OSHA Teaming up with Scaffolding Group to Increase Safety

It was the death of three workers in a scaffolding accident in Austin, in Texas last year that increased national attention on scaffolding safety issues. With all the strides made in construction safety and all the technological aids at our disposal, scaffolding accidents remain among the most common construction site accidents. Finally, it seems that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is looking harder at this problem. OSHA is partnering with the Scaffold Industry Association to train construction workers about safe materials for scaffolding and safe assembly.

Much of the concerns that construction accident lawyers in Texas have had over scaffolding safety, is that so much of it is unregulated. OSHA cites some guidelines for construction materials and design, but by and large, there is very little oversight over who actually puts up the scaffolding. The result is weak, unstable scaffolding that is very often constructed too close to electrical wires, and contains planks that are not strong enough to hold a person's weight.

In June 2003, workers at a condominium project in Austin fell to their deaths when the scaffolding they were standing on gave way, and collapsed. It was the most recent in a series of construction site deaths in Texas, which has the unenviable record of having the highest number of construction accident deaths in the country.

As part of the partnership with the Scaffold Industry Association, construction workers and OSHA inspectors will be included in these training programs. This should alleviate at least some of the concerns that Houston construction accident lawyers and workers unions have that OSHA's response to scaffolding safety issues has been lukewarm at best. OSHA has its critics who say that it focuses harder on getting workers to watch training videos, than on actually going out into the field, and identifying the scaffolding errors that occur every day.

For more information about these developments or to contact a Houston, Texas Construction Accident Lawyer TODAY, email SMSH at info@smslegal.com.