Falls remain a common hazard in construction sites, resulting in severe injuries and fatalities. These include falls from a roof edge or through a roof opening, from a ladder and from a scaffold.
Unfortunately, the frequency of falls leads to some insurance companies framing them as an “unavoidable accident” or an” unpredictable event.” Accordingly, they make it seem like a property owner didn’t act negligently and shift the blame to a worker, arguing that they were careless.
Working at heights is inherently dangerous, but falls are preventable. Construction falls often aren’t unavoidable, as insurers claim. This is because:
They are commonly caused by a lack of proper safety equipment
A significant percentage of scaffolding falls, roof falls, falls through an open edge/a floor hole and ladder falls occur because of a lack of proper safety equipment. For example, a lack of guardrails, safety nets, hole covers, fall restraint systems and personal fall arrest systems.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires construction workers to use at least one safety system when exposed to a fall of 6 feet or more above a lower level.
OSHA also requires floor holes to be covered or guarded immediately they are created during new construction, and immediately they are discovered on an existing structure. A floor hole cover should be capable of supporting at least twice the weight of employees, equipment and materials that may be on it at any time.
Many construction projects end yearly without falls because safety measures are observed. Proper safety equipment is provided, and project owners make decisions that promote worksite safety. So, an insurance company arguing that a fall was unavoidable may be misleading. If you were injured on a construction site, learn more to receive the compensation you deserve.