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AConMruct ion lndustryTrainingBoard Publication

 CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD

A GUIDE TO

PRACTICAL SCAFFOLDING

The construction
and use of basic access scaffolds

Second Edition
Revis ed 1987

All d!lnenstons Staled m tlu,<; p u h/u:atJon conforrn ro the stM?d &rci dunensions
sp&cJ!wd .'!l the Consrruc{Jon (;14etnc(1 l!Oil) Reg(I/Mtons, 1984 ;uul BS 5973
I 981 Code ol Pr<Jc/Jct! lor At:Cl:!SS and 'JVork1ng Scallokls

@ Constructton Industry Train in g B oard CE 509

FOREWORD
Scaffold1ng is one of t he h1ghest risk occupatiOns 1n this cou ntry: accidents
assoCiil ted with scaffolds arc curre ntly around 10 deaths and 2.000 lnJunc:s
each year. There 1S an urgent need for a practical gu1de. not on ly for
scaffolders but also fo r proJect m(l nagers. S1te agents. forem en, young
eng1ncers. home users and others if acc i<lonts, wh1ch can have such
appalli ng consequences. <.~re to be m 1nim1secl.

The ConstruCtion Industry Tram.ng Board has responded to th1s need w1th
'Practical Scaffoldmg' S1nce the mcepuon of the Bu1ldrng and C1vrl
Engrneenng Industry Scaff older Record Scheme on 1st January 1979,
22.000 scaffolders have been reg1stercd to December. 1984; thrs has done
much to tmprovc the swndard of tra1 n1ng w 1tl11n the industry Wnh 115
experrc nce of scaffold ing trarn ing the Board is w oll qual1f ied to have produced
this publicati on .

As readers w ill QliiCkly sec, the exte ns1ve use of drawin gs makes th e book
easy to read and understand The rcqurrtlments of the Construcuon
Hcgulauons are sunply explamed and 1he hook covers the bas1c scaffold1ng
structures rn common use It also 1ncludes ch<Jptcrs on 1he safe handhng of
scaffoldrng materials and effrcrcnt working pracuce

I we lcome th1s book and be lieve rt wil l conmbute greatly to the safety of all
those concerned witf1 sr.affold1ng scaffoldcrs wllo m e respons1ble for
erec tion and d1smantl1ng, the usl!rs of completed scaffo lds and. of coursc . tiHl
general publr c I comrnfJnd 'Prawcal Scaffoldrng' to you.

() P "ENDERSON
Chcl•IM~n S.ca:foldtr•g C<Jfl'llnllll'+'
Ct-rl!;.~Hif"!lf>n lr.duSt"y T!;t''l nyl3uo~rcJ
CONTENTS
Page
PA RT 1 - Basic Scaffolding
Common Sca ffold •ng Te1111S
B<l s•c Sca ffold Requ•remencs 5
Ma teroa ls 13
Scaffold Found<~t•ons 19
T1es 25
Work•ng Pl;;tforms 34
LiJdders 41
!v1anualllfl!ng ~i nd Handling 48
Ropes. Knots a11d H•tches 61
Ro1sinfl and Lowering M a1e na ls 66
Orgon•souun and \:Vofk n1g M -e thorls 71
Obswclcs and Haz~rd s 76•
Pr<Hl.'!<;u ve Fans s:~

PAR T 2 - Basic Scaffold Structures

Independen t T1ed Scaffold 91

Bas•c Put log Scaffold 97
Acc% s B•rdcage Scaffolds t Oo
r OW<~r Scaffolds 113
Sys1ern Sc<Jffolds 1 21
Glossary of Terms 129
Index 1 37

Acknowledgement
The Construcuon Industry Training Board w •shes 10 express ns apprec•ation and
thanks for the va luable contribution made by members o f the Nat•ona l Association of
Scaffo lding Contractors 1n preparing tl11s book for publication .
 PA RT ONE

BASIC SCAFFOLDING
COMMON SCAFFOLDING TERMS
Sc<Jffold<:rs 1n differeru reg1ona1 areas of t11e Briush lsiHs have evolved over theyc;ors
their own ccrmmofogy. the" own partocutar names for thevanous rypesof scaffold and
scaffold fuungs on common usc. Thos chaprer c xplaons 1n simple 1erms lhe common
names of the bas1c componems. whero lhenore placed on I he strucrureand tlw job I hey
do. A t the eo1d of tillS book you w oll f1 nd a lull g lossary of the tern11nology used in the
Industry

Standards. Stand<lrds f<.< lso known as <Jprigl1ls) are the ver11ca l tubes w hich carry the
the ground . Evch St<mda rd should have a base plate placed underneath to
ent~te load to
prevent the end of the tube fmm s1nkong onto the ground by spreadong the toad

The Base Plate 1S rn<>de from stee l and ha s a centrM I shaolk 10 itJ<.:ate til e tube.
Somet1mes the base plaw ISnailed or 11inned to a sole boord to stop lateral movement.
pawcularly of no foor ue or •rckcr ltlr os employed

The Sole Board 1s nccesSilty as a mea11s of SJJtC<~ding ti>C we1ght over a grea ter ~ rca
than the baseplate. norn1allv on soft ground.

