Employer Requirements
Proper Scaffold Construction
The employer must ensure that a competent person is available to direct workers who are constructing, moving, changing, or dismantling scaffolds.
A competent person is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to workers, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
The competent person must:
- train workers on how to construct, move, change and dismantle scaffolds,
- inspect the scaffold and its components before every work shift, and after any event that could affect the structural integrity of the scaffold.
- be able to identify unsafe conditions, and
- be authorized by the employer to take action to correct unsafe conditions, to make the workplace safe.
A qualified person is someone who has very specific knowledge or training, and is responsible for scaffold design and its rigging.
- The employer must provide safe access to the scaffold when a platform is more than two (2) feet above or below the point of access, or when you need to step across more than 14 inches to get on the platform.
A guardrail system or a personal fall arrest system is required for scaffolds more than 10 feet above a lower level. In addition, employers must provide safe access to scaffold platforms.
Ladder Use and Condition
Your employer is required to provide suitable ladders where necessary and maintain the ladders in proper condition. They must also train workers to recognize ladder and stairway hazards. They must ensure all defective ladders are tagged and placed out of service.
Worksite Maintenance
The employer must ensure the construction site is free of clutter and tripping hazards, and site equipment and machinery is in good working order.
Poor worksite maintenance can lead to clutter and debris on a construction site, creating additional slip, trip and fall hazards. Poor maintenance of ladders, scaffolds, and fall protection equipment can also lead to serious injuries. Your employer is required to keep worksites free from scrap lumber with protruding nails and other waste and trash, including combustible debris.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-7. What is required if a defective ladder is found on the construction site?
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