Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers | September 24, 2025 | Workplace Accidents
Hurt in a scaffolding accident in Brooklyn, NY? Contact Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers for a FREE CONSULTATION and let us help you pursue compensation!
Scaffolding is used frequently in construction projects, and unsafe scaffolding can lead to workers suffering severe injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has standards in place for scaffolding that employers must follow.
When employers follow these standards, the scaffolding is safer, and workers are less likely to be injured in falls or other accidents. Keep reading below to learn all the details of the OSHA standard for scaffolding.
How Common Are Injuries from Falls in the Workplace?
Falls are one of the most common types of construction accidents. According to the CDC, more than 310 workers are killed each year by falls from heights. Another 10,350 are seriously injured by similar falls. Recent data suggests that as many as 60 of these annual deaths are the result of falls from scaffolding.
OSHA’s Scaffolding Standards
OSHA’s scaffolding standard is defined in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart L. This rule sets forth safety requirements for scaffold construction, use, and maintenance that apply to the construction industry.
Specifically, Section 1926.451 outlines the requirements for:
- Capacity
- Scaffold platform construction
- Supported and suspended scaffold criteria
- Fall protection
- Falling object protection
These requirements directly affect construction workers who work on scaffolding in Brooklyn. Your employer is legally required to follow the standards that are defined in the OSHA rules. Failure to follow the standards could open them up to legal liability if you are injured in an accident due to their negligence.
Scaffold Capacity
According to the OSHA rules, scaffolding must be able to support its own weight and at least 4 times the maximum intended load.
For example, suppose a scaffold is intended to hold a 250-pound worker along with 50 pounds of tools. The scaffolding must support at least 1,200 pounds without failing. Additional rules govern the requirements for suspension ropes used with suspended scaffolding.
Scaffold Platform Construction
All scaffolding must be fully planked between the front uprights and the guardrails. These rules are in place to prevent workers from falling through the scaffolding between the planks.
The gap between the planks and the uprights can be no more than 1 inch. This gap may increase when an employer can show that a wider space is necessary, but it can never exceed 9 ½ inches.
Supported and Suspended Scaffold Criteria
The rules provide specific design criteria for both supported and suspended scaffolding.
Supported scaffolding must:
- Have a height-to-base-width ratio of no more than four to one (4:1)
- Be braced to prevent swaying and tipping
- Have a firm foundation on base plates or mud sills
If you are working on suspended scaffolding, you should know that those must:
- Use suspension ropes that can support at least six times the intended load
- Have counterweights made of non-flowable material
- Have emergency operations plans for failed equipment or power outages
While the items above cover the basics of the rules, the OSHA requirements go into much more detail about the criteria for both supported and suspended scaffolding.
Fall Protection
Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, so fall protection on scaffolding is crucial to keeping workers safe.
The rules for fall protection include:
- Fall protection must be provided when the platform is more than 10 feet above the lower level
- Fall protection may include personal fall arrest systems, guardrails, or both
- Your employer must provide this protection and train you on how to use it
Before you climb onto scaffolding more than 10 feet above the lower level, you should always ensure that you have the proper fall protection in place.
Falling Object Protection
Objects that fall from scaffolding can cause serious injuries to workers below.
This is why OSHA requires:
- Toeboards, screens, and guardrail systems to prevent falling objects
- Debris nets or catch platforms in some situations
- Hard hats must be worn both on and off the scaffolding
- The area below the scaffolding must be barricaded, and workers should be warned of falling objects
If these rules are not being followed, you should not hesitate to report the suspected OSHA violation. You are provided certain legal protections against retaliation for reporting OSHA violations.
What to Do After a Scaffolding Accident
If you are injured in a scaffolding accident at work, you should follow these steps. First, you should immediately seek medical treatment for your injuries and report the accident to your employer. Gather as much evidence as possible, including photos from the scene and contact information of any witnesses.
Keep all your medical records as well as receipts for all expenses resulting from your workplace accident. Talk to an experienced construction accident lawyer who can help you with your claim. You may need to file a workers’ compensation claim with your employer or even pursue a personal injury lawsuit against a third party.
Contact the Brooklyn Workplace Accident Lawyers at Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
If you’ve been injured in a scaffolding accident, Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help. We fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation with a Brooklyn workplace accident attorney.
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Brooklyn, NY 11201
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