Masonry Magazine April 2012 Page. 29
Take a few seconds and scan your scaffold as you drive up on the job. Missing safety components are sometimes easier to spot from a distance.
What OSHA is looking for: FUSES
Whenever you drive up to your job, take 10 seconds to think like a compliance officer. If you can spot a problem from the street, so can he. The top 5 things they look for are Falls, Unsafe access, Struck by falling objects, Electrocution, and Scaffold collapse -FUSES.
Fall protection
LOOK FOR GUARDRAILS at 10 feet, end rails, a maximum gap of 14 inches from the platform to the work surface, no gaps more than one inch between planks (except to fit around uprights), and proper six- to 12-inch plank laps. On frames, every work level must be properly decked. Proper planking is much easier on crank-up type scaffolding. Since there is only one work platform to assemble, it climbs the tower intact, and is never removed and re-planked as you go up the wall (see Photo 3).
Unsafe access
YOU MUST PROVIDE access to all working levels of a scaffold. That's easy with an attachable ladder or stair tower, but be careful with extension ladders. They only
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