Use and Care Manual

3. Welds- Equipment should be checked before use for damage of welds and any piece of equipment showing
damaged welds or rewelding beyond the original factory welds should not be used. The factory weld
reference pertains to location and quality of welds.
While corrosion, straightness of members, and welds are of primary concern other component parts should
be checked.
4. Locking devices on frames and braces shall be in good working order, and if not, must be repaired or
replaced prior to use.
5. Coupling pins must effectively align the frame or panel legs.
6. Pivoted cross braces must have the center pivot securely in place.
7. Caster Brakes shall be in good working order and if not must be repaired or replaced prior to use.
Safe Bearing Loads For Soils
Considering that the allowable loads (bearing) on various soils and rock range from less that 1,000 p.s.f. to more
than 50,000 p.s.f. care should be exercised in determining the capacity of the soil for every scaffolding job, realizing
that weather conditions can turn an otherwise suitable ground condition into a hazardous situation. As an example,
dry clay with an allowable bearing capacity of 8,000 p.s.f. could become very plastic after a rainfall and drop to less
than 2,000 p.s.f.
Care should also be taken not to excessively disturb the soil. If fill is required in areas where scaffolding is used, a
qualified engineer should be consulted as to materials and compaction.
Foundations
The purpose of a good foundation or mud sill is to distribute the scaffolding load over a suitable ground area. The
size of the footing or sill is determined be the total load carried over a particular ground area, and by the nature of
the soil supporting these sills.
The total load should be computed and the sills designed accordingly.
When scaffolding from earth fill, the areas should be leveled and the sills spaced in a pattern assuring adequate
stability for all scaffolding legs.
Erection of Frames
The work of erecting the scaffolding should be under the supervision of a person with proper experience and
aptitude for securing a safe installation and who is familiar with all Local, State and Federal Regulations concerning
scaffolding as well as the SSFI Scaffolding Safety Rules.
It shall be the responsibility of the person supervising the erection of the scaffold to see that all components and
locking devices are in working order, and no damaged or deteriorated equipment is used in the setup. Should any
scaffolding become damaged after the equipment has been erected, Workman shall not be allowed on the same
until the damaged items have been repaired or replaced.
Advance planning will help the erection of scaffolding to progress smoothly. The equipment should be unloaded as
close to the area of use as possible and should be arranged in the order it is to be used in the setup. Adjustment
screws should be set to the approximate final adjustment before setting up the scaffolding. Check that all coupling
pins are matched with the proper panels. Consult safety rules as recommended by the Institute.
After erecting the first tier of scaffold frames, plumb and level (using instruments) all frames so that no matter how
high the final scaffolding setup, the additional frames will also be in correct alignment.
As erection proceeds, securely tie all scaffolding to the structure at the ends and at least every 30’ horizontally, and
at height intervals not to exceed * four (4) times the minimum base dimension. Freestanding scaffold towers must be
restrained from tipping by guying or other means. Scaffold frames must be fastened together at coupling pins where
there is a possibility of uplift.
When scaffolds are to be partially or fully enclosed, specific precautions must be taken to assure frequency
adequacy of ties attaching the scaffolding to the building due to increased load conditions resulting from effects of