Slcct•1fl•••a

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Sc ,. P111t

Llldgers ~re the homonta l wbes whiCh connect and supl)ort the srandards and ac t as
supports for transoms Tl1e venical spaces between ledgers are governed lly the usc for
wh1ch the sea Hold •s ontended

M ain Transoms Me placed l><lmontally at right-ang les across tho ledgers. ad,acem to
each pair o f standards; or connected d~rectly to each paor of swndards They hold both
rows of standards on posnoon and also act as sea Hold board supports

I n ternn;dia te Tran soms are placecJ<!Cross the lodgers between the rna on transoms vnd
act as scaffold board supports. sometomes referred to as 'board bearers'.
Cross o r Ledger Braces are essen!lalto tlltJ ng~<lity of tho s tr ucture and are placed
d •agona lly <1cross the ledg<;rs. adjacen 110 alt<Jrna tepa lfS of s tandards Cross braces are
non na lly fined cf, ec lly onto the standards Lcdfjer braces are fitted to ledgers

Oo~J·I eg or 71f.J·ZaH Cross llraco?.s Alternotlve

Ledger ·br aC1119 fixec.J with swivel couple!s rne1hod
to s wnclvrds

Facade o r Sw•y Brace . Th1s 1S a tube w the f<1ce of th~ sca ffold to stop th e scaffold
sw;,ving It sl1ould b" ru n from 1he base w the fu ll he•gh l of the scaffold at an <Jngle of
ubou l 45 '' and be. fw~d at 1he baso?. and at ('very lift level eit her 10 the swndards or the
ends of the <ransoms One such brar:" must be f•tted every 30m olong the face uf I he
scaffold

I •••II .~~ "'-'''h '•I I nt rjhl ••t!l-t!'l 1<• ~>!.t••U.u ·I ,

r)r end!. of .. ,
r,..,.,i~~,

2
Scaffold Couplers . ThQre oS a wodc variety o f C'Ouplers uva olable and ti1Cif use and
maonrcnanc:" depends uoon the type of I •tt·ng and otsa~plocat oon All fi ttii'9S shnuld be
loghtly ooled and kept free from rust. Thodescnpuonand usc of th~s.. otcmsoscovcrt•d on
the d 18pler ht:!iH.It~d 'M tl lttrinh,', 1 hree WC.f-Hl1ples Ore! ShOwn below.

Swivel Coupler Ri ght-Ang le Coupler Putlog Coupler

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Internal Joint Pins {or Split Joint Pins), t•lsocallcd spoguts. arc 11s<Jd to conn~ct l t ollcs
end tu end I he so•yul ,s mst:rted 1010 the Pods of th~ :ubes and the ccnlrt! bol1
:1ghten"d caus•ng th<' two p3'tS of :rw ~tJogot to ('Xpand and gri;othe ons•dc uf the h rbes

1•1 •S f,,,, ng sl \Ould flO( hn used •n postt 1t11 \~ where• tt w •ll bo suhjt!CI to bend •ng or tenst<>n.

Sleeve Couplers. gener<Jtlyt:illled sle~vl!s. ar.talso us..d to conn..ct tui>'St!nd-to-cnd

Th:s f'111119 has .1 r eststc.nce to h~ndu"''g, o11ea~t eqt..t<ll to Rnv tube II has iJ setfe work mg
tensoon ot 315Kg 170011)5}

3
Standard Spacing (or bay length). The diStance betwtwn standards. measured along
the face nl th<! scaffold

Foot - Tie or K icker Lift. Tlwi(>(1CJ•Hs a11d transoms that are hxt:d near to 1hc bouom of
stancJAnJs iipprox•m~tely 1&Omm (61ns1 from the ground

Lift H ~ig h t or Ledger Spac lng . The <hstaH<:P. be tw (,.:n lodgers, m easured up tile face of
the s<:;~ffol d

Ba se Lilt o r Fi rst Lift . Tilt• flfM lift ;~bove ground level other man tile foot t•e or k<ckt'r
hh

Scaffold W1dth. The d<stan<:<' between standards measu•ed at the shortesr pnmLalso
known as the board w•dth

AddlltOniJIIHrminolngy w.tl he llmocluced li>rouglwuttlll! lu>ok ;md willbe cxp/,1mod liS

llCt:t)SS.'Ify

Bay l<'ngth
- -----------
Scilffoldong
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Base loft or
forst hft
Foot T•e or
I
K <Cker l•ft
N<.He Bracn1Q has been
om ot t e'd for clamv

4
BASIC SCAFFOLD REQUIREMENTS
The primary reason for erecung a sca ffold IS to support a working platform Most
construc tiOn work uwolves workmgat he1ghts whtchcannot casi lyorsafelybe reached
from the ground or part of the l>u i lding. By law, an employer must p rov1de a sate work ing
plat form and a $ale and convenient means o f access.

Scalfolds may only be erected, altered or d1sm;m tled ur>cler the sur>erv1S10n of
compe tem and expertenced sca ffolders. Scaffolds erected or altered by those wl)o
have no knowledge or e:xper,ence of the Jonds or stresses involved may he unsa fe.

Scaffolds must be r igtd, built uf sound ma te11als on good foundations and be well
securf!d 111 the h11tldiny or structu re. In public places. scaffolds must be w ell Itt or have
warning lights fiacd at the base W<;rni ng notices l'nust be displayed on Incomplete
stc1ffol<ts ;;nd pn~c;outioflS ti'iken to ~nS~JrF. thai no unauthorised persons, (particularly
chi ldren end other members of the puhlic), c<m g~ in access to tl1e scaffold at any t tme.

lr\ tl u~ n1 troduc, ion to ~;ca ffolding requi rern~n !S onfy bri(:d mention will be made of the
venous Cri!IC<JI aspects of swffolds. Each subtect IS de<Jit wnh 1n greater detatl under
separate cl>apter head<ngs. but s um m ansed below for the convenience o lth e casual
reade r.

MATERIALS
Mote rials used to bv ild a sca ffold must be in good cond1t10n~ Steel nems should be free
from rust: fittings shol Jid be w ell S(~rviced and free trorn excessive 011 or gret~se wh•ch
may cause the fin <ng to shp.

