Scaffold accident kills one, injures two

Three masonry workers fell in a scaffold collapse accident at a construction site in Ohio.  One was fatally injured.  The workers were employed for a masonry subcontractor on a project that was building a new headquarters for a local energy company.

OSHA regulations covering the construction industry have a very specific set of safety regulations which govern the erection of scaffolding.  When these regulations are followed and the scaffold is used properly, a construction accident involving a scaffold collapse should not occur.

On large construction projects such as this, the general contractor usually has a contract with the project owner which provides that all of the work on the job site will be done in accordance with OSHA regulations, and this includes the scaffolding provisions that covered the scaffold these men were in at the time this accident occurred.

In addition to making a worker's compensation claim, in Illinois, they would be allowed to file a third-party liability suit, and for the case involving the worker who was killed in the accident, a wrongful death suit.  The basis of the accident would be the promise made by the general contractor to see that the work was done in compliance with OSHA regulations and the power of the general contractor to direct that the work be done in that manner.

This was an unfortunate and probably very preventable accident.