Construction and maintenance at liquefied natural gas facilities frequently require workers to perform tasks well above ground level. Pipe racks, process equipment, structural steel, storage systems, platforms, vessels, and other components may be difficult or impossible to reach without scaffolding, ladders, aerial lifts, or other elevated work platforms.
Falls from these work areas can cause devastating injuries. Workers may also be injured when scaffolding collapses, planks shift, access points are unsafe, or materials fall from an elevated work area.
Falls are among the many hazards capable of causing an LNG plant accident. When a worker is injured, an LNG plant accident lawyer may need to examine how the elevated work area was designed, who erected and inspected the scaffold, whether fall protection was provided, and whether changing site conditions made the work unnecessarily dangerous.
Why Elevated Work Is Common at LNG Facilities
LNG facilities contain extensive vertical infrastructure. Workers may need access to piping, valves, electrical systems, instrumentation, structural connections, insulation, vessels, and equipment located many feet above grade.
During construction, scaffolding may be erected throughout the project so welders, pipefitters, electricians, insulators, painters, and other trades can reach their assigned work areas. The scaffold system may then be modified repeatedly as construction advances.
Maintenance work can create similar conditions after the facility becomes operational. Temporary access may be needed around process equipment that was not designed for workers to stand beside it during ordinary operations.
The frequency of elevated work makes the importance of fall protection particularly significant on LNG projects. Safe access must be considered before the worker reaches the elevated work area, not after the task has already begun.
Scaffold Collapse and Structural Failure
A scaffold must support the workers, tools, and materials placed upon it while remaining stable throughout the job. Collapse can occur when scaffolding is improperly erected, inadequately braced, overloaded, damaged, or placed on an unstable supporting surface. Components that are missing, incompatible, or improperly connected can also undermine the structure.
Conditions may change after the scaffold is initially erected. Workers may add materials. Nearby construction activity may interfere with supports or tie-ins. Vehicles and equipment may strike scaffold components. Weather may affect the footing or surrounding work area.
A scaffold that was safe when first erected is not necessarily safe weeks later.
After a collapse, investigators may need to determine who erected the scaffold, who modified it, when it was last inspected, whether workers reported problems, and whether the structure was being used for purposes beyond those originally anticipated.
Unsafe Platforms, Open Sides, and Missing Guardrails
A scaffold does not need to collapse for a worker to fall. Workers may encounter incomplete decking, gaps between planks, missing guardrails, inadequate toe boards, improperly secured platforms, or openings created as the scaffold is modified around equipment.
A worker concentrating on welding, fitting pipe, pulling cable, or handling tools may be positioned close to an unprotected edge for extended periods. These hazards can be particularly serious when scaffold systems are built around irregular industrial equipment. The platform may need to follow piping, structural members, or machinery rather than forming a simple rectangular work surface.
That complexity does not eliminate the need for safe access and adequate protection. It makes planning and inspection more important.
Access to the Scaffold Can Be Part of the Hazard
The work platform itself may be properly constructed while access to it remains unsafe. Workers may have to climb ladders, pass through narrow openings, transition between scaffold levels, or step around piping and structural members while entering or leaving the work area. Improvised access can create substantial fall risk. Workers carrying tools or equipment may have difficulty maintaining secure contact while climbing. Wet or muddy footwear can further reduce traction.
Access points should also account for how the scaffold will actually be used. A ladder positioned appropriately during initial construction may become obstructed as piping or equipment is installed around it.
An LNG plant accident attorney investigating a fall should therefore examine the entire route the worker was expected to use, not merely the location where the fall ultimately occurred.
Fall-Arrest Systems and Tie-Off Problems
Personal fall-arrest equipment can provide critical protection when workers are exposed to an elevated fall hazard, but only when the system is properly selected and used. A harness alone does not prevent a serious injury. Workers need an appropriate anchorage point, compatible connecting equipment, adequate clearance, and a system that allows them to perform their assigned work.
One recurring problem on industrial projects is the absence of practical tie-off locations. A worker may technically be required to remain connected while the physical layout makes movement difficult or requires repeated transitions between anchorage points. The planning should account for those conditions before work begins.
If a worker falls while using fall-protection equipment, the investigation may need to determine whether the anchorage was adequate, whether the equipment functioned correctly, whether sufficient clearance existed, and whether the system exposed the worker to another hazard such as striking equipment below.
Slippery and Cluttered Elevated Work Areas
Falls may also result from conditions on the platform itself. Rain, condensation, mud, oil, construction debris, welding leads, hoses, cables, tools, and loose materials can create slip and trip hazards. Limited platform space can make those conditions more dangerous because workers may have little room to regain their balance.