Boards should be clean and •n good cond 1tion, tl1e ends bound or n<ill~plated, and not
split or warped and twiSted. Scaffold boards shou ld not be pa •ntedortreated in anyway
to co nee a I defects

5
Other materoals. ropes gon wheels. ladders. etc must all be on sound. servoccabl,.
condotoon All scaffoldong materoals must be onspected by an experoenced and
competent person. hf'IOrl' use. and unsound and unscrvoceable materoals should be
clearly marked and removed from t'>e sHe

FOUNDATIO N S
Every scaffold structure ll10JSt be 'well founded The foundotior1 must be capal) le of
<'lnryll)9 the <mposed food for the entire hfP <lf the scaffold On h~rd surf~ctJS such as
s teel oo concrete of sto ff ococnt strength and th ickness. stand~rds mayb~ plaooddoreclly
on the surfac" On other Suo faces. base plates and sole boards must be used to spread
the load The gro11nd beneath the sole board must h<! level and properly compactt:d

lntennediate
transom

ledgers

Sole boards

THE SCAFFOLD FRAME

The framewo rk of a scaffold osbuolt from metaltubesofvaryrng lengths. JOined together

woth " varoety of couplers or chps (commonly ca lled l otungs) The actual desogn and
Shape of the strll(' ture w o)l depend on the 1ype and ontcnded p urposeol the scAffold and
th~ load 11 might ho oxpected to beo r Tho s eli a'' ' eros concerned on ly woth the fcftlu res of
the structural framework common to most sct•llolds.

6
Standards
Standards are 1t1e vcrucal elemem of the scaffold frM1ework a11d as suc11 ca rrv I he
werght of the stru<:ture and liS road Standards must be vewcal. or leansloghtfy mwards
t owt~rd !> lt1e bu•ld 111g

The spiJcmg of standards •sdetermined by the rntendcd use of the scaffold. the distance
between standards bemg reduced as the expected load mcrenses. Table 1 (page 121
abstracted from BS 5973 g rves detai ls of the maxrmum bay lenf}th (standttrd spacmg)
for drfferor~ ttypes of scaffold, the 01ost common being 2 1m (7ft) for a general purpose
scaffold Thrs is reduced to 2m (6ft Srns) for a heavy duty scaffold and to I 8m (6h) for
masonry and stone work .

The wrdthot the w ork rng pla tform. and th us the drsta r1ce bctwaer1 front a11d bock ruws
ol stal1dards rsalsodctermrned by tht! purpose tor wtucl•the scaffold rs rnto>nded T11rS •S
lrs~;allv expressed rn terms of 'th() number of boards wrde" for example a four board
sc<rffold wou ld u~ua lly rt>q11rre a wich 11spacrng of 970mm (38m$) from cvn tre to C<\111 1e
of r;ach ~tandard 1t1's measuremen t would on ly varv to accommodate c1rf1eren t tYpes
ut coupiPrs

Jou1ts u1 standards should he stuggered. thnt 1S JOints should nol occur t-Il lh£.. scune
·~vet tn itd,acent standardsJmnlS C4:1n be made '"-*Ill' sp,gots. bu11f they arc likely to be
sub1ect I<> a..al wnsoon th<'l' should he strengtliene<l wrth lapped tubes. or sleeve
~uuplers should be used, dcpend1110 on rhe lo<KI

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A f1Jon11S should be staggered and kept as close to the node poult as practrcable

7
Ledgers

Ledger$ ar~ the mao n horozontal tu!Jes and wovide lateral suppon to theS"tructurf> They
must be leVI)I, and fixed 10 the 111sode of standards with righ t angle, load -bearing
cot 1plers
LedrJers shou ld be JOined woth sleeve couplers (but internal o~xp a!ldong spigots may lle
used of tloa JOin l iS w othin 300mrn o f a standard), <ind shou ld be as close to th<: node
pomts (the poim at whic:h the ledger is fixed to the standard) as possible They shou ld
w>vcr be more than one thtrd of the bay w tdth I rom a standard. All JOonts must be
Stilggcrcrl
The bOll Oil\ ledgc)rS (kicker /if; or fool tie; shou ld be set approxomately 150rnrn (6ons}
above grou nd level, except where this is oonpos,;ible for reasonsol access Thtt kicker lih
or foot tic ts nonnullv used unlvo1\ heavydutynr long terrn 5C(Iffolds. orwhcHe thr~re is a
poss•bo hty that standards tould be d ispl <~ccd through impoc t at low level

The ve nocal distance {l i ft heigh I, ledger to ledger) shou ld be 2m {6f t 6ons) and the base
ltil n;,ver more t11im 2.7m {9ft).

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Tra,-,soms
Loft. Standards

Putlogs and Transoms

Mau1 l ra nsorns a re fixed, either dirc<...l' Y across to every pai r of standf1rds, using righ t
angl e couplers. or laod across and ftxed to ledgers w oth put log couplers. In thts case,
tran~omsshould be fi xedascloseas poss•ble. but never moreth8n 300mm ( 12ins)from
each pa" of stilnd<Jrds Ma in transoms hold the two rows of standards m position and
are an in tegral part of the structure. They must not be removed unless expert adv ice is
sough t

8
I ransoms should nc•ver be lard more than 1.5m(5ft)apar t when used as SUIJPOrts for
38mm (1' 111s) scaffold boards or 2 Grn (8ft Grnslfor 50mm (2rns) l>oards The length of
the putfego- transoms wrff be octcrnuned by the wtdlllol !heprQposedplatform. whrch
rn turn wrff he decrded by the usc for whrch 11 rs rnlendt:.'<f

