Or consider side-wallers who use pump staging: how often are the poles spaced less than 10 feet apart(OSHA regulation)? Overloading stresses wooden planks beyond their elastic range, causing them to fail at a later time under lighter loads. Think of the times you have seen a mason standing in the middle of a plank with bricks stacked up to his waist, only to have his tender sling a tub of mortar onto the pile. But the blame goes to workers unfamiliar with safe and proper use of equipment.Ĭontractors often overload wooden staging planks. Knots and cross grain show up like a bad penny in most failures. In fact, some experts claim plank failures cause injury in 90% of the cases they investigate. Wooden planks seem to lie at the heart of most residential scaffold failures. It’s no surprise when I hear experts argue that improper material selection and misuse cause most scaffold failures. All failures were caused either by using the wrong material correctly or the right material incorrectly. Looking back, I could have easily avoided the few staging failures that occurred on my projects. Like most conscientious builders, I always put safety first – usually. Through 20 years of stretching from ladders, climbing on roofs and bouncing across over-extended staging planks, I stand unscathed. Typical failures prove that safety is an active choice. Thousands of builders are injured every year as a result of scaffold failures.

Some information contained in it may be outdated.

Metal ledgers and ribbons that are part of a patented scaffold system may be used when installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.Please note: This older article by our former faculty member remains available on our site for archival purposes.

When metal ledgers are used or when ledgers are bolted or when a 45-degree angle brace is nailed to the uprights between double ledgers, and ledgers also nailed to this brace, the ribbon may be placed at other elevations such as guardrail height, but they cannot be eliminated from the scaffold. The ribbons shall be long enough to extend from upright to upright without splices. The ribbons shall be 1-inch by 6-inch or heavier material, placed on the outer uprights, directly under, and in contact with, the ledgers. Vertical spacing of ribbons and ledgers shall not exceed 7 feet. Single 2-inch by 4-inch ledgers are not permitted. For ledgers spanning not more than 3 feet between uprights, use 2 pieces of 1-inch by 6-inch board, 1 being on each side of the uprights and fastened securely at each point of support. The platforms of the scaffold shall be supported by ledgers. Note:1 1/8-inch by 10-inch by 10-inch piece of exterior grade plywood may be used in lieu of the wooden base mentioned above. When the scaffold is resting on earth or other such material, the uprights shall rest on and be secured to the equivalent of a 2-inch by 10-inch by 10-inch wooden base. If the uprights of the scaffold rest on a surface that might cause slipping, a continuous sill or other means shall be provided to hold the uprights in place. The splices of uprights shall be made with square butt joints, and scabs of 1-inch by 4-inch or heavier material at least 48 inches long shall be nailed on 2 sides of each upright with 6 nails in each 1/2 of each scab. The inside uprights may be omitted and ledgers attached to the permanent structure, provided that the method of attaching the ledgers to the permanent structure will make the connection as secure as though the ledger were nailed to the upright with 5 8-penny nails. For heights not to exceed 20 feet, the uprights shall be 2-inch by 4-inch lumber or heavier, spaced not more than 3 feet between uprights at right angles to the wall and not more than 10 feet center to center, parallel to the wall.

Wood scaffold planks bay area