Housekeeping becomes particularly important on elevated work surfaces. The problem is not simply whether an object was present. Investigators should consider how long the condition existed, which company controlled the work area, whether inspections should have identified it, and whether multiple trades contributed to congestion.
Poor housekeeping can also interfere with emergency access and make workers more likely to step toward an unprotected edge while attempting to move around an obstruction.
Changing Conditions During LNG Construction
LNG construction projects can change rapidly. Scaffolding may be erected for one trade and later used by several others. Pipe, cable trays, insulation, and equipment may be installed around existing platforms. Sections of scaffolding may be removed or altered as the project advances. Those changes can create new construction equipment hazards or eliminate protections that were present when the scaffold was originally inspected.
For example, a platform may become more difficult to access after equipment is installed nearby. A guardrail may be temporarily removed so material can be moved through the area. A scaffold may be modified to accommodate piping without adequately addressing the resulting opening.
Effective scaffold safety therefore requires ongoing inspection rather than assuming the original construction remains adequate.
Weather Can Increase Fall Risks
Many LNG projects are located in coastal industrial areas where workers may encounter rain, strong winds, heat, and rapidly changing weather. Wet scaffold planks can become slippery. High winds can affect balance, particularly when workers are carrying materials or working on exposed structures. Severe weather can also move loose objects or affect temporary structures.
Construction planning should take severe weather into account when deciding whether elevated work should continue.
Production schedules and project deadlines do not make unsafe weather conditions less dangerous.
Falling Objects Can Injure Workers Below
Scaffolding creates hazards for workers beneath it as well as workers using the platform. Tools, fittings, bolts, pieces of pipe, construction materials, and other objects can fall from elevated work areas. Even relatively small objects can cause catastrophic injuries when dropped from substantial height. Controls may include toe boards, barriers, controlled-access zones, secured tools, or restrictions on work beneath active elevated operations. The risk of falling debris should also be considered when several trades are working at different elevations in the same area.
A worker injured below a scaffold may have had no control over the work occurring above and may not even have known that materials were being handled overhead.
Multiple Contractors May Be Involved
Scaffolding on a major LNG project may involve several different companies. A specialty scaffold contractor may erect and inspect the structure. Another contractor may direct the work being performed from it. Other trades may modify the surrounding area or place materials on the platform. The injured worker’s employer may therefore have little control over the condition that caused the accident.
These circumstances can create third-party liability when another contractor created the hazard, controlled the scaffold, or failed to correct an unsafe condition. An LNG plant accident lawyer may need to determine who owned the scaffold, who erected it, who inspected it, who authorized modifications, and which company controlled the work area where the fall occurred.
Evidence After a Scaffold or Fall Accident
A fall scene can change almost immediately after an accident. The scaffold may be repaired, missing guardrails replaced, debris removed, or equipment repositioned.
Important evidence can include photographs, surveillance footage, scaffold inspection records, tags, work permits, job safety analyses, daily reports, witness statements, training records, and communications concerning reported hazards.
A prompt preservation letter can help identify photographs, video, electronic communications, inspection records, and other evidence that should be retained following a serious accident.
Injuries From Scaffolding and Falls
Falls from elevation can cause injuries to nearly every part of the body. Workers may suffer traumatic brain injuries, fractures, internal injuries, or spinal cord injuries. Some workers suffer crush injuries after falling between equipment or being struck by a collapsing scaffold.
The consequences may include multiple surgeries, lengthy rehabilitation, chronic pain, permanent restrictions, and an inability to return to physically demanding work.
When injuries cause lasting impairment, victims may also face substantial future medical care and reduced earning capacity.
Speak With an LNG Plant Accident Lawyer After a Scaffold or Fall Accident
Scaffolding and fall accidents at LNG facilities can involve unsafe platforms, inadequate fall protection, missing guardrails, poor access, changing construction conditions, dangerous housekeeping, or failures in inspection and supervision.
An LNG plant accident lawyer can investigate how the elevated work area was designed and maintained, determine which companies controlled the scaffold and surrounding work, and preserve evidence before the conditions at the site are changed.
Spagnoletti Law Firm represents workers and families affected by serious LNG plant construction accidents. Our attorneys can investigate falls at LNG facilities and evaluate potential personal injury claims against responsible companies.
If you or a loved one has been impacted by a scaffolding or fall accident at an LNG facility, call us. Contact Spagnoletti Law Firm at 713-804-9306 or contact us online for a free consultation.
We handle injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning our clients do not owe attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for them.