Construction workers must get used to working in different, sometimes risky environments to get the job done, and this is particularly true when the construction project involves a high-rise building. Scaffolding must be assembled and used so that the work needed can be completed in a timely manner, and all too often, it’s the scaffolding that’s at the heart of construction accidents.
Such appears to be the case with three construction workers in Austin who were killed yesterday when part of their scaffolding collapsed. Two men fell more than 100 feet to their deaths, and a third fell onto the roof of a parking garage and died a few hours later at a local hospital. According to the Austin American-Statesman:
“The reason for the collapse was unclear, Evans said.
“We have conflicting stories,” he said. “What exactly happened, we’re still not sure.”
The workers’ deaths are being investigated as industrial accidents, said Austin Police Department spokeswoman Veneza Aguiñaga. The accident also is being investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A representative from the company that makes and sells the scaffolding, American Mast Climbers of Whitney, north of Waco near Hillsboro, declined to comment Wednesday. The project’s developer, Cobalt Land Development Ltd., and the owner, MacArthur Management LLC, did not return calls for comment.
Cristina Tzintzún, the project director for the Austin-based Workers Defense Project, said that unlike in many states, Texas’ construction workers are not required to have training before working on a scaffold.
It was not known whether training was a factor in Wednesday’s incident.”
The names of the parties listed above represent an example of how many entities can find themselves embroiled in a legal battle when tragedies such as this one unfold. If you or someone you love has been injured or worse in a construction accident, contact the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.
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June 12th, 2009 at 7:49 am
[...] terrible construction accident we posted about yesterday that led to the deaths of three workers was met with shock and disgust. As is often the case with [...]