Guardrails

• Any employee working more than 10 feet above a lower level must have a guardrail or fall arrest system in place, according to the OSHA standards. If the employee is working on a one- or two-point adjustable suspension scaffold, a fall arrest system and a guardrail are required. The height of the guardrail has to be between 38 and 45 inches. A midrail should be installed about halfway between the platform and the guardrail.
  
  

Additional Specifications

• Any fall arrest system must ensure that a worker falls no further than six feet and cannot make contact with the lower level, OSHA rules state. Scaffolding must also be capable of supporting four times the intended load; suspension scaffolding should support six times the intended load. Supported scaffolding platforms must be fully planked, and footings must be capable of supporting the entire loaded platform. Scaffolding with more than a 4-1 height-to-base ratio must be braced to prevent tipping.
  
  

Hazards

• OSHA safety requirements prohibit employees from working on scaffolding during high winds or storms. Any scaffold covered with ice or snow cannot be used until all debris is removed and the planks are sanded to prevent slippage. “Lean-to” or other nonsupported scaffolds are prohibited. Tools, debris and building material must not accumulate in hazardous quantities. Fiber rope must be treated or protected when corrosive materials are present. For buildings higher than 50 feet, only wire rope can be used when acidic solutions are present.
  
  

Inspection

• A competent person must determine that scaffolding has been erected or dismantled safely. OSHA defines a competent person as someone with the capacity to assess and predict hazardous or unsanitary conditions, as well as the authority to correct or eliminate those conditions. This person must determine that the scaffolding can be accessed safely and that it contains adequate fall protection. The scaffolding must be inspected before each shift and after any event that could have caused structural damage.
  
  

Training

• OSHA mandates that any employee who will be working on a scaffold be trained on the hazards that can occur and the procedures to prevent or control those hazards. A competent person, as defined above, must provide the training. Employees must also be properly trained if they are involved in building, disassembling, repairing, inspecting, maintaining, operating or moving any scaffolding.