813 Construction Worksite Safety

Suspension Scaffolds

Recommended Precautions

Recommended precautions to take while working with scaffolds include:

• Make sure employees are instructed about the hazards of using diagonal braces as fall protection. Scaffolds should be accessed by using ladders and stairwells. Crossbracing should not be used for access, as it is a standard part of scaffold construction for stability.
• Make sure scaffolds are sound, rigid and sufficient to carry their own weight plus four times the maximum intended load without settling or displacement.
• Ensure scaffolds are erected on solid footing.
• Do not support scaffolds or planks with unstable objects, such as barrels, boxes, loose bricks or concrete blocks. Ladders, boxes, barrels, buckets or other makeshift platforms should not be used to raise work height. Extra material should not be used to build up on scaffold platforms.
• Equip scaffolds with guardrails, midrails, and toeboards as required.

• Ensure scaffolds are erected, moved, dismantled or altered under the supervision of a competent person.
• Never use scaffold accessories such as braces, brackets, trusses, screw legs or ladders that are damaged or weakened from any cause. Make sure they are immediately repaired or replaced.
• Tightly plank the scaffold platforms with scaffold plank grade material or equivalent. All scaffolds should be fully planked.
• Make sure a competent person inspects the scaffolding and, at designated intervals, repeat the inspection.
• Ensure a competent person inspects rigging on suspension scaffolds before each shift and after any occurrence that could affect structural integrity to ensure that all connections are tight and that no damage to the rigging has occurred since its last use.
• Check that synthetic and natural rope used in suspension scaffolding is protected from heat-producing sources.

• Ensure damaged parts that affect the strength of the scaffold are taken out of service. Make sure scaffolds are not moved horizontally while workers are on them unless they are designed to be mobile and workers have been trained in the proper procedures.
• Do not allow employees to work on scaffolds when covered with snow, ice, or other slippery materials. Employees are not permitted to work on scaffolds in bad weather or high winds unless a competent person has determined it is safe to do so.
• Scaffolds should not be loaded with more weight than they were designed to support.

For a more comprehensive introduction on scaffold safety, take OSHAcademy Course 803, Scaffold Safety Program Management and Course 804, Safe Scaffold Erection and Inspection.

You may also want to visit OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page: Scaffolding.

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