Georgia Injury Law Blog
A roofing company in Atlanta has been cited for failure to protect workers from fall hazards after an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.One of the significant causes of workers’ compensation claims are fall hazards. Workers’ comp attorneys regularly see claims involving significant personal injury arising out of fall incidents. The inspection and action by OSHA will likely prevent serious injuries to the workers on this job site. The company, Midsouth Steel Inc. of Atlanta is likely to face penalties of more than $184,000.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found fall hazards during inspection of roofing work being performed at a site on Roosevelt Highway in Union City.The company had been constructing a recycling facility in Union City.According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the inspection was part of a local program to protect workers in the construction industry from fall accidents.
Inspectors found at least three willful violations, including exposure of the workers to fall hazards by allowing them to work at heights of 35 feet without requiring any fall protection, exceeding the load capacity of the aerial lift, and failure to provide for protection for all employees working on a steep roof.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the company Midsouth Steel Inc. knowingly exposed workers to fall hazards because they were more concerned with getting the job done faster than safety considerations.The company has been placed in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which means that the agency is likely to conduct follow-up inspections of the company’s sites to make sure the company is complying with the law.The company faces fines of approximately $184,800.
Some of the most serious fall hazards that Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyers come across exist in the construction industry.Construction workers have some of the highest risks of fall accidents, and these hazards kill and injure hundreds of workers every year.Accidents can occur when workers are working on scaffolding, and have not been provided safe guardrails along all open sides and ends of the platforms.They can occur because scaffolding is not erected properly or is unstable. They can occur because workers have not been provided fall protection gear when they’re working beyond a certain height.Workers who have not been trained to use fall protection gear effectively are more susceptible to fall accidents.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an average of 362 fall accident deaths occurred every year between 1995 and 1999.Fall deaths account for approximately one third of all fatalities in the construction sector.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has strict rules governing protections for construction workers, including those related to fall hazards.
Construction workers who have been injured in workplace accidents, including scaffolding collapses and accidents, trench collapses, electrocutions and fall accidents are eligible for compensation under Georgia’s Workers Compensation laws.Workers do not have to prove that anybody was responsible for their injuries, in order to be eligible for workers’ compensation.However, if the injury was caused by a third-party, like the manufacturer of a defective tool or product, then the worker may be able to file a third-party lawsuit.