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Scaffold safety: Don't let what goes up, come down

Date Posted: January 9 2004

By Jerry Faber
Safety Director
AGC-SE Michigan

It is estimated that protecting workers from scaffold-related accidents would prevent 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths each year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In a seven-year period, OSHA found that construction deficiencies caused about 28 percent of the scaffolding accidents that occurred on U.S. construction jobsites. These scaffolding deficiencies included using substandard components, omitting essential components, or failing to complete the assembly.

Of scaffolding fatalities reported in that same time period, 23 percent occurred as a result of construction deficiencies, 10 percent occurred due to a scaffold's structural failure, and 8 percent occurred during assembly and disassembly of the scaffolding.

Scaffolding cannot be erected, moved, dismantled, or altered except under the supervision of a competent person. The workers performing this function must receive special training and the workers performing on the scaffold must be trained as well. (Part 12, Rule 1209 and 1210 of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Construction Safety Standards)

Some of the common mistakes people make when erecting scaffolding are as follows:

  • Guard rail and toe board systems are not complete
  • Scaffolding is not secured properly or outriggers are not being used
  • Base plates and mud sills are not capable of supporting the load exposed on them
  • Work platforms are not completely decked
  • All frame connections are not being used
  • Proper access to the scaffold is missing
  • Scaffolding is not erected with the proper clearances from electrical lines
  • Manufacturers' recommendations are not followed

These are just a few of the key life-saving and injury-reducing steps to keep in mind. Properly trained people on properly erected scaffolding are the ways to prevent accidents.

 
A competent person is key to scaffold safety.