CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

MODULE 11
SCAFFOLDING
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Identify the different parts of a scaffold used in construction

2. Assemble properly a scaffold
3. Understand the requirements on safety when building a scaffold

During construction, it is but common that as the building reaches 2 nd to so many floors, workers need to
have a protection in case of fall.

One of the approved fall protection system under OSHS are as follows:

1. Fall Arrest System – full body harness/lanyard/lifeline

2. Ladder
3. Scaffold System

As you already learned the function of full body harness, we will now focus on the Scaffold system.

In the
construction industry, scaffolding is one of the highest risk occupations in this country. Accident tolls
linked with scaffolds ranges from serious injury to fatality. Consequently, it is imperative that various
workers, i.e.. Scaffolders, Scaffold Users, Foremen, Site Supervisors, Project Managers, etc. be trained
for safety & practical scaffolding. This will definitely reduce or prevent the occurrence of potential
hazards from scaffold.

12 OSHA Scaffolding Safety Requirements

The OSHA scaffolding requirements are quite detailed when you open the guidebook. Here is an
outline but it is best that you also read the OSHS Manual.

1. Weight Capacity
How much weight must a scaffold be capable of supporting?
 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

Your scaffold must be structurally sound and sturdy enough to support its own weight plus four times
the max intended load. It should do all of this without settling or any displacement whatsoever.
Scaffolds should be set up on completely solid footing. Following these working at heights safety
tips can help keep your workers safe and your business compliant.

2. Stability
Unsteady objects should never be used to support planks or scaffolds. Such objects might include
loose bricks, boxes, barrels, and the like.

3. Supervised Setup
A competent person must supervise workers as scaffolds are erected, dismantled, moved, or altered in
any way.

4. Extra Precaution
All scaffolding must be equipped with toeboards, midrails, and guardrails. Wondering about scaffold
guardrail height requirements?

5. Maintenance
Brackets, braces, screw legs, trusses, or ladders should be routinely examined. Any weak or damaged
equipment should be replaced or repaired immediately.

6. Materials
Your scaffolding platforms should be tightly planked. Ensure the scaffold plank grade material or
equivalent is used.

7. Scaffolding Inspection
The designated and certified “competent person” is required to inspect all scaffolding. The competent
person must re-inspect at predetermined intervals. This is due to even the most minute of
alterations/shifts that could pose potential danger to workers.

8. Rigging Inspection
The rigging on any and all suspension scaffolds must undergo inspection by your site’s competent
person. This should occur before each shift. And this inspection should be performed again. Sometimes
the structural integrity of suspension scaffolding is not safe. It has been affected or compromised.
Connections should be tight. Absolutely no damage should occur within the rigging.

9. Rigging Protection
Natural or synthetic rope involved in the suspension scaffold setup should be monitored. It needs to be
protected from nearby heat-producing machinery and other sources.

10. Diagonal Braces Instruction

Your employees are required to be trained about the hazards of using diagonal braces as their fall
protection.

11. Access
Your scaffolding may be accessed by way of stairwells and ladders. Do not access via unsteady
objects.
 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

12. Power Line Distance

Your scaffolding must rest at least 10 feet away from electrical power lines during all times.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS on SCAFFOLD SYSTEM:

• Must be supervised by a competent person
• Sound footing or anchorage
• Don’t use unstable objects as supports
• Use guardrails
• Use screen
• Use full planking
• Legs should be plumb
• Eliminate slippery conditions
• Post safety rules
• Scaffold shall be tied and fully braced
• Shall be capable of supporting 4x the design load
• Avoid power lines
• Approval for multiple usage
• Ladders should have landing
• Use outrigger or outboard safety support
• Provide independent safety lines
• Must be supervised
• Provide access ladder or equivalent
• Work during severe weather condition is prohibited
• Extend and overlap planks
• Do not ride on rolling scaffold

SCAFFOLD REQUIREMENTS:
 Be on a firm foundation with base plates
 Be plumb, square and adequately braced
 Have a fully planked work deck
 Have guardrails over 10 feet
 Be tied in over 4 Vert./1 Horiz. high
 Have an adequate means of access
 Must be able support its own weight and 4 times the maximum intended load.
 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

 Scaffolds must be designed by a qualified person.

 They must and built and loaded within design.

SCAFFOLD PARTS AND TERMINOLOGIES:

 SOLE PLATE- a timber or other member of adequate size and suitable quality used to distribute
the load from the base plate over an area of ground, floor joist, etc.
 ADJUSTABLE BASE PLATE- a base plate used for compensating variations in ground level.
Sometimes the base plate is nailed or pinned to a sole board to stop lateral movement.
 LEDGERS- are horizontal tubes that connect and support the standards and act as support for
transom.
 LEDGER BRACING- tubes secured diagonally between lifts from ledger to ledger or standard to
standard to ensure stability.
 SCAFFOLD- scaffold is an elevated working platform for supporting both personnel and
materials. It is a temporary structure…
 TRANSOM- a tube spanning across ledgers to tie a scaffold transversely, which may also
support a working platform.
 STANDARD- a tube used as a column or vertical in the construction of a scaffold, & transmitting
a load to the ground via a Base Plate.
 BRACE- a tube diagonally across two or more members to afford stability.
 TOE BOARD- a plank positioned at the edge of a platform or place so as to prevent workers,
tools and materials falling from the platform or place.
 MIDRAIL- a tube secured to standards midway between guardrail and platform
 GUARDRAIL- a tube erected at the edge of platform and other places to prevent persons falling
from the platform or place.
 SWAY BRACE- a tube secured diagonally across the face of a scaffold to ensure stability.
 DECKING- close-boarded scaffold platform.
 COUPLER- a fitting used to connect scaffolding tubes together.
 TIE- a tube used to connect a scaffold to a rigid anchorage.
 JOINT PIN- also known as a spigot. Used for connecting two tubes end to end.
 DECKING-close-boarded scaffold platform.
 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

