ADAMS TOWNSHIP, PA – Coroner Jeff Lees has identified a Cambria County man who died after a scaffolding fall.
Lees said Jason Jones, 41, died at 12:25 a.m. Saturday.
Lees said Jones fell eight feet from scaffolding and hit his head around 8:30 a.m. Oct. 27.
Jones died of a head injury, Lees said. Lees ruled the death accidental.
Jones was found by a co-worker who called 911 and was taken to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, according to Lees.
Lees said Jones was contracted out as a drywaller by Easley & Rivers, a construction company in Monroeville, and was working at the new health care facility on the 1400 block of Scalp Avenue in Richland Township.
Easley & Rivers has launched a GoFundMe page to help support Jones’ family. You can donate here.
Conemaugh Health System is building a new three-story medical facility in Richland Township. The 130,000-square-foot center is being built behind the existing Conemaugh East Hills Outpatient Center along Scalp Avenue, which it will replace.
The new center is to include primary and specialty care physician offices, an ambulatory surgery center, gastroenterology/endoscopy suites, a women’s diagnostic center, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and physical therapy. The new facility should be opened in the beginning of 2018.
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Richland Township, Cambria County, Pa. - A Cambria county man is dead after a scaffolding fall.
Cambria county coroner Jeff Lees said that 41-year-old Jason Jones died on Saturday after the fall on October 27.
Jones died of a head injury.
His death was ruled as accidental.
Lees said jones was working at a new health care facility on the 1400 block of Scalp Avenue in Richland Township when he fell.
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Jason Jones Family Support Fund
It is with deepest sympathy and sorrow that we are informing you that Jason Jones was called home to be with God shortly after midnight on November the 4th.
Please keep the entire Jones family in your thoughts and prayers during this time of grief.
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Jason Jones an Employee of Easley & Rivers was injured in an accident that occured on Friday October 27th.
This Go Fund Me account has been created by Easley & Rivers, Inc. in response to multiple requests from people that know and work with Jason and have requested a way to give assistance to the family during a time of need.
About Easley & Rivers
People take notice when a local plastering company becomes one of the region’s most trusted leaders in commercial drywall construction.
They take notice when operations spread from state to state while being kept 100% union. They take notice when performance bonds in excess of $20 million are obtained or waived altogether as a result of our proven track record. They take notice when an office furniture division is launched and twenty years later the quality of selection, planning, and installation is still unparalleled.
60 plus years of growth, financial stability and quality service will get you noticed. That’s because in the sixty years since our beginning, the founding principle of Easley & Rivers has remained constant: deliver results to our customers on time and on target. Because of our history and reliability, we’ve been able to forge relationships with suppliers, meaning stronger purchasing power for both us and our clients.
Visit our Portfolios to see our high quality of work, or visit the contact page to see how one phone call or email can open up your next project to a diverse range of possibilities.
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A new $70 million outpatient center planned for Richland Township represents the best of the future for local medical care, leaders said during groundbreaking ceremonies Friday off of Scalp Avenue.
“We all know health care is changing every day,” Conemaugh Health System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Williams said.
“With the opening of the facility here, Conemaugh can change with the times.”
The 135,000-square-foot Conemaugh East Hills Outpatient Center will be constructed at the rear of the parking lot behind today’s Conemaugh East Hills building, which was originally built in the 1940s as Richland High School, said Steven Tucker, CEO of Conemaugh’s hospitals division and president of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center.
“This will be a three-story building that will change the way health care is delivered,” Tucker said, adding that the total cost of more than $70 million will include construction, furnishing and the latest in medical technology.
About 100 people gathered under a large tent in the Conemaugh East Hills lot Friday afternoon, bracing themselves against the gusty, biting wind. Tucker said wind Thursday night required crews to remove sides from the tent, leaving the interior open to Friday’s weather.
“I came to Conemaugh for a lot of reasons,” Williams quipped. “Weather was not one of them.”
She said she saw opportunity for the health system to make a real difference in people’s lives under ownership of Duke LifePoint Healthcare. By expanding ambulatory surgery, imaging, laboratory and rehabilitative services in one facility with primary care physician offices, Conemaugh is creating a one-stop location for a majority of health care, Williams said.
The model will not only be more convenient for patients, it will reduce health care costs, she said.
The construction in Richland further illustrates Duke LifePoint’s fulfillment of commitments made during the acquisition process last year, Tucker said.
A $50 million-plus overhaul of information technology with the introduction of a recognized leading medical records system is already underway, he said.
“Isn’t this a great thing for Richland Township?” township Supervisor Bob Heffelfinger said at the groundbreaking.
Plans are also being finalized for an outpatient center near Ebensburg. Although the location has not been announced, leaders say it will be along Route 22 near the Route 219 interchange.
That facility represents more than $20 million in investment, Tucker said.
The Richland project will get underway immediately, with site work continuing until winter weather shuts it down. Construction will begin early next spring, with completion expected in autumn of 2017, Conemaugh CEO Scott Becker said.
When the new building opens, demolition will begin on the existing structure.
