Scaffolding Safety

Many types of scaffolding exist in today’s market. Scaffolding is a convenient way to accomplish many types of work. Since there are so many different types of scaffolding available, it is important that you are trained in and are familiar with the type being used. The following are some important things to remember about scaffolding safety:

  • Scaffolding shall only be erected and dismantled by a competent person, or by the direct supervision of a competent person.
  • Only trained and authorized persons shall be permitted to work on scaffolding.
  • The scaffolding design shall be done by a competent person qualified in scaffolding design.  Scaffolding erected at specific heights or as working stages may need to be designed by a professionally  licensed engineer.
  • Scaffolding shall be inspected by a competent person at the beginning of each shift and after it has been altered.
  • All scaffolding components must be compatible.
  • If a scaffolding is or has been left incomplete, signage must be posted to warn of this hazard.
  • It is always a good idea to tag scaffolding as complete (when it is complete).  When tagging it you should have a place for inspection dates, and a place to mark who did the inspection.

Disclaimer: The information and suggestions contained in these safety talks are believed to be reliable. However, the authors of the topics and the owners of this web site accept no legal responsibility for the correctness, sufficiency, or completeness of such information or suggestions contained within these topics. These guidelines do not supercede local, state, or federal regulations and must not be construed as a substitute for, or legal interpretation of, any OSHA regulations.