The last thing that anybody wants to worry about is sustaining an on-the-job injury. However, injuries can occur in any industry, though there are some jobs that pose more risks to workers than others. When many people think of dangerous jobs, they think of construction workers, firefighters, police officers, and more. However, a recent incident in Boston shows us just how dangerous window washing can be.
You would have to be brave to be a window washer cleaning windows on a high-rise building. While there are certain regulations in place to ensure that the scaffolding used by these workers is safe, there are times when accidents still occur. That is something that two high-rise window washers recently found out.
On Thursday, July 9, two window washers working at Tai Tung Village, a living and retail complex developed in 1960, were in serious danger when one side of the scaffolding they were working on collapsed. The two workers were working on cleaning the 13th-floor windows at the time the incident occurred.
When the scaffolding gave way, the platform the workers were on pitched sharply downward, throwing one of the workers off. Thankfully, that worker was caught by a safety rope he was attached to. The other worker remained on the platform as it was tilted dangerously downward.
Boston firefighters arrived minutes after the collapse occurred, but the workers were too high up to allow the firefighters to use their ladders to get them down. Firefighters were, however, able to open some of the windows to get the workers inside.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), high-rise window washing accidents are relatively rare. However, in the last two years, around a dozen of these incidents were reported to the agency.
According to data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were approximately 2.8 million total non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported during the latest year. In most cases, these injuries and illnesses are relatively minor. However, there are many injuries that can occur on the job that lead to extended time away from work for employees. Some of the most common severe work injuries that occur, particularly in high-risk industries, include:
If you or somebody you love has sustained an on-the-job injury and is having trouble securing the compensation you need, contact the team at Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C. Our attorneys have extensive experience helping clients who have been injured at work secure the coverage they need. This includes compensation for:
If you need a Boston work injury lawyer, you can contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or by calling 617-917-3917.