A recent workplace accident involving a fatal fall is a tragic reminder that falls are a leading cause of workplace injuries and deaths. The man who died in the accident was working on a cell phone tower when he fell. Authorities say that the man was between thirty and forty years old and that he was wearing his safety harness and fall protection equipment when he fell to his death. A co-worker who was working with the man said that he turned away from the man to work on something and when he turned back in his direction, he saw him falling. The accident is now under investigation.
Fall accidents are the second most common cause of workplace deaths, preceded only by transportation-related fatalities. Fall protection is, not coincidentally, the standard for which OSHA issues the most citations. When workplace falls do not result in death, they often cause permanent disabilities. Disabilities caused by workplace falls often require intensive medical treatment and ongoing care, which translates into large insurance expenditures for medical bills. As an interesting aside, falls at home are the third leading cause of death from unintentional injury in that setting.
The efforts of OSHA and other safety professionals to educate workers and people who do things at home that could cause them to fall about how to prevent falls are relatively effective. This is important, and continued efforts are needed because an aging work force means that the number of people who are the most vulnerable to suffering death or disability as the result of a fall is on the rise.
Fall protection in the workplace centers around identifying tripping hazards and eliminating those hazards whenever possible. In situations where the risk cannot get removed, making it conspicuous (think wet floor signs) are at least somewhat effective in preventing falls. When you are assessing an area of your work environment for fall risk, pay attention to whether changes in the surface are visible, whether transition areas are visible, whether the lighting in an area helps people navigate it safely or obscures a fall hazard, and whether anything can be done to make an area safer. If harnesses or other fall protection equipment are needed for the work that employees do, it is important that the workers learn how to check their equipment for safe operation and that they notify someone right away if they notice damaged or broken equipment.
Barrett Law PLLC: Helping the Victims of Mississippi Workplace Falls
If you lost a family member in a workplace fall death or if you got hurt in a fall at work, you may wonder what to do. Your fall might have injured you badly, and you may need surgery and time to recover. If you lost someone you love in a workplace fall you are probably wondering how you can best help your family through this devastating loss. If you have questions about how we could assist you with a workplace accident claim, please call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorney at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505.
