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After inspectors find these areas, maintenance workers will address those defects by standing on scaffolding to perform their work. Workers commonly can stand on scaffolding to clean windows and other parts of skyrise buildings. Scaffold dismantling and storage are the final steps that can ensure scaffold planks and components are preserved for future use and prevent accidents during disassembly. Since the original approval of the A10.8 standard in 1969, scaffolding work has evolved considerably as materials, components and technology have changed, allowing for a wider variety of scaffolding options for use on work sites.
Top OSHA construction violations for 2013: Best practices for fall protection and more - Safety.BLR.com
Top OSHA construction violations for 2013: Best practices for fall protection and more.
Posted: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Scaffold Safety – Planning, Design, Erection and Use
The qualified person must do adequate preplanning to assure the safe erection and use of the scaffold. Preplanning must include determining the necessary type of scaffolding for the job, the maximum load for the scaffold, assuring a good foundation, and avoiding electrical hazards. The common hazards that erectors and dismantlers face include access, collapse, electrical, fall, instability, and struck-by hazards. Scaffold erectors are those employees who have been designated (based on training and experience) by the department to be the employees who are responsible for the erection and maintenance of department scaffolds on the Princeton University campus. Erectors can solicit materials and components from other employees who may be on the ground, but the ultimate adding / subtracting of components to a scaffold shall be accomplished by an authorized scaffold erector.
1: Introduction to Scaffold Safety
Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version. Upon successful completion, attendees will receive a certificate, and the client/employer will receive copies of the certificates, the training roster, quizzes, and course evaluations for their records.
Moving, dismantling, or altering
To achieve scaffolding safety, proper planning and erection processes are crucial. These initial steps ensure that scaffolds are built to withstand the loads and stresses they will encounter during construction operations. The standard specifies that employers must provide training for each employee on site-specific hazards and that they understand the correct procedures for erecting, securing, inspecting, maintaining and disassembling the scaffolding systems in use. For example, light-duty scaffolding (a maximum load of 25 lbs./sq. ft.) may suffice for work such as inspection and maintenance. On the other hand, if the project involves masonry work and heavy materials such as bricks or blocks, medium-duty scaffolding (a maximum load of 50 lbs./sq. ft.) may be necessary. For even larger equipment or an increased number of workers, heavy-duty scaffolding (a maximum load of 75 lbs./sq. ft.) may be required.
This determination is based on site conditions and the type of scaffold being erected or dismantled. (e)(9)(i) – The employer shall provide safe means of access for each employee erecting or dismantling a scaffold where the provision of safe access is feasible and does not create a greater hazard. The employer shall have a competent person determine whether it is feasible or would pose a greater hazard to provide, and have employees use a safe means of access. That variety is why the standard includes requirements for several different types of scaffolding materials and designs, including platforms, hoisted suspended scaffolds, system scaffolds, tube and coupler scaffolds, and form and carpenter bracket scaffolds.
This website is not the official or final authority to determine OSHA compliance responsibilities, which are set forth in OSHA standards themselves, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Because OSHA regulations are constantly being added, deleted, and/or revised, you must not rely on this website as the official or final authority of OSHA training requirements; refer to the official OSHA regulations available on OSHA’s website (osha.gov). The first two options require inspectors to physically work at height, either by using ropes or standing on scaffolding. For that reason, both of these approaches present potential dangers to the inspector for the collection of inspection data. The name comes from the fact that they are suspended from the roof of a building by wire, ropes, or chains.
Tube and Coupler Scaffolds—Planning, Design, Erection and Use
The general requirements for scaffolding in construction are outlined in OSHA’s standard. Scaffolding must be capable of supporting its own weight and at least four times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it, without failure. Before the scaffold is used, direct connections are evaluated by a competent person who confirms, based on the inspection evaluation, that the supporting surfaces are capable of supporting the loads to be imposed. OSHA requires a “competent person” erector to be involved in the setup, usage, and take down of scaffolding.
Training and Communication
Cantilever scaffolding (also called needle scaffolding) is made to come out from a building at an angle using a separate scaffold. Images of scaffolding have been found on ancient artifacts such as the Berlin Foundry Cup, a Greek drinking cup made in the 5th century BC. The use of scaffolding dates as far back as the stone age—in fact, there’s evidence that scaffolding was used over 17,000 years ago by those who made the famous paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux. Wood platforms shall not be covered with opaque finishes, except that platform edges may be covered or marked for identification. Platforms may be coated periodically with wood preservatives, fire-retardant finishes, and slip-resistant finishes; however, the coating may not obscure the top or bottom wood.
Scaffold collapses prompt warning - SafeWork SA
Scaffold collapses prompt warning.
Posted: Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
“Although guardrails are probably the most common form of fall protection, on certain scaffolds, for example single- and two-point suspended scaffolds, you need both a guardrail and a personal fall arrest system,” he says. Cross braces on tubular welded frame scaffolds shall not be used as a means of access or egress. Hook-on and attachable ladders shall be positioned so that their bottom rung is not more than 24 inches above the scaffold supporting level. When hook-on and attachable ladders are used on a supported scaffold more than 35 feet high, they shall have rest platforms at 35 foot maximum vertical intervals.
In 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported 52 scaffolding fatalities. By adhering to safety rules, regulations, and best practices, these fatalities could have been avoided. Cal/OSHA standards require scaffolding at heights where ladders are unsafe and there is no permanent structure at least 20 inches wide. Designing scaffolds is not the same as simply building a scaffold to comply with the OSHA regulations since the OSHA regulations are minimum requirements, not instructions or directions for design. A qualified person will incorporate the requirements specified in the regulations in the design, not use the regulations as the design.
A qualified person has the right background such as education, degree, certification or professional standing that shows they are an expert in designing safe scaffolding. This person might work for the scaffold manufacturer or, in special cases, might be assigned to a job where the normal scaffold just won’t get the job done—like if you’re working on the Statue of Liberty. The Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) department requires all scaffolds to be built at least 10 feet away from power lines—no matter the voltage. For more than 50kV, one must increase the distance by 0.4 inches for each 1kV over 50kV. Double scaffolding is a type of readymade scaffolding that is commonly used for stonemasonry.
Scaffolds must not be erected, used, dismantled, altered, or moved such that they or any conductive material handled on them might come closer to exposed and energized powerlines. OSHA provides minimum distance guidelines for insulated and uninsulated lines depending on the voltage. When it comes to using scaffolding, employers must ensure that scaffolds and scaffold components are not loaded in excess of their maximum intended loads or rated capacities, whichever is less.
Scaffolding can be built up from the ground, suspended from the top of buildings, and cantilevered off the sides of structures. Aerial lifts are commonly used for construction projects that require workers to access a variety of different levels in a single day or work cycle. The direct connections to roofs and floors, and counterweights used to balance adjustable suspension scaffolds, must be capable of resisting at least four times the tipping moment imposed by the scaffold operating at the rated load of the hoist. Alternatively, they must withstand a minimum of 1.5 times the tipping moment imposed by the scaffold operating at the stall load of the hoist, whichever is greater.
A scaffold is an elevated temporary work surface that supports employees or materials. The term “competent” is frequently used incorrectly simply because the individual using the word doesn’t recognize the ramifications of that use. An employee who does not appreciate the significance of the word competent will, when asked, declare that he is a competent person when in fact he means that he is only competent. Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. The chances of an accident occurring are much less when a competent person inspects the scaffold for users before the workday starts and after any incident that could impact its integrity.
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