Workplace injury: Scaffold collapse kills 3 TV tower workers

On Behalf of | Oct 4, 2017 | Workplace Accidents

Oklahoma workers whose jobs involve working on communications towers will be aware of the dangers to which they are exposed every time they are working at extreme heights. Three workers recently lost their lives when a scaffold structure on which they were standing collapsed. The chances of suffering a fatal workplace injury increase significantly when great heights are involved.

The investigators of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are working on finding the reason for the collapse of the scaffolding at a 100-story TV tower in another state. The federal agency said they have not had to investigate a broadcast tower accident of such magnitude in over five years. Reportedly, the work crew’s job involved the replacement of an antenna when the collapse occurred.

The workers — ages 23, 31 and 35 — who lost their lives in this tragedy were employed by a company that is based in Texas. OSHA reported that it had been involved in approximately 30 fatalities of workers in communication tower-related workplace accidents since 2012. These incidents include the deaths of two employees and a firefighter in Feb. 2014. No previous tower accident claimed the lives of more than two workers in a single incident.

Following any fatal workplace injury to an employee in Oklahoma, the surviving family members can rely on the workers’ compensation insurance system to ease the unanticipated financial burden that typically follows such a tragedy. While the family grieves the loss of a loved one, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can navigate a benefits claim on their behalf. The benefits typically provide financial assistance to cover a funeral and burial along with a financial package to make up for lost income.

Source: Miami Herald, “Fatal fall from TV tower is deadliest such plunge investigated by feds in 5 years“, Elizabeth Koh, Sept. 28, 2017