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'"'termedtatc Transoms

Intermediate T ransoms

If thl! hit rs to he hoarded over as a workong platform. ultermedtilte ttansoms wolf be

rcqurr~d w supporlthe boards These are f1xed ocros$ ledgers wrth put log couplers
normally on thl' tttmre of c~ch tray, al1hougl1 addltlonaltntermccllate transoms may be
rcqu trPCIIo support $!tOr i boards. Tlwy may safely be remuved ann used elsewhere 1n
the stru('1ure wh(ln 1he platform 1S no longer r(~qu 1red

Ties

Toensu re t11il llhe sca f fold framework cnn not move :w;av from. or luwards the bUilding
11 must be swbol11ad. 1h 1s os normally achrr,ved bv securing 1110 SC(1ffold framowork to
the hurldtng w1t'1 poSotrve two way ltes lr('S are d•scussed n dotarl under tht• relevant
chapu:r headong

T•cs must not b,., removed, except hy an expcrocnced and competent scalf older, who
ml•St t!11sure tha t the stabdtty o f tho scaffold is noljt!opardisutl II remov"tl for accessor
any other puroos". alternot tve 11es must frrst be fixed to maimam the st ~bd1ty of the
scaffold
Tres must be checked a1 regular Intervals. and re-checked agaon belon: d1smantltng

Braces

All scaffold structures fl1USI be braced tn bOth drrecuons F••cade (or sway bracesJ
should h~ trued along theourerfaccolthescaffotd. from thchnse tothelull he•ghtoi th~
strucrure In the case of large structures a brace must be f1xe(! overy30m( 1OOfl)or less
along I he fnce :111el can be corH111uous or placed across eac11 b<>y 1n a z 1g-z~o (dog-leg)
fas1110n Jo1111S m facade braces must be 111ado w11h sleeve couplers If jo111t pms
(sp•gotsl are used each JOtnt rnust be splrced w•th a lapoed tube

9
Ledgers

L"ug..rs are sh;, maonhonzonlaltubesand provodelalt!ralsupponwshessmcsure They

mu~l bt! level and foxed to she onsod<' of swndards woth ngtu angle. load bearong
couplt•r,;
Ledgers should be 1ooned woth sleeve couplerslhllt lniernal ex;)anding spigots maybe
us~d of the 10on1 os wothin 300mm of a standard). <Snd should be as close to the nod e
pnonts (tl oe poont at wh •ch the ledg~r os fo xold 10 the stand<~rd) as possoble They shou ld
novcr tw m or<> !han one th ord of the bny w odlh from a standard All JOo 01tS must be
SI<'O!JCrl.!d
1hi! ll <JHOml edgers (k!c}(er life or foor rio) shoool<llJe sel approxomately 150nulo (6ons)
llbovu y rour1<.lleve I, exCeiJI wil e re th is os mlJ)OSSihln for reasons of access The kor.kur Ill t
or foot to u is norrniJI Iy liSe d onlv on heavy dutY or long w m oscaifolds. or wllere tlw rc ·~ ~
possoboloty that swndMds cou ld he do splaced tl ltough omp;Jct <n low h!vel.

Tl w wtt·ca l d •stance (ltft he ight, ll:dger tu ledger! should be 2m (61t 6in s)and tile base
I It rwvcr more than 2. 7m (9ft)

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L i ft Transon1s

Putlogs and Tra nsoms

M ao n transoms are fixed, either dir<'<-toy across 10 every paor of standards. us111g roght
angle couplers, or laid across and f•xcd to ledge rs w oth putlog couplers. In thos case.
transoms should br. rrxed as close as possrble. but never more than 300onm 112 in s) from
each paor of standards. Maon transoms hold the two rows of standards on posotoona nd
are an ontegral par t of the structure They rnuStolOt be removed unless expert advice oS
sought

8
Transoms ~hould never be la1d more than 1 5m (51tl apart when used as suppons lor
38mrn t1 "ms)scaffold bonrds or 26m (8116ms) for 50mm Pu>s)boards l he length of
the put log or trariSOIIl S will b e cleten11 1n<:d by tl1e wtrlti>Oithe proposed pl~tlorm wh1ch
' "turn w 1ll be <l<:~•decJ by the 11$8 lor whi<:h 11 os " ' wndod

Nla1n Transoms ln te(mttcJiiltP. Tran~oms

Intermediate Transoms

If 'he lift 1S to be boarded over itS a wurk•ng platforn~ uuermr.cliate uanson1s w•ll be
teQUift!d lo SUPPOrt the boards TIWSO' are f,xed RC:r<)SS le<lgcrs Wllh PLIIIOg C<Hiplers.
norm;,ll v 'n tl1t' ccn1re of each boy. allltough ad<li!IC)r'iallntemHJ<liate tr a nsorns may be
requ;rcd (()support short boards They 111ay safely bo rfli110ved <Hid used etscwht!re .n
the structu rtl when tlw pi<!! form 1S no longer reqUi red

Ties

To ensure that thH scaffold framt-wurKcannotrnoveawavfrom or l~tttrds lhebUIIdmg

11 must be stabll•zcd Th1s tS normally ad1<eved by s"""' "'~J the scaffold fr(lmework to
the butld1ng w1th poSitive two-way Ht~~ f 1es 8re rlls<:ussed m de tail under the relevan t
chapter he~1ding
T1es must not be rornoved. except by a11 expenencad and compatem sc:af lolder, who
"'"st ensure that thl! s tab1lnyof tlw scaffold is noiJeopardis<;d If removed for accessor
any other purpOse, altcHnat,ve 11cs must f•rst be hxed to rflrlll)l3<n the stab1hty of the
st:aifold.
Ties must bo checked at reguiHr Intervals und re ·checkctl aga•n before d •smantlmg

Braces

All scaffold strucw res n' uSt bc !)raced m both d11eCt10ns Facade (or sway braces!
should be fmed along the outer face of the scaffold, from the base tothefull h~•ght of the
structure tn the case of large structures a brace must be f1Ked every 30m 11 OOft)or less
along tn<: IHC8 and can he conunuous or placed across each bay on a zog-zagldog leg)
fashoon .J()I nts 10 f<1cade braces mu st be made with sleeve couplers If JO•nt p1ns
lsrHgots) an: 11Sed eilch Joint must be sphced With s l~pped tube

9
Bra<:ns must be c"nnccted a 1 <NCfV lift to st;.m dards w11 h sw1vOI couplers. or 10 the ends
of u ansoms 'Nit II <~ght angle couplers. u1 wh1ch case the transom ItSelf must be hxed
Willi "!Jht angle couplers

All braces form an Integral p~il of Pte scaffold SHucture and must notll~ rt•rnoved
w1thou1 e xpen adv•co

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Contmuous Facade or Swav Braces
Dog .l eg Uoacong.

