Masonry Magazine April 2012 Page. 26
Scaffolding: What OSHA Really Looks For
BY JUSTIN BREITHAUPT, JR.
All too often, a visit from OSHA reveals deficiencies, not only in the scaffolding, but also in the knowledge of the masonry foreman or business owner. If you're the guy paying the fine, you should have the knowledge to prevent it. Learning ahead of time is always much, much cheaper. OSHA issues related to scaffolding are the great majority of all OSHA citations that mason contractors receive. This article will teach you where to quickly get the information you need, and what OSHA looks for. We'll discuss how the regulations apply to conventional frames and crank-up scaffolding.
The GCs are getting tougher than OSHA
Everyone wants a safe workplace. It helps with workers' comp rates, too, but it can get complicated when the GC's safety people are forcing you to meet regulations that actually are tougher than OSHA's. And, sometimes, these safety consultants are not aware that different regulations exist for different types of scaffolding.
Before working for a new GC, have a talk with his safety people to find out how their regulations differ from OSHA's. Sometimes complying with them requires extra expense, or they restrict your men enough to lower your production figures. Find out before bid time.
For example, many GCs are requiring mason contractors to keep the wall in front of the masons at least 38 inches high, to eliminate the fall hazard. This would require twice as many board hops on frames.
Photo 6: A distinct advantage of crank up type scaffolding is moving the towers from wall to wall intact. You eliminate the time, labor, and hazards of tear down and re-building frame scaffolding.