Masonry Magazine July 2005 Page. 30
WALL BRACING
Following the Standard Practice also provides an extra bonus. Mason contractors often tell me that the owner or general contractor is requiring them to brace their walls so often that it is ridiculous and almost impractical to build due to the extra cost of bracing. I always tell them that if the bracing is in your part of the contract and the general contractor or owner is requiring extra bracing that goes beyond the Standard Practice, the owner or general contractor should have to pay for the extra expense in the form of a change order. Otherwise, you may lose your tail on the project due to the cost of installing the extra bracing. This is one reason why it is so important that you understand not only your part of the contract, but also the Standard Practice.
Know Your Zone
FIRST, the mason contractor is responsible for establishing and maintaining the "Restricted Zone," also known as the "Limited Access Zone," on each side of the wall subject to the effect of a masonry wall collapse. When scaffolding is up, the Restricted Zone is on the side opposite the scaffolding and must be cautioned off from the wall out at the distance of the wall height plus four feet. However, once scaffolding is removed, the Restricted Zone must be maintained on both sides of the wall.
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CIRCLE 167 ON READER SERVICE CARD
July 2005
Wall bracing has to be properly constructed to be effective. Mason contractors often tell me that the owner or general contractor is requiring them to brace their walls so often that it is ridiculous and almost impractical to build due to the extra cost of bracing.
A mason contractor who's thinking ahead will designate the Restricted Zone area early on based on what the total, completed height of the wall will be when finished. This way he or she can avoid setting up caution tape and then later having to move it. For example, if your wall will be built to a height of 24, it should be cautioned off at 28' as soon as the wall becomes over 8' high. Without the proper planning, the area would have to be cautioned off at 12' when the wall becomes 8' high and moved out as the wall gets higher. Why spend production time revising boundaries?
Time Periods
THE STANDARD PRACTICE states that during the "Initial Period" of construction, masonry work is allowed to continue as long as wind speeds do not exceed 20 mph. The Initial Period of time is limited to a maximum of one working day, during which the masonry is being laid above its base or the highest point of bracing. When the work is finished for the day, or when a specified height of wall is reached, that portion of the wall must be braced.
During the Initial Period of construction, only those employees who are pertinent to the construction of the wall are allowed in the Restricted Zone. This includes any of the mason contractor's employees or, let's say, an electrician who is responsible for putting conduit in the wall as it is being built. A plumber installing water lines next to the wall is not pertinent to the construction of the wall, therefore he or she would not be able to install those lines in the Restricted Zone during the Initial Period of construction.
The "Intermediate Period" of construction is the time following the Initial Period until the wall is connected to structural frame elements, floors or roofs or adequately internally braced. Cross walls and pilasters can also serve as stability so as
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