Construction Injury News

OSHA Issues New Standard To Protect Workers On Scaffolds In Construction, Preventing Thousands Of Injuries As Well As Dozens Of Fatalities Each Year

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today issued a revised standard to protect millions of workers on scaffolds in the construction industry. The new standard will prevent about 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths annually.

An estimated 2.3 million construction workers (about 65 percent of the construction industry work force) work on scaffolds frequently and would be protected by the revised standard.

The rule also will save construction employers at least $90 million annually in costs that would otherwise result from lost workdays due to scaffold-related injuries.

The lives that will be saved and the injuries prevented by the requirements in this new standard are in addition to those deaths and injuries already prevented through compliance with the old scaffolds standard. Employers' savings will far outweigh the costs of compliance, which are estimated at only $12.6 million per year nationwide.

The final rule sets performance-based criteria, where possible, to protect employees from scaffold-related hazards such as falls, falling objects, structural instability, electrocution and overloading.

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	Did You Know?
	Construction accident injuries may be covered by workers compensation. Most are. The workers' compensation system is designed to provide benefits to injured workers no matter whether an injury is caused by the employers or employee's negligence. But there are some limits. Generally, injuries caused because an employee is intoxicated or using illegal drugs are not covered by workers' compensation.