Massachusetts Scaffolding Accident Serves as a Reminder of Safety

Last Wednesday, two workers in Boston’s Financial District clung to a safety line in panic for 20 minutes after the engine let go of a window-washing platform 37 stories above the street. According to one official, who spoke to the Boston Globe on condition of anonymity, officials believe the scaffolding accident was a freak accident rather than human error.

Massachusetts does not regulate window-washing scaffolding, which means that enforcement of safety regulations may have fallen into a void between state and federal authorities. The state inspects elevators and other hoisting equipment but it does not certify scaffolding. Firefighters broke the glass of the Exchange Place tower and rescued the two traumatized workers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the scaffolding accident.

Questions raised on scaffold regulation, Boston Globe, August 7, 2009
Contact a Massachusetts construction accident attorney for a free initial consultation if you have been injured on a construction work site.

Contact Information