What you should know about scaffolding?

Before you do anything related to building and construction you need to know what scaffolding is. Scaffolding essentially is a temporary platform and structure that workers are able to stand on when they are building or repairing a structure.

It holds tools and other resources that may be needed during the construction work. They are also widely used when cleaning large buildings as well, such as the suspended scaffolding that is used to clean skyscrapers.

The type of scaffolding you need ultimately depends upon how large of a job you have. How large the building is and how many people you need on the equipment at each time is a determining factor. Here are more things that you should know about scaffolding.

The precautions that need to be in place

The set-up of the equipment doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be no other safety issues. The people you have working on the equipment need to understand and follow the OHS guidelines to make sure that they don’t put themselves or others at risk.

You will either have workers that have use scaffolding before or those who are new to the equipment. Regardless a quick run-down of the do’s and don’ts needs to be established beforehand. Everyone needs to be made aware of any potential risks before entering a work site and that includes the operation of scaffolding.

Erecting the platform properly

The scaffolding needs to be built and erected properly to ensure the safety of those using it. If it does fall it will cause potential damage to the building, the workers and any other equipment that you have stored on it. Due to this potential risk you need to make sure that the equipment is not faulty in anyway.

Scaffolding is an intricate array of parts that make a system that is intended to support large amounts of weight. If one part of the array is faulty and/or broken it could compromise the entire system. That’s why it’s important to replace any faulty parts no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.

The procedure of erecting the scaffolding also needs to be done correctly. Those who are doing the job must have the relevant experience and training to so to minimise any potential risk. There are many different procedures in place that must be followed when erecting scaffolding including ladder placement and braces to be worn depending on the height of the project.

What to do when someone falls

A rising issue with untrained workers on scaffolding is their tendencies to fall off the equipment. Falls are one of the most popular ways for people to become injured on the job. Not only do falls affect the people who are falling, they also affect those around the area or incident as well.

How to prevent falls

There are many safety precautions in place to prevent falls and injuries while working with scaffolding. Guard rails and safety nets are common precautions used to prevent people falling. Additionally if you are working in a wet climate it is recommended that you use a non-slip mat on the platform to ensure that no one slips off it either.

To fully prevent these things from happening, again it is recommended that everyone has the necessary training and knowledge about operating scaffolding. When new pieces of equipment are being implemented they also need to be addressed to the workers.

If you’re planning on doing a construction project you definitely need to consider scaffolding. This was just a simple list of the important things that anyone dealing with equipment should know.