The former school building also houses Fox 8 and ABC 23 television studios. Company President Frank Quitoni said the stations will move into a larger facility near The Galleria mall, also in Richland.
Quitoni is board chairman for Conemaugh Health System under Duke LifePoint ownership. The stations’ expansion paralleling the health system’s growth illustrate the benefits to the local economy, he during Friday’s ceremony.
“We are expanding,” he said. “That’s what good economy is all about. It is about the ability of a company to grow.”
The new Richland building will feature a glass-enclosed entryway and common reception area, helping direct patients to the services they need, said Douglas F. MacMillan, vice president of support services.
Some services will be moved from Conemaugh Richland outpatient location at the corner of Eisenhower Boulevard and Theatre Drive, MacMillan said.
But Conemaugh Richland is not being closed, Tucker stressed. It will continue to house physician offices, with the possibility of more doctors.
“We are still programming for conversion of the Conemaugh Richland building,” Tucker said.
Conemaugh’s MedWell urgent care center, its corporate care operations and Laurel Highlands Advanced Imaging Center will move from the current Scalp Avenue building into the new facility, and West Penn Orthopedics & Sports Medicine of 2 Celeste Drive in Southmont plans a second location in the new outpatient center, MacMillan said.
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Preventing the Most Common Scaffolding Accidents
2007 was the year that two brothers were involved in a deadly New York scaffold accident in the Upper East Side. A faultily constructed scaffold collapsed, sending the pair crashing 47 stories to the pavement below and their eventual deaths. Whether the window washing company they worked for had proper scaffolding insurance in place is not the issue but rather the types of safety training programs, including scaffolding training that may have possibly prevented these fatalities.
Since the 2007 incident, there have been many other instances of problems with improperly constructed scaffolding, including that most recently in 2014 when a construction worker in Midtown fell 80 feet to his death. These occurrences give rise to the need for better practices and safety training programs designed to enhance awareness and safety when working on highly constructed scaffolds. Although scaffolding accidents, which is a risk that is inherent to working on these structures, may not necessarily be preventable, their severity may be lessened by recognizing the presence of the risk and taking certain measures to avoid and reduce instances of scaffolding accidents on your job site.
Common Scaffolding Accidents
According to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) based in Washington, D.C., there were 54 fatalities that occurred in 2009 from scaffolding and staging. 72 percent of workers injured in scaffolding accidents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), claimed that the reason for their accident was the result of problems with planks or required scaffold supports giving way, which led to injury or death. Slipping and being caught between falling objects were also contributing causes to common scaffolding accidents.
The data provided by both OSHA and BLS suggests that more attention needs to be paid to the safety standards set forth that help reduce and possibly prevent the occurrence of common scaffolding accidents. The demonstration of your observance of these standards can also serve to lower any required insurance premiums you currently pay for scaffolding insurance or other related construction project insurance.
Ways to Reduce Scaffolding Accidents
OSHA, which revised its standards regarding the construction of scaffolding in 1996, found that in a quarter of the cases where a scaffolding accident occurred, no scaffold training or safety training programs were in place. In more than three-quarters of these incidents, the scaffolding for which the worker was injured lacked appropriate guard railing.
Following prudent, common sense standards for guaranteeing the safety and well-being of your employees working on scaffolding structures can only serve to lower and reduce injury and death. How important is it to follow the revised standards set forth by OSHA and other agencies when it comes to scaffolds? The estimates suggest that up to 50 lives can be saved and more than 4,500 accidents prevented annually. The performance based standards set in place to protect your employees from scaffold injuries and death can serve to protect them from those common scaffolding accidents such as falls, objects that may fall on your employees, scaffold structures that may be unstable, electrocution and overloading the scaffolding structure.
What to Do When Scaffolding Accidents Occur
Should an accident occur on your job site related to scaffolding, you have an affirmative responsibility first and foremost to the health and well-being of the affected employee. You should ensure that immediate medical attention is given and all accommodations are made for the recovery of the accident victim. You also need to address any issues with respect to your required workers’ compensation insurance, including the proper reporting of the accident. In most instances you have ten days from the date of the accident to notify your insurance carrier or face possible fines and penalties. You should have in place appropriate procedures for further guidance on your responsibilities related to scaffolding accidents.
You should make sure that whenever you are engaged in a project involving the construction of scaffolding that you follow those standards set forth by OSHA to ensure the safety of those working on the project and prevent, to the extent possible, any serious injuries or death as a result of an improperly installed scaffold. Look also to work with an experienced insurance advisor for the availability of those coverage options that can be used to mitigate your risk exposure and protect your financial resources.
While there isn’t a guaranteed way to prevent scaffolding accidents from occurring, you can make sure that you and your employees are properly trained and protected in case these types of accidents occur. Don’t leave your company at risk and contact the largest insurance broker of scaffold risks in the country at Allied Insurance Brokers. With over 30 years of experience, the Allied team is able to help you minimize your company’s vulnerabilities and protect your bottom line. Contact Allied Insurance today, and discover what they can do for you!