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How a Scaffolding Safety Training Program is the Cornerstone of any Construction Project

Safety should be of paramount importance in any construction or restoration project. Through comprehensive scaffolding safety training, workers are able to perform their functions properly without posing threats to themselves or others.

Scaffolding safety practices are vital in preventing accidents such as falls or injuries caused by falling objects. These accidents may result from a worker’s neglect of scaffolding safety regulations. These accidents do not only mean a loss of manpower, but also leave a company vulnerable to a lawsuit.

Despite their importance, some construction and restoration companies are not fully equipped to impart scaffolding safety practices and regulations to their workers. A professional scaffolding company can implement a training program on scaffolding safety rules, tips, and other matters to make sure all their bases are covered.

Scaffolding safety training programs can be tailored to suit a company’s unique needs for a project. These can include user, erector, competent person, and fall protection training, scaffolding safety rules and tips, as well as scaffolding federal regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

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Scaffolding Safety Training: Understanding the Importance and Use of Personal Protective Equipment

As mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the US Department of Labor, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) should be assessed by the employer thoroughly. Through proper scaffolding safety training, employers enable workers to realize the importance of PPE and maximize its use.

Personal protective equipment, as the name indicates, is meant to protect the wearer from serious accidents, injuries, and other hazards in the workplace. According to OSHA, employers must conduct a hazard assessment of the workplace to determine the specific PPE required for the project. Examples of PPE that promote scaffold safety are safety goggles, hard hats, mail gloves, safety shoes, earplugs, life belts, and respirators.

During scaffolding safety training, workers learn about the functions, proper use, limitations, and maintenance of PPE. Understanding the function of each PPE can help workers better use and take care of this. Training will also provide workers with valuable scaffolding safety tips to supplement their best practices. Lastly, scaffold safety training should ensure that employers and workers alike use PPE in compliance with OSHA regulations.

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Competent Person Training: Boosting Scaffold Safety Measures

When it comes to using a scaffold, safety should always be a top priority. Most companies have their employees go through basic safety courses on how to use scaffolds, as well as what to do in case of emergencies. In fact, scaffolding safety training is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

While this may be enough for some companies, those looking to enhance safety measures should look into Competent Person Training. This helps companies to make sure there are individuals in the workplace who have expert knowledge about the different standards of the OSHA. They will also know the many scaffold safety techniques, risk factors, and emergency solutions needed for specific jobs.

It should be noted that no Competent Person can specialize in two jobs. For instance, if an employee is already assigned to take the scaffolding safety training, he can’t become the Competent Person for other jobs like excavation work or fall protection and fall arrest systems.

By taking additional steps to create a safer work environment, companies can complete the project more quickly and with fewer hitches.

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Wall Access Installations: One of the Types of Scaffolding Needed for Efficient Construction Projects

In construction projects, different types of scaffolding are used to gain access to specific areas of the structure being built. Wall access scaffold types are ideal for projects that require workers to build, repair, or install something along the building’s exterior perimeter.

Among scaffolding types, wall access systems create a safe and convenient walkway, allowing workers to easily traverse an exterior level of a building. This system allows workers to maintain the appropriate distance from the wall while on a stable platform. Of course, these scaffold types must be chosen according to certain factors, such as site conditions, the height to which it must be erected, the type of work that needs to be done, and weather conditions, among others.

Such types of scaffolding are important especially for tasks that require a lot of equipment. They allow workers to have their toolboxes, power equipment, and other hard-to-handle items within easy reach without worrying about dropping them.

By furnishing a construction site with these scaffolding types, contractors and employers enable workers to complete tasks on time without compromising their safety.

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Suspended Scaffolds: The Do’s And Dont’s

The hoisting of a suspended scaffolding and the working of scaffolders from it usually appears as an extremely daring sight from the ground. Every operation undertaken on suspended scaffoldings, be it of window washing or building exterior repair, is accompanied by extensive checking of the entire suspension system. The safety and security of the workers lie in the able supervision of a competent person.  Here are a few important points when considering working on a suspended scaffold.