WORKING PLATFORM
A!-i Prt'VJOusly •nd•ccued, the prun;:uy pu rpose o f a SCliffOid •S to- suppOrl a work ,ng
P'"'!'''"' The law '''Qu,res lime such platforms sl1nulri be suJtahle forcht" 1\'J>c of\vork
provode sccurrtv l.,r the operat•vo. and be so constructed as to ensure the safety uf
ot '''"' p.,ople p.ossongllelow or near the scaflold

llt lw pi;Hior nl os mvre> th"n 2m 16ft 6ms) ab<JvP. tho [ji Ound, tt must i>edoseboarcled ;md
;;e t 11 ted W1 ll 1y llil ref rcurs r1net tuCU<Jf-1 rrfs [1 nclu<-lmg stop ends) If matenitls ore sracked on
tht' pl.l!lur<n <ibovc the hetglll ol the toeboard. a Suitable batrier (such <JS8 br ckgu<J<dl
nu,s1 be eu~c1ed to prt!vcm the lnittf'r•als lrom falling off

The wtdtll of the w orktng plalform and the uses forw l1tCI1 thcv are des1g ned arc deta tied
'" the tables w 111ch <ttc 1ncll:dcd as an appendiX to th1s chopter (see p<:~ge 12)

A work•ng platform must be prov1dcd w:th a sale and proper means of access. Thrs rs
usu<llly some form of ladder. whiCh must be properly secured and extend above the
level of 1he platforrn by a m tn11num of fove rungs (1 0 5m, 3ft 6ins) unless other
adequate hand holds are prov:ded. Landing areas must be fitted wi th guard rei ls and
toeboards <:~nd shou ld be kept cl tw r rSee chapters on ladders and work•ng plmformsl

10
 Ovcr~dol approx 600mm
'
/

Punt.:heun
iJS ;;.:
Httndl1oiU

I
·- '~
~--------
~
----- ------
------

,... ·····--
Stano~rds
I
spaced
',~
' ,~
'•~ Lashed
H) support loans

4 i<J 1 itngle

A typiCAl w orking platform

LOADS ON SCAFFOLDS
Care must be wken to see that a"y load does not exceed the permossoble lomit s (see
aml~lldox to thrs chapter. Table 1 for detnrls of dtSit obuted loads}. Matena ls should bt!
dtStrobutel'i (IS evenly as possoble woth heavy otems. bncks. etc .. swckcd near to
Sl dl"'d::trds

I N SPECTION
!Overy scaffold sho11 ld be u1spected by ;on t•xptmenced and competen t person, a I least
once ~very seven dvys. afltH anv substantral rnodlfrc:atron or alteratrons and after
exposure to adverse w cacher condrttons A record o f th e rnspectron must be kept on
Form 9 1 Part 1 Sect•on A These reports must be kept on stte wherever possoble. or at
1hc otfoc:•• of the employer

11
Table 1 . Access and working scaffolds of tube and couplers

0 n...... t :o••! M ~~~ (_,_.m ' ,, •• '

i••onlrw nu~t•• "Cl l)l~f•t-11"!'15 wSe>d ,., Oi"'S h-h
Ill • "(of II\•_;. ·f>•"•J 225m hllf;ltl

·~ "'
t;~u,rls
'"
I •;po• -. oJtl l"!.:.e,tJul"' ;..4•nl•·•'ll !'.II• "! I':; I .,. lflo •I'Q ,:l.lllt'lf(h 3 t.:);,. li'; 21
ut·l ,.,.r, (l~;·a.,•n;"'-1 ·• •··•ll•l•J
III!Uh c~a .,,"" <t"'l<II(C ..u

I'll I I;() ,.... -:~~, q~Lulooms ~~G,. 2~

:.,; .......,,, Gt:l"(>l l:ul-"~•··•" ) 00 lv..oll r\f1 .. ,1ortn\ • 5 tlOa'O\ 11

,.,-1 c;lr.gt•fl(,.,.,o, .tvn zoo 1,11\ •tv td 111>1\' -': t•o.;m'~ • ' ~I
•1::->.'· o1no mo~ l•ol"'••~ 11 • 1 i'"IS•ct
11'"\tl '•'•.;! ,.•.!!.:,! "'\!
3IO•'"'"'~o.'0. br•c"W~.<t• 1 sc ;•wwktlltll•ilth"·• •••r. 5 !>O,I!tl'jl•l ?0
h··h\'~ 1<' j,rq 1 , 11 H'IV fljfl• l II !I~ \' 5 !)oarr;s
I ,.,~,d· -o•
~ hQI•tt•;
1m· dt·

f ........... ,,
'.,.,., "
•• , ....
ta ••:,
ti It! h .. ,.

