3 Tips To Ensure That Everything Is Safe When Using Scaffolding On A Job

If you need to use scaffolding on your next construction job, it is vitally important that you know how to ensure that your all of your employees are safe while using the scaffolding. Here are three tips that will set you on the right track safety-wise when using scaffolding on your next construction job.

#1 Ensure Everyone Is Trained

Before you start a new construction job that is going to require the use of scaffolding, you need to review the training of all of your employees who will be on the job site. According to federal safety standards set forth by Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more commonly known as OSHA, anyone on the job who will be working not just on the scaffolding but involved in any part of the set-up, moving or taking care of the scaffolding in any way needs to undergo the proper training in regards to scaffolding.

This training should provide all of your employees information about how scaffolding is set-up, how it is designed to work and what safety steps need to be taken when working on or around scaffolding. This training will help ensure that everyone on your staff knows how to act safely around scaffolding and will also train them what to do if a number of emergency situations with your scaffolding were to occur. You should include all employers in this training, even if you are not required to train them, to ensure that everyone has the same background knowledge and training. 

Make sure that everyone on your job site has this training; that way, you can rest assured that all employees know how to behave around the scaffolding, not just the ones that are using it.

#2 Review & Post Load Capacity

The second set you need to take to ensure the safe use of your scaffolding is to make sure that you understand the load capacity of the specific scaffolding set-up that you have on your job site. Make sure that you take into consideration all the equipment that you will need to haul up via the scaffolding and ensure that your scaffolding is able to handle that amount of weight.

To ensure that the load capacity is not ever exceeded, post on the scaffolding itself the maximum amount of equipment and people that can be on the scaffolding at one time. Have a system for checking in and out of the scaffolding to ensure this number is not exceeded and make sure all managers and foremen are aware of these numbers and are constantly keeping an eye on capacity to ensure that it is not exceeded.

#3 Complete Daily Inspections

Finally, to ensure that your scaffolding stays stable, assign a specific team of people to the job of inspecting the scaffolding each day. This team should make sure that the scaffolding is keeping its structural integrity. They should also make sure that any maintenance is taken care of all and all boards and parts are in shape and intact in the right places.

Inspecting your scaffolding should be a job that is specifically assigned to a group of people and a form should be filled out every day to ensure that each inspection was completed and to create a track record of all of your inspections. This is a crucial step, as it can help you identify any issues with the scaffolding and allow you to take preventative steps to ensure that it is set-up correctly and everyone who uses it will be safe. 

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