What are rules regarding scaffold use?

[walker]

I am doing a job that is going to reqiure that I erect scaffold 14' high. I have been on plenty of scaffolding, but never have had to set it up and make sure it is used safely on a job site. I will be going against the side of a building while I install some steel work. Do I need harnesses. How do you tie off? does the scaffold need to be secured to the structure? Thanks, this is just one oddball job that I have run across, and likely will not set one up again for a long time.

[Cryo Gal]

Fall protection or fall arrest systems -- Each employee more than 10 feet above a lower level shall be protected from falls by guardrails or a fall arrest system, except those on single-point and two-point adjustable suspension scaffolds. Each employee on a single-point and two-point adjustable suspended scaffold shall be protected by both a personal fall arrest system and a guardrail. 1926.451(g)(1)

I want to say anything over 15' has to be tied to the structure but here's the OSHA page. http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3150/osha3150.html

You could also call a place that rent scaffold like United or Sunbelt and ask them the tie off requirement, they should have an instant answer for you.

[welds4d]

You must be trained to erect and inspect scaffold. Osha uses the term 'Competent Person' alot. Call Safeway scaffold company and see if you can rent the scaffold installed and inspected.

[Cryo Gal]

competent person can also be one who has been instructed by a place like Sunbelt or United. Of course, a professional scaffold company is the most sure, safe route.

[tenpins]

check out this link: http://www.biljax.com/safetydocs/sca...procedures.pdf

"H. WHEN FREE STANDING SCAFFOLD TOWERS exceed* four times their
minimum base dimension vertically, they must be restrained from tipping."

scaffolds can be dangerous. They can also be quite safe. Make sure you are safe!

[Bob the Welder]

By welds4d;

You must be trained to erect and inspect scaffold. Osha uses the term 'Competent Person' alot

A lot of misunderstanding regarding OSHA's use of "competent person" and "qualified person". http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/competentperson/index.html

[zapster]

I will give the semi spammer one more try..

Maybe she did not know we treat these posts as spam..
So you are actually at strike 2 now islisa....

...zap!

[joebie]

My only word of advice is make sure where the posts for the tiers meet is clean/lubed in some fashion. Just had 3 tiers set up at home for doing some stuff on the side of the house and taking it apart with dry posts was less then fun.

Very hard to get proper leverage when you are worried about dropping from the 3rd tier while trying to pull it apart.

[rhunt]

When assembling sections of scaffold, watch the web between your thumb and index finger! You can easily pinch or sever it in a heart beat!! I know from whence I speak!! Bob

[albert001]

hi i would like to share some knowledge on scaffolding. if anyone know more pls share with me


The tools and equipment commonly used to erect, maintain and dismantle scaffolding are described in this section.

Scaffold spanner: "Scaffold spanners" or "scaffold keys" are the preferred tool for tightening and releasing nuts on scaffold fittings or couplers.
Swing over spanner: A standard scaffolding spanner with a head to fit 7/16" or " nuts with the head attached to the handle with a pin or ball and socket assembly. The handle is between 200mm and 250mm long.
Ratchet spanner: A scaffold spanner similar to a standard socket set ratchet with the head to fit 7/16" or " nuts. The socket is either made as part of the ratchet or is secured to the ratchet. The handle is between 200mm and 250mm long.
Podger hammer: The standard podger hammer is made of mild steel and has a straight handle between 200mm and 250mm with a tapering podger end of the handle between 30 and 45 degrees to the handle. Podger hammers are the preferred tool for general hammering, tapping in wedges on system scaffolding, locking and releasing the cups on cuplock scaffolding, twisting and tightening the wire on wire ties, etc. Podger hammers can be used for locating or aligning holes on steelwork.
Adjustable wrenches (crescent or shifter): An adjustable wrench, crescent or shifter is normally used where an obstruction prevents the use of a scaffold spanner. A spanner fits over the nut; an adjustable wrench slides around a nut. The use of an adjustable wrench should be kept to a minimum as it has a tendency to round off the nuts. The arm of an adjustable wrench should be between 200mm and 250mm long.

LINK DELETED BY MODERATOR

[farmall]

FOAD Spammer. Don't click the link.

