You have been working in construction for years, and you know how to keep yourself safe. You do trust, however, that others who sign off on equipment have done their due diligence to make sure that there are no obvious defects.
When you got up onto scaffolding to work, you expected that it would support your weight and be stable. You asked your co-worker if they’d checked it before you came up, and they said they had. Unfortunately, once you were both working, the scaffolding gave out.
Today, you have serious injuries that are a result of the scaffolding collapse. You were angered to find out that your co-worker hadn’t really inspected the scaffolding; he had just marked down that he had and rushed to get the job done.
Scaffolding has to be set up correctly to be able to support the right amount of weight and to prevent falls from instability. You should also have received training on using the particular scaffolding system and have been taught about using the right fall protection equipment. The fact that you and your co-worker were hurt does not only reflect a lack of safety knowledge but also the fact that your employer was not as thorough as they should have been when setting up the worksite and making sure your team was knowledgeable about how to get your job done safely.
Our website has more information about workers’ compensation and what you should do if you’re hurt while doing your job. You work hard for your employer, and their workers’ compensation insurance should be there for you after any kind of workplace injury.
