NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- In this episode of "Your Weirdest Fears," listen as host Larry Mullins sits down with occupational safety expert John Newquist to discuss surprising scaffolding statistics and what to do if you ever find yourself in the crosshairs of a real collapse.
What you need to know:
• According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), every year scaffold-related accidents yield approximately 60 deaths and 4,500 injuries.
• BLS also estimates that as many as 2.3 million construction workers - 65% of the industry’s workforce - operate on a scaffold daily.
• According to New York City’s Department of Buildings, there are nearly 10,000 active permits for “sidewalk sheds”, which are the temporary structures scaffolding is built on top of to protect pedestrians from falling debris.
• On average, the structures stay up for a little over seven months, according to the Buildings Department — although the oldest shed in the city, in Manhattan, has been up for 16 years.
• According to most injury attorneys, most scaffolding accidents occur as the result of an unsturdy base structure, workers slipping or tripping, and falling objects. That’s not even including accidents induced by natural factors such as extreme weather.
• In recent years, stricter safety protocols have been put in place to minimize accidents. This includes the installation of toeboards, tethered tools, and pedestrian canopies.
What the experts are saying:
• John Newquist has 30 years under his belt with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more commonly known as OSHA.
• He says that scaffolds are something to fear, and that “one to three people are killed yearly by objects that fall off a scaffold and that "something as small as a dropped tape measure" can result in a fatal injury.
• Civilian casualties aren’t normally lumped in with organization’s data, so that number only references workers. John insists that naturally the average would be ten times higher.