[leightrepairs]

Scaffolding can be a very difficult to manage. If you are not experienced with it I would hire a scaffolding company to erect and inspect. If the scaffolding is complete, toe boards, handrails, ladders, no opening in the floor, etc you may not need fall protection. The scaffolding needs to be inspected at the start of each shift and if there are any changes to it. OSHA tie off height is 6 foot not ten as stated above , and many plants require tie off over 4 foot. If you need to tie off whole nother set of rules and training. OSHA likes scaffolding, they know they can almost always find violations if there is scaffolding on a job site.

[Insaneride]

This is an old post but revived by spammers I guess. No Spam here.

Say Albert001, Im kinda confused. The only tools I use to erect scaffolds is my back and hands and sometimes a helper and maybee a tie off if needed. Do you have pics of the tools you mentioned? I personally dont care for hammerring scaffold Whats really got me is you start out in metric but then goto 7/16 inch. It is interesting that you changed up because 7/16 inch is the same as 11mm.

It sounds like the hammering podger is simmilar to what I call a spud wrench? But spanners for scaffold?

About a year ago, OSHA showed up on the job. OSHA fined the xterior crew $7,000 whopping dollars($2,000 minimum here in NV) for missing a couple tie offs at 6 feet and for a bent A-frame. The sub contractor took his Mother to the hearing. His Mom got the fine lowered to $2,000. Laughed my watchamacallit off. Gotta love Moms.

[walker]

Oddly enough, I posted this a year ago for a job that I was doing which required a 3 level high scaffold, and I wanted to make sure I was OSHA compliant. Now I have another job requiring scaffold inside a house for a 24' tall ceiling. For the most part it is pretty straight forward, except that I need access to the ceiling in two spots right above the stairs. I can put one leg of the scaffold on the landing, but that would leave the other leg 2 level side with no cross bracing. I am sure there is a legitimate way of doing this, I just don't know what it is.
Any ideas?

[Insaneride]

What kinda scaffold is it? Dont know how to xplain this and dont have a pic but, if theres no handrail in the way, you could stagger one of the first level frames so that one of the second level frames sits on a step and on the staggered donkey dik of the first level. The other second level sits normally on both donkey diks of the first level. The first level uses only one x brace due to the stagger. The second level uses both x braces as normal. You could proceed as normal with a third level if needed and probably is for 24 feet.

Think of the first level like this, the cross(X) brace attaches to the frame,s but the frames are not facing each other but offset. I will try to take a pic tomorrow if Im too confusing.

[dumb as a stump]

do what ever you need to do and do it in the evening when inspectors don't work. ps they do make ladders for over stairs you know.

[DSW]

My stair ladder that you can offset the legs on only goes to 10'. In a normal entrance way if I set the ladder up 1/2 up the stairs I can get about a foot above the height of the 2nd floor. It's ok with 8 or 9' ceilings, but I can only reach out maybe 8' from the top landing on a plank. After that I need to set scaffold.

My bakers scaffold lest me offset the legs and still use the standard braces. I'm picking up a few extra sets this weekend and the 1st thing I'm doing with the new sets is cutting at least one section in half for use as a guard rail at the top and giving me the option to set a 1/2 section on a stair so I can keep the uprights level if I have to set up over a stair case.

With my bakers scaffold, 2 bucks will get me to reach about 19'-20' (2 6' bucks plus my 8' reach from the deck). That's a stretch but doable most times. 3 bucks would easily let me reach 24', but I'd definitely want outriggers at the bottom to stabilize it if I ran 3 sections tall and wasn't near a wall. That or a spotter or the ability to set an extra set of rails at the bottom and load it with ballast. With my standard 5' wide scaffold 3 sections up wouldn't phase me. I need to pick up a set of 1/2 height bucks for that set as well.

[Insaneride]

Heres a couple pics of offsetting the scaffold for stairs. Imagine that where the white truck bed trailers is; is where the stairs would be. The second level would use the stair tread at the level of the donkey dik of the first level. The opposite side of the second level would sit on the first level as normal (rest on both donkey di). Hope this helps and please share pics of whatever method you use.

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by rhunt

When assembling sections of scaffold, watch the web between your thumb and index finger! You can easily pinch or sever it in a heart beat!! I know from whence I speak!! Bob

Or was that "wince I speak" ???
-Mondo

[walker]

Got it set up and did the installation today. I just used two levels on the lower landing, and one level on the upper landing. I used a couple of triangular supports on the lower leg in lieu of cross braces. It seemed to be very sturdy.