TYPE OF SCAFFOLD
 Tube & Coupler Scaffold
 System Scaffolds
 Tubular Welded Frame Scaffold
 Others
 Rolling/Mobile Scaffold
 Trestle Scaffold
 Bamboo Scaffold
 Timber Scaffold
 Suspended Scaffold
 Slung Scaffold
 Suspended Scaffold

BASIC SCAFFOLD REQUIREMENT

 Materials
 Foundations
 Ties
 Working Platform
 Guardrails / Toe boards
 Access
 Workmanship

MATERIALS
 Materials to be used in erecting
scaffolding should be in good condition.
 Steel items should be free from rust.
 Mandatory inspection by
experienced and competent person to all
materials before use.

SCAFFOLD TUBES
3 main types:
a. Black Steel Tubes
b. Galvanized Steel Tubes
c. Aluminum Alloy Tubes

 Tubes should be manufactured & tested.

 Both black steel and Galvanized steel tubes possess the same properties except galvanized
tubes are more resistant to corrosion.
 Aluminum tube has the same outside diameter as steel but is slightly thicker and much lighter.

SCAFFOLD TUBES INSPECTION

 Straight
 Free from cracks splits, had dents & excessive corrosion
 Cut square & clean at each end
 Common faults
 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

SCAFFOLD TUBE STORAGE

 Wherever possible tubes should be sorted according to length & stored in racks with their ends
flush.

SCAFFOLD BOARDS:
 Cat Walk
 Timber Boards
 Timber boards come in 3 thickness, 38mm, 50mm & 63mm & are normally 225mm wide &
3.90m long.
 Shorter boards are used when necessary.

STORAGE
SCAFFOLD FITTINGS:
 Should be sorted by type and kept clean and dry in strong sacks, lightly oiled to prevent rust.
 Experienced and competent person before use should inspect scaffolds fitting.
 Any broken or damage fittings should be discarded.
 Rusty threads (if not defective) should be wires brushed and lightly oiled.

MANAGEMENT OF MATERIALS:
 Should be delivered to site when required only!
 Should be removed and stored when the job is finished!
 Ensure correct amounts and types of materials arrive on site.

FOUNDATIONS:
 The foot of any standards or upright should be adequately founded on a suitable base plate and
adequate mudsills in order to prevent slipping or sinking.
 Soil compaction.
 There is no base plate and the scrap plywood is not adequate.
 The scaffold frame could penetrate the plywood.
 Scaffolds should never be set on bricks, masonry blocks, etc. These are not structural elements
and could crush under the scaffold load.

Sole plates:
 Firm Ground- 500mm long x 225mmx35mm
 Soft Ground – 765mm long x 225mmz35mm
 Under 2 Stds.-1.55m long x 225mmx35mm
TIES
 It is essential that every scaffold should be securely tied to the building structure throughout its
entire length to prevent movement of the scaffold.

RULES OF THUMB:
1. Space ties every other lift and every 6M along the face of the scaffold.
2. Ties should be fixed with load bearing couplers, as close to the node point as possible.
3. Avoid the use of reveal ties where possible.
4. Take full advantage of any structural features of the buildings e.g. pillars, columns, lintels,
rebates, etc. to provide additional strength and stability to the tie.
5. Make sure that the building is strong enough to support the tie and the load imposed on it by the
scaffold.
6. Do not remove tie for any reason until the overall stability of the scaffold has been confirmed.
 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

SCAFFTAG PROCEDURE:
 Scafftag is an internationally used scaffold safety system and through its simplicity, encourage
and controls the safety scaffolding and of those who erect or dismantle and use it.
 The “Scafftag Safety System” shall be used as a visual warning system to display the status (i.e.
safe vs. unsafe ) of scaffolding.
 As soon as the erection of a scaffold is completed and before it is put in use, an inspection shall
be carried out by the Safety Engineer / Inspector with particular attention to:
 Condition of the components used
 Place where it is erected
 Signs indicating its presence and danger that it may occur
 Solidity of the base
 Loading and maximum number of person permitted to use

 Should the scaffolding has passed for use. A green Scafftag will be affixed restricted to the
purpose for it was erected.
 Should the scaffold present any danger, then a red tag shall be attached to all its access points.
Only trained personnel (Scaffolder) will be allowed to climb the scaffold for repair / certification
work.
 Re-inspection!
 After repair.
 After severe weather.

NOTHING IS SO URGENT THAT

IT CAN NOT BE DONE SAFELY !!!

IF IT CAN’T BE DONE SAFELY, DON’T DO IT AT ALL

MODULE 12
SCAFFOLD TRAINING
Scaffold Training will be scheduled for this week and you will be tasked to build and form the scaffold
applying the requirements on scaffold system. This may take a half-day session.

MODULE 13
SCAFFOLD National Certificate Assessment
This is 60% of your Finals Exam Grade

There will be an Assessment for Scaffolding NCII.

 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ENGINEERING – FINALS TOPIC

MODULE 14 - CHECKLIST ON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND

HEALTH STANDARDS
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Learn to fill-up the safety and health checklist for an existing construction company

Here is the checklist developed by OSHS Center. Your task is to look for a construction company and
ask them if you can be allowed to conduct the Checklist. This is a groupwork. Submission is your final
task for the course. This is 30% of your Finals Grade