What Are The Requirements For Setting Up Scaffolds?

Within a workshop environment temporary work carried out at height should be minimal.  There may be a need to access areas at height for maintenance purposes or for access to stored materials.  A risk assessment should be carried out for each activity and the appropriate method of access selected to carry out the work safely. When planning any work at height you must consider surrounding workers or persons to ensure that they are not put at risk by the work being carried out. Remember these golden rules:

• Avoid work at height where possible
• Take measures to prevent falls
• Take measures to minimise the effect
• Always use collective protection (e.g. nets or air bags) before personal protection (e.g. a harness)

For temporary access the most common system used will be a ladder, mobile tower or scaffolding.  The access selected must meet certain standards and be used in a certain manner. 

For scaffolds, the safe method of use is as follows: A trained and competent person must erect any scaffolding. For scaffolds over 5m it is recommended that a competently trained and registered scaffolder is used. The scaffold must be appropriate for its intended use and must have:

• A working platform of an adequate size for the type of work being completed (usually at least 600mm wide)
• A suitable guard rail of at least 950mm in height and toe board which must be provided to prevent persons from falling
• No gap between the guard rail and toe board greater than 470mm. This is usually achieved by the use of a brick guard or intermediate guard rail

You must also ensure that materials cannot fall from the working platform. The scaffold should be inspected before it is taken over and it is recommended that you receive a handover certificate from the person erecting it.  As the user you have an obligation to ensure it is safe for use by your employees before it is used and if the scaffold is in place for 7 days or more it must be inspected and the results of that inspection recorded.  A competent person must carry out the inspection; you may choose to employ the scaffolding company to carry out the weekly inspection on your behalf.  Scaffolds should be inspected at least every 7 days  and also after inclement weather, or if anything has occurred that could have affected its safety. Substantial alterations to the scaffold must also trigger a re-inspection.