Scaffold Safety Standard

Scaffold safety

Table of Contents

1. Scope and field of application.................................................................... 2

1.1. Scope ................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Field of application................................................................................ 2

2. References ................................................................................................... 2

3. Management Responsibilities .................................................................... 2

4. Definitions .................................................................................................... 2

5. Standards/Guidelines.................................................................................. 3
5.1. General................................................................................................. 3
5.2. Erection, dismantlement, movement, and modification ........................ 3
5.3. Use ....................................................................................................... 5
5.4. Storage and inspection of materials ..................................................... 5

6. Management Systems ................................................................................. 5

6.1. Support Resources ............................................................................... 5
6.2. Management Records .......................................................................... 5
6.3. Audit Requirements .............................................................................. 5
6.4. Standard Renewal Process .................................................................. 6
6.5. Deviation Process................................................................................. 6
6.6. Training and Communications Requirements....................................... 6
6.7. Contact ................................................................................................. 6

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Scaffold safety

1. Scope and field of application

1.1. Scope
This standard establishes mandatory requirements and advisory guidance for
supported and suspended scaffolding used at site facilities.
This standard should be used in conjunction with local regulations, consensus
standards, manufacturers’ recommendations, and local procedures and training
programs to help achieve safe scaffold erection and use.
Mandatory requirements in this standard are noted in italics.

1.2. Field of application

See Tata Power Safety Manual and Corporate Safety Policy.

2. References

Corporate Policy

Corporate Standards
Administration of On-Site Contractor Safety
Safety Belt and Fall Protection Systems
Working at Height

Other references
IS : 3696 ( Part 1 ) – 1987 (Scaffolds) Safety code of scaffolds and ladders
IS : 3696 ( Part 2 ) – 1987 (Ladders) Safety code of scaffolds and ladders
IS : 4014 – 1967 Code of practice for steel tubular scaffoldings
IS : 3521 – 1999 Industrial safety belts and harnesses

Provision on scaffold under the building and other construction workers.

(Regulation on employment and conditions of service) central rules, 1998.

3. Management Responsibilities
Line management in SBU and at Sites has the responsibility to implement this
standard.

4. Definitions
Competent person—one who through training and/or experience a) is
knowledgeable of applicable scaffolding regulations; b) is capable of identifying
existing and predictable hazards related to the erection, alteration, dismantlement,
storage, and inspection of scaffolding; and c) has the authority to take prompt
corrective actions to eliminate such hazards.
Fabricated-frame scaffold—a scaffold consisting of a platform(s) supported on
fabricated end frames with integral posts, horizontal bearers, and intermediate
members (also known as welded-frame scaffold and sectional scaffold).

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Scaffold—any temporary elevated platform (suspended or supported) and its

supporting structure (including points of anchorage) used for supporting employees,
materials, or both.
Supported scaffold—one or more platforms supported by outrigger beams,
brackets, poles, legs, uprights, posts, frames, casters, or similar rigid support.
Examples include fabricated-frame scaffold, system scaffold, tube-and-coupler
scaffold, and manually propelled mobile scaffold.
Suspension (suspended) scaffold—one or more platforms suspended by ropes or
other non rigid means from an overhead structure(s).
System scaffold—a scaffold consisting of posts with fixed connection points that
accept runners, bearers, and diagonals that can be interconnected at predetermined
levels.
Tube-and-coupler scaffold—a supported or suspended scaffold consisting of a
platform(s) supported by tubing, erected with coupling devices connecting uprights,
braces, bearers, and runners (also known as tube-and-clamp scaffold).

5. Standards/Guidelines

5.1. General
Sites shall have a process for managing scaffolding.* This process should cover
erection, storage, use, inspection, and training.
Sites must comply with applicable Local/National regulations in addition to the
mandatory requirements of this standard.

5.2. Erection, dismantlement, movement, and modification

An assessment of hazards shall be made before erecting, dismantling, moving,
or modifying scaffolding. Examples of hazards to consider include the following:

Working from heights

The presence of nearby electrical lines or process equipment

Hazardous area classification

The condition of working surfaces

The presence and activity of other people in the vicinity of the work

The weather
This assessment could be part of the site work permit process but should also
be extended to the specific job planning of the crew performing the work.
Appropriate actions shall be taken to mitigate the hazards identified during the
assessment.
Scaffolding shall be erected, dismantled, moved, and modified only under the
direction of a competent person and by employees who have received
appropriate and specific training for the work they are to perform.
Determination and designation of competent persons for scaffold work are the
responsibility of the site except where local regulations set other criteria.

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The site shall

Decide what training, experience, skills, and documentation are required to
substantiate competency.