Table 2. Widths of access Table 3 . Maximum span of

scaffold platforms scaffold boards

M '"'"''" W•ct•- ll.li rg C•(HII'I'ol fv1,U, Io l ! I r.,.J,,, .. ,w- \ •1 l.o; ,ft1t,li'P'I

li'n"'!:'! '''"''h ll···••llh !lou ~ttl' '- ·I• Ill o·.erh=rl:l <lv••r'llll'1
t:o '•h• •I h.:>.•'tl
.... !"!.
I.J<·IV..""'l

r ...:-~li r!~· "

""l>Na_, ""•u~ ~~
"'"''
....'( •• q ;4)1'"'._, • .-,s.'
'~ I5 >0 15:>
>0
~·· 200
ncn .-. th:><..\ .,:.~-= ' ._,1~ }U
'' ''"' \ '"' J! U-ot~:O o-g• tiJ .: ~~ ;o 2&::0
•• :.fql

f,' ll' o · \ ."11'10•'1 .; :.,ro,)li>

I)'O"''' ICI14•l0m- 'tfi:
t. ' '"' u s.s.une,) 1
llt~·u eor €-!:)m.-,f Reproduced from B. S . 5973:1981
h.H I··• • ' ' ' 1 o! with approv nl of British Standards
•• " I
,, ~ f " . ,. • ' .
,. ~
1 lnst1tution
111 "

'·' ... ' '

I • < ~'"'1

!li'l"! '
:f >ef ,l.eHN l~·,w!o ...,.

'' ';""'" '' :.-..ull:,l\1 •

•• ''·' ,,, •. ::t br dress•ng
,If 1! 'lll•f lh l._ .).I' «U•C'!i
'ol'•l' • •

• It,. ,'loot'

17
MATERIALS
Scaffold•ng rnale r •iltS <:ons•s1 pnn1an ly of 1ubes. hoa rds an d frt l rngs. A<fcin •on,tl ttern s
su ch as :op es, gm w h ee!s J 1"1d ladders t~ re c;overed ,n •nd,vtd uat cha~HtJrS COIW(:r nmg
the~r. nem:; lht-! ca re ancl ma·n tt~nnnc!-' vt tuh.es boards .tnd f1u ngs tS nf prune
mt' l•rtancP ;15 I! afft,.Cts both s.<•fety and p(uf tabrll(\'

All scaflold1119 m n te.,als mus t be mspeC! Cd be l ure u't' hv an t•xper~Pnced and cornpc -
wnt s..:affulcfer and unserv•ceahlc llt"'lllS d'S<:iuded Tnese shuuld be Clt•;uty m<-~rked
and 1c:>moveo f rom 1he SI IC tfJ preven l rhe 1r acc•de111a1 use hy o tl l ers

SCAFFOLD TUBE S
Tubes sh ould be 111anufactured and testt!<l •n at:corda'lt<' WJtn 8$ 1139 Part I
··s pec•hcat"'" fo1 :ubes lor use m scalfo1d ng

Thr.;.e rn~1111 tvpes of tube- arr• •n common use throughout the Unut:d Ktngdorn

• B l,tck Stl!cftubes
• G:lfVil'l l$('d s tet! I tuh es
• Ahunu,rurn allov tt.bes

Rv tn hlac~ steel dnd galv,1ntsed stet:l tubt1 S posst'SS thP sar'~le I)I'Vpt!n·es t•xcept
gaiV:Hh~t.>d tub~s a:"e more fHStst am to corrostun. These cornmon prop~~rttt:'S arc

• outs tde d tEnne ter, 48 Jm 111

• nnmtoal wal lhtc~nt!SS 4 .Omm
• WtJ I[IIH, 4 3 / K g m (2 91b I I)

Ah.un•n•um tube has I he same ou1stde d1an'lete; ;ts stee1, bu! IS sl tght ly t hlc;k(·l' and
muc:h l :ghtCI II 's rl lor c fle xtble l h:tn s1e1..~ 1 and IS r'HH <.tS Sl rong For thtS rouson
all1m u11Urn l ube should not be used 10 the same struc tu re as steel tube. The comm on
propernes o f a1unllntulll tube are as follows

• outstde dl<.tmeter, 48 3rnm

• nornona1 wall th•ck:-~ess. 4 47mm
• Wtugtn . 1 6 7Kg n1 ( 1 1/II> I I)

Alumu·uum tube tS ter'npered usiogllhtl durrng manufacture An, further heat npp1 1ed
to she tube m av \•v vn ken 11.

Repai r of Tu bes

Cor I<Jdcd tuhcs shm1ld be deanel1 w •th a Wtrehrush anci 1he extnnt ol diJrnage ,assP.ss ed
hy :a compelt~nt and t~xperu•nced e l(arl11ner s,~nt steel 1ubes m\ly be.s1 r a tQh tcneo usmg
a ro lhng maclune. l>ut bel\! ;tlu m iniLII n wbe ~l >oukl tw th row " out Rl!pa '" "U SCAffo ld
tubes is a skil led 1ul>itnd shuuld only be und.,rtake n by suec•illiS!S

13
Inspection
l••e ab•hty of " scaflold to C<Jrry 1ts •oad 1S largely <it'l>endt>lll on the strengtl' ~nd
cond•llon of the tubes used1n usconstrucuon Conseauentlv,tubesmustbcchecked to
f!llStH~ 1hev are

• Su a1ght
• r-ree from crticks. s~l ns. bod dents ,H'Id excess1ve c:nrroS10n
• Cu1 squore and c lea n a t c.tich Plld

Common fau lts

Flamccu:

~Cross cutTuoe
_//'
~/

Spl1 t end Tube

Storage
Scaffold 1uh"s are gencr<~llv suppl1ed m 1cn9ths ol 6 3m 121 h) Shorter tubl's "'"
av<HI~hil' from stock. for cx;;mple. transoms of 1 5m t5fl) <!nd • 8•11 (6hl length
\o\'hercvt•r poss1ble tubes should he sorted nccont.ng to length ~nd s1o-red m rackswuh
the or ends flust' fi11s makes t 1!as1er to1denufv ilnd setecttubesofthe length requ~rcd

