Answer extracted from the Creatures of the Industry podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How did scaffolding work damage workers' bodies?
Most scaffolders wore out their knees or backs from carrying heavy, concentrated loads, typically on one shoulder without alternating. A right-handed scaffolder would carry the load on the right shoulder, putting a big load on the right knee, which eventually failed for most people — the cumulative vertical strain from knees to hips to shoulders meant something in the system would inevitably fail.
The occupational health crisis among scaffolders was rooted in a simple structural reality: 95% of scaffolding work involves carrying tons of steel to or away from the job site. Unlike machinery or tools that distribute load evenly, steel beams and scaffold components are rigid, heavy objects that demand one-sided body positioning across an entire working career.
This wasn't a matter of poor technique or weak workers. Experienced scaffolders like Terry Riggs, who worked on major projects including offshore construction at Barry Beach from 1978 to 1983, faced the same inevitable wear. The problem was systemic to the work itself—no amount of skill or care could prevent the toll of sustained asymmetrical loading on a single side of the body.
Why the right shoulder and knee failed first
For right-handed workers, the pattern was predictable. Picking up a scaffold tube or steel beam naturally fell to the dominant side, making the right shoulder the primary load bearer. This created a cascade of failure: the concentrated weight stressed the right knee, which bore the gravitational and stabilizing load unevenly, then radiating upward through the hip, spine, and shoulders.
The body's interconnected skeletal system meant that compensating for knee pain shifted strain to the lower back and hips. A worker might favour their left leg to ease right knee pressure, only to develop chronic back or hip issues. The cumulative injury pattern was almost universal among long-term scaffolders, as detailed in the full Creatures of the Industry episode.
The lack of rotation and recovery
Scaffolding work offered almost no mechanism for load alternation. Unlike jobs where workers might rotate between different tasks or switch shoulders mid-day, scaffolding demanded continuous, repetitive carrying of heavy objects in the same body position. There was no built-in recovery time for asymmetrical strain to dissipate.
This relentless, single-sided loading distinguished scaffolding from other physically demanding trades. A concrete worker or bricklayer might vary their movements and body positions throughout the day. A scaffolder, by contrast, executed the same shoulder-load motion thousands of times across decades, with minimal deviation. The interview reveals how Riggs and his peers simply accepted this as the cost of the trade—a silent occupational sacrifice that nobody talked about until bodies failed.
"If you can't get on with people, you're no good. Doesn't matter if you're a super scaffolder. We'll just get rid of you and get two other people."
Terry Riggs — Contract Scaffolder. Riggs started in the building and construction industry in 1971 as a builder's labourer in Sale, East Gippsland, before transitioning to scaffolding ten years later. He worked on major projects including Barry Beach offshore construction from 1978 to 1983, where he gained expertise in complex metal scaffold construction, and obtained both scaffolding and rigging qualifications before working across numerous commercial and suburban construction sites throughout Victoria and Western Australia.
See also
How did custom and practice function as safety and skill transmission in pre-regulation scaffolding work?
Custom and practice was the act in circumstances where there was no formal regulation, and it was actually more powerful than written rules. Experienced scaffolders transmitted safety knowledge and practical skills through direct mentorship rather than codified procedures.
What was the training pathway for scaffolders in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s?
In the 1970s, scaffolders obtained a permit valid for at least 12 months to 2 years, during which they recorded everything they'd done and learned, then progressed through structured technical training at institutions like RMIT.
What generational shift in worker solidarity and workplace culture has emerged in Melbourne's construction sector over the past 20 years?
Riggs observes that on major Melbourne construction sites like the Metro Tunnel project, a generational shift has eroded the worker solidarity and disciplined workplace culture that once defined the industry's collective strength.