Masonry Magazine August 2005 Page. 31
Masonry: Why did you choose the swing scaffold for the waterproofing?
Bounds: The swing stage system would allow you to get out in front. We did not have to worry about the ground being smooth. Temporary lines were being run into the building; our swing scaffolding wasn't in the way of that. We were able to hang it from the roof and get ahead. That way, we could set our jack-up scaffolding so it would work into the sequencing of the rest of the project and with the other subs on the job.
Masonry: If you had stuck with one or two different types of scaffolding, would that have extended the project timeframe?
Bounds: It would have extended the project timeframe by at least three months, which turns into dollars. And the reason for that was we would have had to wait for all the temporary lines and the dirt work to be totally completed around the exterior of the building before we could set up the jack-up scaffolding. Then we would have had to take the scaffolding all the way to the top for the damproofing and then bring it back down to start the brickwork. Actually, it could have turned into probably a four- to five-month extension when you take all the different pieces into consideration.
Masonry: I understand having the various different types of scaffolding improved safety, but having over 90 masons on the job site probably also increased safety risks. So what all was involved with that?
Bounds: On this particular project, we had a full-time safety inspector onsite.
Masonry: Is that not typical?
Bounds: Not usually. We have a full-time safety director who does site inspections, but on this particular project, with all the different scaffolding issues involved, we kept a man full-time onsite and monitored the scaffolding three times a day.
We also had scaffolding training sessions every other week for all of our personnel to keep them reminded of the different scaffolding that they were using, how we had to be tied off on certain systems, and just to keep people informed of the systems. And in that, of course, we were reducing our risk as much as possible, but we still had the concern of an employee coming off the conventional scaffold and getting onto the jack-up scaffolding, We wanted to make sure the transition takes place in his head that he has changed systems.
My biggest concern was having my crews going from a jack-up system to a conventional because there was a lot of built-in safety on the jack-up system, whereas, on the conventional system, you're dependent upon personnel making sure safety rails are in place, boards are being raised, and toeboards are being put back into place.
We also had scaffolding training sessions every other week for all of our personnel to keep them reminded of the different scaffolding that they were using.
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August 2005
Masonry 29