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604 Scaffold Safety
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Qualified Persons

The scaffold standard defines a qualified person as "one who -- by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience -- has successfully demonstrated his/her ability to solve or resolve problems related to the subject matter, the work, or the project."

Qualified persons are responsible to:

  • Design and load scaffolds in accordance with that design.
  • Train employees working on the scaffolds to recognize the associated hazards and understand procedures to control or minimize those hazards.
  • Design the rigging for single-point adjustable suspension scaffolds.
  • Design platforms on two-point adjustable suspension types that are less than 36 inches (0.9 meters) wide to prevent instability.
  • Make swaged attachments or spliced eyes on wire suspension ropes.
  • Design scaffold components construction in accordance with the design.
A qualified person and worker reviewing scaffold designs.
Qualified persons are primarily responsible for scaffold design.

Registered Engineers

A "Registered Professional Engineer" is a person who is registered as a professional engineer in the state where the work is to be performed. However, a professional engineer, registered in any state is deemed to be a "registered professional engineer" within the meaning of OSHA standards.

Registered engineers are responsible to:

  • Design the direct connections of masons' multi-point adjustable suspension scaffolds.
  • Design scaffolds that are to be moved when employees are on them.
  • Design pole scaffolds over 60 feet (18.3 meters) in height.
  • Design tube and coupler scaffolds over 125 feet (38 meters) in height.
  • Design fabricated frame scaffolds over 125 feet (38 meters) in height above their base plates. 1926.452(c)(6)
  • Design brackets on fabricated frame scaffolds used to support cantilevered loads in addition to workers.
  • Design outrigger scaffolds and scaffold components.

Qualified Trainer

Scaffold training should be conducted by a qualified person certified by the employer to conduct training. Certified trainers must train all employees who erect, disassemble, move, operate, repair, maintain, or inspect scaffolds.

Qualified Trainer Criteria:

  • adequate practical experience and fully knowledgeable of the topics being taught;
  • necessary skills to demonstrate safe procedures and practices;
  • adequate skills to train, test, and evaluate student knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs);
  • successful evaluation by the employer of the person's training KSAs; and
  • certification by the employer as qualified and authorized to conduct training.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

1-7. Who is responsible for training scaffold workers to recognize hazards and understand procedures?