Tennessee Construction Falls: Danger in Scaffolds And Lifts
Falls can be crushing for men and women, not to mention the heavy impact on their Memphis families. I recall a case a few years ago when my client fell 6 feet from a scaffold striking the back of his head on the edge of a steel plate. This incident brought to me the weighty obligation of a trial lawyer. My client was rendered a paraplegic and the future welfare of his wife and kids became my responsibility.
Yesterday, Memphis Fire Department crews rescued two men who fell inside a silo at an asphalt company on Presidents Island. According to fire officials, it happened around 3:30 p.m., Thursday, January 29, 2009, in the 1900 block of Wharf Street at Channel Avenue. Officials say the two men were working on some scaffolding when it collapsed and they became trapped in the silo at Ergon Asphalt Company.
An article in the Journal Of Safety Research in 2003 studies work related deaths due to falls from scaffolding for the period on 1992 through 1999. The study considered 339 deaths. For the 6 years considered, 56 workers died each year from these necessary construction appliances. This computes on average to over a death a year for every state in the United States. As most of these catastrophes were avoidable,OSHA regulations became tighter.If you or a loved one works with these lifts, scaffolds or platforms please remember the lessons learned in the following video. If an injury occurs, please consult with an experienced trial lawyer. We can help.
