portable objects to one another instead of walking them across the platform. If they drop these objects onto you from another level of the scaffold or throw them into your head, this can cause you to stumble and fall. It can also leave you with serious head trauma.

Failing to maintain safety standards

By failing to pay attention to the weight limits or not allowing a competent person to check the scaffold first, your coworkers could cause the entire scaffold to collapse. This also includes improperly constructing the scaffold itself or failing to follow proper building standards. They may also not care for and maintain the scaffold as time goes by.

When you are suffering from a serious construction injury, you may wonder how it could happen. By noticing how your coworkers behave, you can help determine what steps you should take next.