If you regularly work on scaffolding, you may have some concerns about being part of an accident. You realize that an accident can cause serious injury or even death, so it’s important to do whatever it takes to prevent trouble.
Here are several safety tips that can help prevent trouble when using scaffolding:
- Safe setup: Before you ever use scaffolding, you need to focus on the way you’re setting it up. If you make any mistake during this step, it increases the chance of an accident in the future.
- Install a guardrail: Even if you don’t think you need it, it’s better to be safe than sorry. A guardrail can help prevent you (and every other worker) from falling to the ground below.
- Set it on stable and firm ground: Be careful of where you’re placing scaffolding, as soft or uneven ground increases the risk of an accident.
- Keep items from falling: This is an important step, as any item that falls to the ground below could hurt someone else. Imagine if a power tool falls from scaffolding that’s 25 feet in the air. If it strikes someone below, a serious injury is likely to occur.
Even if you do your best to prevent a scaffolding accident, you could one day find yourself in trouble.
If an accident occurs, stay where you are, call for help and let your employer know what went wrong.
Once you receive medical attention, ask your doctor about returning to work. If you’re unable to do so right away, file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.