Catwalks can be found in many places including construction sites, on top of railcars, as pedestrian bridges over streets, water or rail lines, and narrow platforms that give workers access to hard-to-reach places in buildings and factories. Our Orange County catwalk fall injury lawyers will investigate your claim and get you the compensation you deserve. Though their use is rather varied, the need for proper installation, training, and safety is universal. Unfortunately, falls from catwalks and injuries from items falling off of catwalks and skyways continue to be a major concern for workers across the country.
Catwalk Definition & Types
A catwalk is an elevated platform that is usually high off the ground. As mentioned above, they are used in many industries especially the railroad industry and construction industry. There are many suggestions for employers regarding catwalks like having at least a four-inch toe board on all of the edges of catwalks to reduce slips, trips, and falls of people and also to prevent tools, screws, and equipment from falling off the platform. Employers should also install good lighting, nonskid surfaces, guardrails, and aerial platforms, and lifts to help move heavier equipment up and down instead of having workers carry it up ladders. Many types of catwalks and platforms also come with self-retracting lifelines or tethers to help workers in the case of falls. Buckets and enclosed spaces on elevated ladders and platforms are another way to keep workers safe. Theaters are another commonplace to have catwalks and elevated walkways so the crew can hang props, set up and adjust the lighting and suspend actors and scenery. Theatre catwalk collapses can be just as tragic as construction site catwalk injuries due to the heavy props and scenery and the elevated height that a crew member could fall from.
Catwalk Injuries
Many catwalk injuries can be prevented by employers if they adequately trained their employees on safety, proper weight shifts, proper carrying, and allowed the laborers to work at a safe pace instead of hurrying or trying to carry or do too much. The other main way to avoid platform injuries is by installing the catwalks properly and maintaining them on a regular schedule. This would avoid tragic accidents like a catwalk slip, catwalk collapse, ladder collapse, or a platform collapse. Some of the possible injuries from catwalk accidents include wrongful death, head injuries, concussions, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, coma, muscle strains, ligament sprains, back injuries, amputation, and more. If you got hurt at work, we will make sure to handle your workers’ compensation case as well as look into any third parties who are also at fault such as the manufacturer and installer of your catwalk, scaffolding, ladders, safety system, or platforms. Let us assist you during this tough time.
We Have the Experience to Help You
Our Orange County injury lawyers at the DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo have helped people who have been injured from catwalk collapses and catwalk accidents since 1979 so we have the experience to help you win in court and get the maximum legal compensation. This is true for either workers’ compensation, third-party injury cases, product defect cases, or personal injury cases. Contact us online or call us at (714) 783-2205 today to schedule a free initial consultation and case evaluation. You will not have to pay us until and unless we win your case. Feel free to call us any hour of the day or night as we are here ready to help you.