• Supporting outrigger beams must be able to support at least 4 times the intended load. To keep a scaffold from falling to the ground, it must be attached to the roof, tied to a secure anchorage, or secured with counterweights. The suspension ropes and rigging must support at least 6 times the
intended load.
• Counterweights must be attached to secure and strong places on a building so they won’t move.
Do not use bags of sand or gravel, masonry blocks, or roofing materials that can flow or move.
• Do not use gas-powered equipment or hoists. Hoists must have automatic brakes for emergencies.
• A 1-point or 2-point suspended scaffold must be tied or secured to prevent swaying.

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Some Interesting Facts about Scaffolding

Points of Interest

From a distance, scaffolding looks like a maze of criss-crossing steel pipes that encircles a building. But peer closely and you will realize that complex and precision engineering is at work behind the lattice.

Here are some interesting facts about scaffolding:

  • It is believed that scaffolding originated in ancient North Africa and China. A Greek wine cup, also known as a kylix and dating back to the fifth century, contains an image of a statue of a warrior within a scaffolding.
  • Scaffolding today is mainly made of metal pipes. But in some parts of Asia, scaffolding is made of bamboo and is even used when building very tall skyscrapers.
  • Until the 20th century, scaffolding was made mainly of wood. However, shortages in the supply of wood in various regions prompted manufacturers to look for other sources.
  • W.A. de Vigier is credited with designing an adjustable steel prop that revolutionized scaffolding designs all over the world. This steel prop forms the basis of trench sheeting and falsework, support slab formwork, and wall formwork.
  • The most famous scaffold designer in history is probably Michelangelo, the great painter, sculptor, and architect.  The scaffold that he had designed to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a conversation piece in itself.

Would you like to know more about scaffolding? Then visit the website of Scaffold Resource, a scaffold company in Maryland that has the distinction of working at the most haloed job sites—treasured national monuments like The Jefferson and Lincoln memorials; the Chesapeake Bay Bridge; and the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court buildings.

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Extreme Scaffolding

This is extreme scaffolding, but to most scaffolders it is just another day at the office.  The surging waves and the strong gusts of winds are just occupational hazards that they have to contend with as part of their work.

The life of a worker at Scaffold Resources is no different.  Well, maybe we don’t have to deal with giant waves, but we have undergone the rigorous training program at Scaffold so we would be prepared for anything.

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Suspended Scaffolding : A Basic Requirement For Window Washing

The foremost use of suspended scaffolding is in window washing services that only professional scaffold workers can attempt. The high rise buildings and their elaborate glass panes need to be cleaned at regular intervals of time because they get covered by frost, debris or snow as per the weather conditions. Cleaning them up and maintaining the building’s look can be a challenge for the owners, and that is where window washers step in.

Have you ever thought about the amount of effort and stamina that goes into this activity?  Breathtaking heights and merciless cold winds are not ideal working conditions by any means. Here is a short video that illustrates the immense risk that window washers take.

For more on scaffoldings visit Scaffold Resource here.

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Walking The Mighty Mac On Labor Day

The Mackinac Bridge, or the Mighty Mac as it is also called, is the third largest bridge of the United States. A very heavily populated crossing this bridge connects the Mackinaw City on the south to St. Ignace on the north.

A Grand Structure.

The 5 meter long bridge hosts a popular Walk on Labor Day each year. The Governor of Michigan leads the 5 mile long Bridge Walk. This tradition started as soon as the bridge was completed and opened to public in 1958.

A Grand View During The Bridge Walk.

The complex structure of the Mighty Mac was a challenge to complete for all those involved in the construction. One can imagine the risk in repairing the bridge on scaffoldings.

A Beauty In The Night!!!

 

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Scaffold Regulations Specified By OSHA

A host of regulations have been set up by OSHA in order to outline the safety standards to be maintained in scaffolding work. Here is a brief preview of the regulations since the original makes for extensive reading which is time consuming and cumbersome. Broadly the regulations can be classified in the following sub heads if not more:

  • Types of scaffolding: There are two types recognized by OSHA viz. supported scaffolds rising from the ground upwards and suspended scaffolds those hanging with the help of cables.
  • Load capacity: Scaffolds should be able to take their own weight plus four times the maximum load requirement.
  • Scaffold Platforms: In order to protect any falling through intermittent space, scaffold platforms must not have more than one –inch space between side-by-side sections.
  • Guard Rails: This is mandatory at each level of the scaffolding structure on all sides.
  • Foundation: The legs of the scaffold must rest on firm and solid foundation constructed under expert supervision.

For more on scaffolding techniques and rules visit us at Scaffold Resources.

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