The erection, modification, dismantle and inspection must only be carried out by a competent and experienced scaffolder.
All work must be carried out in conjunction with the requirements for Safezone+ All personnel using a scaffold structure must ensure they carry out basic checks prior to every use and report defects to their supervision. Should any person observe a defect that could result in injury or an unstable structure they must ensure the scaffold is not used, remove the tag and report to supervision.
The main hazards associated with scaffolds are:
¡ People and/or materials falling. ¡ Overturning or collapse of the scaffold. ¡ Incorrect erection of scaffolds. ¡ Unauthorised removal of ties. ¡ Incorrect erection of ladders. ¡ Not using the ladder access provided. ¡ Collision. ¡ Undermining or subsidence. ¡ Inadequate sub-structure. ¡ Poor or lack of design.
Scaffolds Continued
All scaffolds MUST be erected in accordance with industry standards and a design solution with:
¡ Minimum height of the top guardrail is 950mm. ¡ Minimum height of toe board is 100mm. ¡ No gap between guardrails and toe boards greater than
470mm.
¡ A fully boarded platform without gaps in which a person
could fall.
¡ A ladder in good condition at a suitable angle, were
practicable 1:4.
DO:
Ensure that the scaffold is tagged and in date before you access it Carry out checks before each use. Leave the scaffold in a tidy condition – debris and materials are not only a tripping hazard but can be knocked off and injure persons below. Leave a gangway at least two boards wide for access and always keep gangways clear. Ensure warning notices are fitted to incomplete scaffolds and report any scaffolding that appears defective to your supervisor. Properly stack/store materials and never overload. When necessary wear a harness and clip the lanyard Karabiner to a suitable anchor point where there is a risk of all fall or unprotected edges.
DO NOT: Tamper or modify a scaffold. Use a scaffold that you think is unsafe – report it immediately. Climb the structure – you must use the proper access routes provided. Use scaffold with a ‘scaffold incomplete’ or red scafftag notice on it. Climb over or under a guardrail. Store materials above toe board level unless a brick guard is fitted between the toe board and guardrail. Throw anything from a scaffold - you must lower materials using an approved method identified in your Risk Assessment Leave tools lying around or stack materials on the working platform where they could topple, fall or be tripped over. Sheet a structure without authorisation from the scaffold contractor