\\'wk , •.
'
~.. ·~.J v

14
-
SCAFFOLD BO A RDS

Nenrly all scaffold l>o;trds ;1re manu factured from sawn and seasoned !lfttber Boards
shou ld comply w11h BS 2482 "Specrfrcatlon [()I l11nil<>r Scaffold Boards" Tltrs
icicntrfres tlte typ<:S of wood wltrcll may be used 111 tlrP manufac tllre of scairol<l hoarcls
\tnd recommends o mctl,od of tP.~~tfng to ussess the~r hpndmn streng Lh

Trmber boards come 111 thre" tlucknesses. 38""" ( 1 rns). 50mm ( 2111S) and 63mm
(2 • rns) nnd are normall y 225mm (9rns)w rde and 3 90m f13ftllong. Shorter boards are
used when necessary Thl' most common bo;nd rs 22!>mm · 38mm t9rns' 1 ',rrts)

Steel decking and laminat ed b oards

A number of forms market stagrngs w h ich are made of steel or aluminium or lamutatecJ
bonrds. These come 111 a var~c~tv of widths. Safespans;trc quoted rn the ma nulacwrl)r'S
lrte ratu r~ and trmber rtems should comr>ly wi th BS 1129. 'Trmber ladckrs. Sll'PS.
tr·es!les and lrghtwergh l StrllJ rng for rndustna l uso·. These ~re often used inconjt tncuon
wrtl1 propri~tiJfy sys tems of scaffoldrng. Port~ blc olum.n tum ladders . Steps, trestles
nn<llrghtwerglrt Stvgrngs ore covered by BS 2037.

Identif i cati on o f boar ds

E<~ch boardshouldh<~ rt1cnuf •ed bv ravrng the followmg rnlormauon clearly markt•dun
t

• Tl'e Brrtrsh Standa rd "umher tBS 24821

• Tl1e rtl~nt i frc~IIOI1 mark of the st~pplter
• Tl\e leu ~r M or· V denolrng rn<rdu nu or vrsua lly graded
• Tl1e w ord 'suppon· followed by tile moxrmum s~an rn metres over wl>rCI' thtl
board has lobe supponed followed by !he nbbrevratron max ·
tog BS2482 AB Co M ~upport 1 5 max.

Thrs .s normallv grvcn on tht hoop rrons or narl plates whrch provrde board t•nd
protectton Alternat•vely a spectit1edenteflca!lon plate may be ust~d. or th1s •nfurmat10n
may be branded on tire hoard

Mtmy bo<Jrds mu se
do not com;>IY wrlh BS 7,482
TheS<'! should be suJ)poned every
1 2m (marked on board)

Inspection and maintenance

Scaffold boards should l)c clea "ed and the hoof} rrortSCJr n<ll l plates sec:u red or rCIJiacad
Spill boards rn;;y be cut Clown or rcp~rred usmg narl plates depcndmg on the degre(' of
damage . N o cv1 ou ts. burns. ocl star fls or pro1cct rng na ris shordd he present.

Aonrds shou ld no! bt? J.>81111 ed or lfcmed " ' allyw;ry rhm may tonce<~l defec ts.l>ut Cl"' be
i1re proufed usmg m1 apprnvcd matenal

15
!- # --
___ __.- -- ~--- :-- -

\
\
SCAFFOLD COUPLERS
Som~t1mes called scaffold 'f, t t1ngs' these aredes•gned 11nd tested to Bn11sh Standards
:e~ec dtca1 tons Because of tlh"! d•v<•rsltY of destgf'l, mmw fHt•ngs Z!Chu~ve htgher SWL
(sRfe working loads! tha 1~ lhusc l~ 1d down llv tlw Brot 1sh Swndo rd Bl)d 11 wo11ld tw
ul~poss•hle ilnrf •nwrope t 1u quo1c 1hc d 1fferem comp;tny f•u•nos nncl valuef; A ll SWI 's
and vl.llues quoted 111 thts tntt•'ual are lhose SiH!c tfu~d by t ile Unusll St.:md~ud

Right Angle Couplers. ,dsu colle(l Doubles ;~re always us"d "'connec1 ledqers tu
Sltlndards They C:lrH de~~ynect and tesled to cu;htcvc a ri{Jhi-APQI~ coruH;X;tton wllh a
mm1mum safe work1ng load of 63!> Kgl14001b)
,.. - ... ... ,. - - ...
- -..,
·- · 'I

I
, ..... .... ..
'
. '1

·-
.... --.....
'\ ... __ ;

I
I
·- ·- ....... . ...
l~ !

Pu tlog Couplers, l 81su c~ lied Cltps ancl Smglcsl ilrU u SP<I to connect 11 an sums t(•
ledgHrs: thev are on lv :-;\llwhlc for lln ht du ly use (somew"'ws rc!(r;rred was ! Hut Jomi
beanng) They must be ct~pDble of paS$ing the s lip 1est os spec1fied by the Bntisl1
Star\dllr(!s

. ·,--' (7:>
I I :--,_ -----..,

'
'~;'
:·---
. .... ~ -- ~- --- ----~ '
' . \ e ......
. .
/# ·,
- '
.... 'I
~ ..,' ' '

Swivel Couplers. are used to con nec t tubes m any angle th ro ug h 360 t!i; yrccs.
norma lly used to con11ect braces 10 swnd<Jrds and occas•ollally to m;~ke parallel to•nts
Swivel couplers should never be used as nght-an!)le coupli!r$
~ -,
. -.
, '