Authorize each competent person to take corrective action to mitigate
scaffold safety hazards.
In determining competency, consideration shall be given to knowledge of
scaffold regulations, working experience and knowledge of scaffold erection,
and training received.
When scaffolding is erected by a contractor, site management shall require
documentation or demonstration that contractor employees have appropriate
training, experience, and skills. Determination and designation of competent
persons for contracted scaffold erection are the responsibility of the contractor.
Fall protection when erecting, dismantling, and modifying scaffolds shall be
under the direction of a competent person. Scaffold erectors shall use personal
fall-arrest systems that provide continuous fall protection while erecting,
dismantling, or modifying scaffolds unless the determination is made by a
competent person that fall protection is not feasible or it creates a greater
hazard. Fall protection can be accomplished through the use of adequate
anchorages that are independent of the scaffold or by using scaffold systems
and components that are approved by the manufacturer as adequate
anchorages. Employees shall use appropriate fall-arrest equipment in
accordance with TATA POWER Standard for personal fall arrest systems.
Standard scaffold planks shall not be used for purposes other than scaffold
decking.
The footing for supported scaffolds shall be sound, rigid, and capable of
supporting the maximum intended load, including the weight of the scaffold.
Scaffolds shall be secured from tipping when the scaffold height exceeds four
times its minimum base dimension.
Scaffolds determined to be unsafe for use shall be tagged or otherwise
identified.
Toe boards should be used where possible on scaffold decks. Toe boards shall
be securely attached when used.
Scaffolds shall be built with complete decking and railing where possible.
Appropriate barricades shall be installed to protect people in the vicinity during
scaffold erection, use, modification, and dismantlement.
Manufacturer’s guidelines for scaffold erection shall be followed unless a
competent person approves the variance and provided the variance complies
with applicable regulations and generally accepted scaffold engineering
practices.
Scaffold manufacturer’s guidelines for erection and inspection shall be available
on site for reference.
Each erected scaffold shall be inspected before it is first used, after it is
modified, or following any event that places in question the structural integrity of
the scaffold. Inspections must be performed by a competent person and must
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be documented. An inspection tag is an example of documentation.

5.3. Use
All employees who use scaffolds shall be trained. The scope of the training shall
include the appropriate safe working practices for the work to be performed and
guidance on assessing hazards and selecting the proper protective measures.
Personnel working below and passersby shall be protected from overhead
hazards.
Safe access shall be provided for scaffold users. Cross-bracing shall not be
used for access. End frames shall not be used for access unless they were
designed for use as access.
Employees who use scaffolds must assess the hazards posed by working on
them and take appropriate precautions to mitigate the hazards.
No scaffold shall be loaded beyond the working load for which it is intended.
Employees shall use appropriate fall-arrest equipment in accordance with TATA
POWER Standard on scaffolds not equipped with standard top rail, mid rail, and
complete decking.

5.4. Storage and inspection of materials

Scaffold materials and components should be stored to protect them from
mechanical and environmental damage (e.g., weather or chemical exposure).
Scaffold materials and components shall be inspected before use. They should
be inspected before being returned to storage.
Wooden scaffold planking should be periodically deflection load-tested or
inspected using sound-wave technology. The interval between load-
testing/sound-wave inspections should be determined by considering planking
usage, age, general condition, storage, and other environmental factors of the
facility and locale.
Information on inspecting scaffold components and testing scaffolds planking
can be found in the manufacturer’s literature.

6. Management Systems

6.1. Support Resources

Site/SBU/Corporate Construction and safety resources within the Company are
available to assist with scaffold safety issues. Queries may also be addressed to
the Corporate Safety Group.

6.2. Management Records

Records shall be retained in compliance with the Corporate Records and
Information Management Program.

6.3. Audit Requirements

Sites and regions shall include the provisions of this standard in their safety
audits.

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6.4. Standard Renewal Process

This standard shall be reviewed and revised as necessary and, at a
minimum, not later than five years from the date of the last revision.

6.5. Deviation Process

Deviations from this standard must be authorized by the Head for the
concerned SBU after consultation with the Head, Corporate Safety Group
and non-objection from the Chairman, Corporate Rules & Procedures Sub-
Committee on behalf of Company Apex SHE committee. Deviations must be
documented, and documentation must include the relevant facts supporting
the deviation decision. Deviation authorization must be renewed periodically
and no less frequently than every three years.

6.6. Training and Communications Requirements

Each site shall provide training as appropriate to comply with this standard. See
Sections 5.2 and 5.3 for specific requirements.

6.7. Contact
The contact for this standard is the Corporate Safety Group.

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