Falls are one of the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and death. Falls are included among what is oftentimes referred to as the “Fatal Four” in workplace incident and injury cases alongside electrocutions, struck-by, and caught-in/between.
Controlling worksite employers must ensure that adequate fall protection measures are required and actually put into practice in order to protect worker safety. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry, and eight feet in longshoring operations. In addition, OSHA requires that fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
Common categories of fall protection include, (1) fall elimination, (2) fall prevention; (4) fall arrest; and (4) fall restraint. One of these categories, “fall arrest”, includes items like a harness, a safety lanyard, or self-retracing lifeline and single or multiple anchor points. Ideally, employers should look for avenues of eliminating the risk of falling by avowing the need for workers to work at elevated heights.
It is critical to hire experienced attorneys knowledgeable about the various fall protection requirements by industry who can preserve key evidence early on and help identify and hold the proper parties responsible.
If you or someone you love has suffered an injury due to an incident and injury involving a fall, call the experienced lawyers at the Houston law of firm Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner at 713-222-7211 or toll free at 1-800-870-9584 for a personal injury consultation.