Proper egress on and off scaffolds is critical; always use the designated access to scaffolds
at all times. This may include fix ladders, walkways, stairway towers and man lifts. Do
not take shortcuts to save time.
My name's Ed Sanchez, President of Scaffold Solutions. There's a few topics for accessing
scaffold that we'd like to discuss, it's usually one of the most important starting
points, and one of the most hazardous. Okay, when accessing scaffolds on this ladder system
or external ladders, we've discussed about the three points of contact; two hands, one
foot, two feet, one hand. Very important that you maintain your balance and not get inhibited
with tools or other accessories that will prevent you to accessing the ladder properly.
When accessing the scaffold through a ladder or internal hatch system you can pop your
hatch, keep your hands clear, put your tools on the next level and then climb the ladder.
The other option is the pulley system; always use a secure bag or other containment that
is functional that can handle your load. A bucket is not a good idea. The top
man, always take your bag, your secured containment and bring it inboard of your rail system.
Take your tools out, set it back over the edge, as long as you're in constant communication
with the rope man, this is never a single-man operation. Okay, stair towers are a very common
access to a building; getting your tools up there is also still a problem. Always maintain
one free hand for your handrail, use your other hand to carry your tools, and if an
extra trip is necessary, use it. The loading base and pre-planning is always your best
recipe for success. If you try to shortcut, go into an area that is not ready for it,
is not prepared for it nor engineered for it, you will exceed those load values, it's
a recipe for disaster. Okay, frame scaffolds have a weight limit,
they're typically on a wood plank system, ten foot bay rated to 25 pounds maximum pounds
per square foot. Loading becomes an issue, you have to get your material to your work
place; this takes a little bit of planning, a little bit of foresight, so you don't
overload your location. Another component to considering load factors is the amount
of ties to your scaffold, in other words, how do we secure the scaffolding to the substructure.
There's multiple ways between tire wire, fixed all thread, kickers, permanent welded
components. Now in doing so, again this is part of your loading plan; if you exceed the
25 pounds per square foot minimum, manufacture's recommendation, you're putting more weight
on that scaffold than what's intended, somebody has to come up and review that and take a
look at those ideas. If you alter the tie-ins in any manner, particularly under loaded conditions,
high winds, weather, you're now compromising the system. Always inspect your planks, particularly
wood, you have a combination of laminated style, pine style, and sometimes you'll
see people put the wrong type of material in there, it is your responsibility to inspect
your work platform each day. At the end of the erection process with your
scaffolding it's a very high recommendation that you do a joint inspection not only by
the contractor but by the erector and your end user. Always take that extra time, that
little bit of extra energy and effort and be safe. Another component to a safe, successful
project is always good housekeeping. A lot of people forget that just does not go to
the interior. Good housekeeping, particularly on scaffold, is a critical issue, you don't
want items falling, being kicked, pushed, moved, or somehow going downhill and injuring
somebody. Part of your inspection process at the end of the
day, or at the end of completion of your scaffolding is allowing people to know if you have a safe
or unsafe condition; is a scaffold ready to use or is it not. At each access point you're
going to have a red tag or green tag, obviously very simple, red don't go, green it is clear;
this is established by the competent person after they have inspected the scaffolding
and approved it ready for use. Do not take these off at any time without advising or
discussing with your safety director, your safety personnel or making proper communication
to the rest of the staff and construction project that it is either safe or unsafe.
One of the most common ways to get on and off the scaffold is by an access ladder; before
using any ladder, here are a few safety guidelines to acknowledge.
We're talking about ladders and ladders on a job site and how they might interface
with our scaffold. Again, it's very important that when we select the ladder to do a job
we select the right ladder. One of the most critical things we need is a ladder that will
extend three foot above our access and egress point. As you can see from this little sample
ladder here, we're only extending about eight inches above the platform or the access
and egress point. We need to make sure that this extends three foot above the access line.
When we get on or off of a ladder, of course what we're doing is we're transferring
our load, we're actually pushing the ladder away from us, that's why it's so critical
that we tie off the ladder as soon as possible. There are a number of things out in the field,
out in the industry that can make a ladder safer; we have ladder levelers, ladder extensions
that will allow us to then step off of a ladder instead of around the outside going through
the middle of the ladder. Again, as we approach a job we want to make sure that as we set
the ladder up it's on a firm level surface. Right now for instance I've set the ladder
up on extension cords, we should never set up a ladder on anything like this, and if
we can, let's go ahead and kick those out of the way. If when we get to the job and
our ladder, as you can see, is not perpendicular with our work, we need to have -- this ladder
has a set of ladder leveling legs; there are many, many ladder leveling legs in the industry,
but what's nice about this is, we can adjust this ladder very quickly and very easily so
it is now perpendicular to our work surface instead of putting bricks or two by fours
or two by sixes under a ladder, we want to use an approved ladder leveling device.
When we're leaning the ladder up against, for instance a scaffold, we need to identify
our access and egress points so that we can tie the ladder off. We don't want to be
moving this from point to point and we don't want to be leaning this against a mid-rail
of, for instance, a mid-rail on a scaffold, we want to be making sure this is on a secure
surface. Another thing we want to make sure is that the ladder's at the proper angle,
approximately four to one so off this ladder for instance we're going up 20 feet, it
would be about five feet away. A good way to test that is to put your feet at the base
of the ladder, stand with your hands at the wrung closest to your shoulders, and that's
approximately the right angle for using a ladder; four to one, firm level surface and
a proper engaging point on the surface you're going to be climbing on and off of.
Another portion of scaffolding that is often overlooked are rolling units, and the very
simple rules that would apply to them. Number one, never ride a rolling unit, always dismount,
always lock your wheels, always secure any tools or material that are up on your working
platform. Always look where you are rolling, particularly in tarp floors, that you don't
have any holes, and trenches or anything that will create the rolling unit to become unbalanced.
Not only are you looking on the ground for obstructions but you also need to look overhead;
sprinkler lines, electrical lines, lighting, anything that may be in the same plane as
your handrails or any other obstruction that can prevent your
move. In addition to rolling units, as a scaffold contractor, it's our recommendation that
you do not ride on the rolling units as they are being moved. Please follow all CAL/OSHA
regulations and any other job-specific requirements.
It is required for you to wear your personal protective equipment, or PPE. Basic PPE includes
a hard hat, safety glasses and work boots at all times. A hard hat worn properly will
prevent most head injuries to yourself. Some jobs require additional PPE to be worn, such
as personal fall protection equipment. Your supervisor will instruct you if this is necessary.
Always check with your supervisor before you begin work if you are unsure.
Please implement and follow the safety guidelines addressed in this video; remember to take
your time and pay attention while working on scaffolding. This video was designed to
provide you with an overview of safety measures; it is not a comprehensive safety program.
If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss these with your supervisor. Thank
you for your attention.