Essential Safety Measures for Scaffolding Users

A scaffold is a temporary structure that serves as a platform to support workers, building materials, and equipment when working at height. The various components used to construct these platforms are collectively known as scaffolding. The primary purpose of such structures is to ensure the safety of workers and any members of the public in the immediate vicinity. However, up to 40% of the accidents that occur on construction sites involve personnel or objects falling from improperly erected platforms. Whenever it may be necessary to erect these temporary working platforms, the need for caution cannot be overemphasised.

Often, safety issues arise when builders are looking for ways to save money. For example, installing guard rails is deemed by many authorities to be a necessary precaution on scaffolding works higher than two metres. A fall from this height onto an unyielding surface has the potential to cause a severe injury. Likewise, failure to install toe bars could permit building materials or tools to become dislodged, injuring workers or passers-by below.

As a general rule, the platform should have the capacity to support around four times the anticipated maximum load to ensure it will remain stable even under the most extreme conditions. One can achieve the necessary stability by using cross bracing and increasing the number of vertical scaffolding poles known as standards. Such measures may add to project time and costs, but these are trivial compared to the compensation claims for any injuries that might otherwise arise due to cutting corners. 

Part of a platform’s stability is due to the use of base plates or holes in the ground to secure the vertical poles or standards. On occasions, neither option will be practical. However, it will remain vital to provide added support for these vertical poles. One alternative means to ensure the platform’s stability is to insert those vertical scaffolding poles in steel barrels filled with earth.

In practice, constructing a safe and stable working platform requires specialised knowledge and skills. Training is available and is a requirement for anyone undertaking this task. Understanding the need for each component, the correct way to install it, and how to check its safety can save injuries and even lives. If you have no suitably trained personnel, you would be well-advised to hire an experienced scaffolder. That said, it is equally vital to employ reliable equipment. Avoid second-hand components and deal directly with a reputable manufacturer.

Safety-conscious companies in Gauteng purchase their scaffolding components from the local industry leader, Disc-O-Scaff.