Scaffolding Safety Measures during construction and maintenance

A safe working platform is an impermanent design that offers help for laborer, plant and materials utilized in building, development, upkeep, fixes the work. 

The platform fills two needs. One is to give a helpful stage to people to work at stature and the other is to give a protected method for admittance to all spots where an individual might be needed to work whenever. Mishaps at frameworks are for the most part caused either because of a direct breakdown of the platform or because of people or material tumbling off the platform. 

The platforms ought to be of sound material, adequate strength (multiple times the normal burden) and appropriately planned. Their erection, change and destroying ought to be done under the management of a skilled individual. They ought to be safely upheld or suspended and ought to be appropriately swaggered or supported to guarantee security. Typical size is 4 cm thick x 23 cm wide x 3-4 m long. 

Steel segments of rounded (regularly 5 cm dia) frameworks ought to adjust to IS:2750 and 4014 for Steel Scaffoldings.

Overhead Protection, not more than 3 m over the work foundation of the framework becomes vital if overhead work is going on. Essentially for the people working or passing under a platform, at any rate, 30 cm projected shade or screen ought to be given at the framework working level. 

In high wind or tempest work on platform ought to have stayed away from. No hot work to be done on the wooden stage. 

The requirement of Means of Access in Scaffoldings: 

Failure to give such access has caused genuine mishaps. The protected methods for access might be stepping stools, compact or fixed, slopes, runways, corridors or flights of stairs. It is suggested that versatile stepping stools ought not to be utilized as a method for access where the tallness of the framework stages surpasses 3.75 m. The incline of the stepping stool ought to be 4 vertical even. It should transcend the landing stage and safely fixed at the upper end. The utilization of cross supports or system of the platform as a method for access ought not to be allowed.

Minimum width requirement in Scaffolding:

  • 0.7 meter - If the platform is used as a footing only 
  • 0.9 meter If the platform is used for the deposit of material 
  • 1.1 meter If the platform is used for support of any higher platform 
  • 1.3 meter If the platform is one upon which stone or bricks are dressed or roughly shaped 
  • 1.5 meter If the platform is used for support of any higher platform and is one upon which stone or bricks are dressed or roughly shaped

The requirement of Railings and toe-boards in Scaffolding: 

A common cause of accidents at scaffolds is the failure to provide railings at the exposed sides of the scaffold platforms. Often, the failure is when the scaffolding is erected for jobs of short duration. Where materials are stacked on a platform, the height of the toe-board may have to be raised; or it may even be necessary to cover the entire space between the top rail and the toe-board with wire netting or planks. Normal height of the railing is I m and toe board 15 cm.

Boards and planks in working platforms, gangways and ramps Requirements in scaffoldings: 

For platforms of wooden planks, in general, the spacing should not exceed the following: 

  • Planks 32 millimetres thick 1.0m 
  • Planks 38 millimetres thick 1.5m 
  • Planks 50 millimetres thick 2.6m 

Boards or planks which form part of a working platform, gangway or ramp should not project beyond their end supports to a distance exceeding four times the thickness of the board or plank. 50-millimetre projection is desirable. Overlapping of boards is unsafe. 

General Hazards and Safety measures in Scaffoldings: 

Scaffolds should never be loaded over the working load for which they are designed. Wood scaffolds are not generally painted. However, in the case of ladders and certain permanent types of scaffolds such as the mobile scaffold, protection is generally provided by periodically treating them with a coating of linseed oil.

Main hazards with scaffolding are listed below: 

  1. Unsuitable material of construction. 
  2. Inadequately supported scaffold boards. 
  3. Improper platform width and thickness. 
  4. Non-securing or bracing scaffold to the structure.
  5. Damaged or wrong couplers. 
  6. Unsecured ladders slipping. 
  7. The omission of guard rails or toe boards. 
  8. Overloading the scaffold. 
  9. Erected on an uneven surface.

Safety Measures to be taken during and after scaffolding (Checklist):

  • Scaffold foundation should be verified before erection. Loose or friable packing like bricks should not be used as support. For height, more than 15 mt, steel scaffold should be preferred and not a wooden one. 
  • Inspection' after 7 days and after every damage is necessary. Points to be checked include stability, ties and fixing, alignment of members, bending, tightness of lashing (3r couplers, planks, platforms, guard rails, toe boards and condition of ladders. 
  • Warning notices should be displayed near the incomplete or damaged scaffold. 
  • Dismantling should be carried out in the reversed order to an erection. Materials should not be thrown from heights and should not be left lying here and there. They should be properly collected.
  • After completion of work, all scaffold materials should be stored in a dry protected place using racks, boxes or trays. The damaged parts should be replaced or repaired, cleaned, treated with preservative or paint. Couplers and other fittings should be lubricated.

Scaffolding safety measures