As you climb up on a scaffold, your mind may focus only on the items around you and the height above the ground you are at. However, when your coworkers act irresponsibly, they can leave you with serious problems after causing a head or spinal cord injury.
Noticing the variety of ways that coworkers can impact your safety is key when dealing with a serious construction accident.
Pushing and shoving
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a coworker may try to move around you on a narrow platform and resort to pushing past you in order to get there. By pushing you off-balance on a high ledge, they can make you fall over the railing.
When other employees engage in horseplay on a construction site, they could put you in serious danger.
Throwing items
In order to avoid walking to another area, some coworkers may toss heavy objects like hammers and tools to one another. Unsafe actions like that can leave you at risk of getting a head injury or stumbling back enough to fall off of the scaffold. These coworkers can also accidentally drop these items onto your head from above.
Causing a collapse
If other workers do not notice the weak points of a scaffold, they can cause a collapse by overloading the scaffold with weight. This collapse can leave you with physical injuries no matter where you are on the platforms or walkways.
When dealing with the variety of distractions and unsafe situations around you on a scaffold, do not forget to notice your workers.