D.C., Maryland and Virginia medical malpractice issues on birth injuries, cerebral palsy, failure to diagnose, medical mistakes, violations of patient safety rules.

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969 construction workers died on the job, many from preventable falls

Posted on Nov 09, 2010

OSHA requires fall protection for all workers working at heights of six feet or above. Fall hazards that need to be guarded against can be obvious - working on a building's roof for example. Depending on the workplace hazards, various fall protection, such as guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning device systems or fall restraint systems should be used.

And a contractor or employer has to train its employees to properly use the fall protection and have a competent person inspect the work site to make sure saftey equipment is available and used properly.

Another danger, commonly overlooked, is working above water. If the water is deeper than 2 feet, fall protection can take the place of a life jacket.

Thankfully, on construction sites around the city we are seeing more guardrails on open floors and construction workers wearing fall protection harnesses. The 34% of those deaths due to falls - over 300 - should have been prevented.

In D.C., Maryland and Virginia, we represent people and families - patients injured because of preventable medical mistakes, children with cerebral palsy, workers with on the job injuries and people injured in serious car accidents, and families who have lost a loved one due to medical malpractice, work and car accidents.