'
' .......'
:---- '' , -- ..
'.. '
,'
"'
',
17
In add1110n to the normal putlog chp. there IS also another type of chp which has a Safe
Work1ng Load of 500kg Cor 5 OkN) These may be used as brace couplers when
connecung braces 10 ledgers

S:andard

t 'v: •
• ::. I

;:::----------L~.. . . ~
. . . _ ,-0
L!)t:HJ as
.a 3 rac-r.:

u
Couple<

Inspect ion and maint en ance

Sc;~ffold f•tllngs must be ,nspecled by an expencnccd andcompetentscaffoldcrbefore
use Any broken or damaged hlllngs should be d1scarded. as should anywoth rusty or
damaged threads

Scaffold fuungs should be soued by type. aM kept cl(•an andd•y.nstrongsac<s. hyh:ly

ooled 10 prevent rus1

Ca 1e should be taken 10 see that each sack conl(uns only tllf' 1111111ed quantity of f1tt1ngs
wi'I1Ch ca 11 l)e hand led with ease - usuo lly no mo,·c than 30 f mmgs to a sack

M A NAGEMENT OF MATERIAL S
Mate1•als must he dehvered w s1te when rcqu 1rod and removed and stored w herl the
JOb 1S f11'11Shed Ensunng that the correct amounts 11nd lvpes of ma tenals amve attht!
nght pl.tCf> and the nght ttme needs careful plann ,ngandorganisauon Th1s 1snorm~lly
provod!'d "'' the scaffoldong depot where these mater •als ore stored. Tlle management
of depots os not w1th1n the scope of t~us boo~. but os referred to on the Chapter on the
Orgonosatoon and Workong Methods

18
SC A FFOLD FOUNDATI O NS
Anv s tr ucwre. whether ot be ·a house or ;o mult o- storey bluck of flats. must hav.., a
foundation capable ol carryong the load safely for ots ent•r .. lol~ Thos ol$o applocs to
scaffolds Tloa ConstructiOn tWorkong Places) Regulat•on~ 1966 Regulatoon 13 (21.
requores Hll'lt base plates. and on soft ground. sole boards must he used todostrobute the
load ove1 a vvtder arei:t

TillS rcgtoliii iOn IS expa nded and expl a om~d on as 5 973. Sec toons 11:1 to 11 ·7 w h och
should bt• fCtl d 111 COnJU n C(IOrl with th is SCCitOn

FOU ND A TI ONS

In yenerl!l the fo undatoons for a sca ffold $110 11 id be adeq ua te 10 r.arrv and $prcod the
load imposed both locally <l t each standard, ;md to corry tile whole weogh t of tile
scalfold

It os th" wspons•boilt\' of the maon corwact or t o ensure that the fou ndatoOM are of
ad"<W<HC Sl<t!rl9111 to SLIPI>Ort the sc~ffolrt, but 111 pract occ th iS IS done <n COilSLolt<Otoon
w ith the scaffoldmg suh·con tractor However. th os does not roloeve otl1er B< npl<>vc rs of
their duty to ensure th<•t sc~ ffolds us<!d by th•W employ e<:s ;trc safe

Tl1e foondal~an for a scaffold rnus1 be malnlrltncd 10 an adt!quate COildlltundttrtng the

ltfe of the scaffold

Base plat es
Ha rd surfaces - such i)S Std~ l and concrete, where thert~ ·~ t l su ff•c•em t1a1 Jnessand
thickness to prevent the Sctlffold tube pt:rwtrnttng 1n1u 11w surface. lhe upr•ghts of a
s-.:affold may be placed dorec:tly on the sur lace althouyh ot os recomn'ended that base
plates sl1ould always be used

Surfaces o f intermed iate hardness st<Ch as pavemen ts. l tard asphalt. umber and
lloor111g where ti1ere •s a possobtlo 1y of tho standa rusddormong the surf<Jce. base pl~ws
or meta l pack1ng platesshoulcii.Je used at the bottom of each Mandarcl

Sole plates

On sod. ash. hoggon. grave I sof t as;>ila lt and a11y typeoffiOOI " '9'" pavmgwlliCI1w oll ld
be pen.,trmc\1 by a s tanrlurd w 11h a baseplate ' """~ath 11. or ol th<>rv os doubt abo111the
sud ace there shou ld be a further spreadon11 of the load by a sole r>i<lte of :omb" r or other
sutlttblt• m~tenal

V'Jhcn a sote plate os used. th•· sole plate l><>neath any or1.: St<lndard should be at least
1.OOOcm· . W•th no dorncnsoon le~s than 220onrn rn onomum If th,• solepla te 1sof tomber.
ot should 110t be less thiln 3!>rn m th ick 0 11 " tl'S w here 1111' ywu nd os soft or I1>1S been
d!Silirbd f, the w hole piD tC area shou ld no t bo less th<Jn 1, 700rm'when ond ovu iLmlsole
plates ar.; ust'd leg under hoost towers). un<l not less th<tn 3.400cm' when combo ned
uruJr>-r two s1andards In thrs c~ose. tf the sole pl<.ne rs of umber 1t maybe nt!Ccssarv for
th•s to 1..- rnorf' than 35mm thtck. Htmvy duty sea !folds and 1>00r ground w111 requo"'
strong~r fouMatoon"

19
These ore minimum requirements; In priiCIICe they can be 1nterprewd as lollows

• on firm ground- 500mm long x 225mm x 35mm

(1 h 81ns x 91nS < 1" ·1ins)
• on soft ground - 765mm long x 225mm x 35mm
t2h 6ms x 91ns x 1' 11ns)
1
• under 2 standards - 1.55m long x 225mm x 35mm (5ft ' 91r1s x 1 . .ns)

Soil compactio n
Tlw su1l or ground beneath 1he sol e 11late shou ld lle Will i compacted and free from
lfrcgularotii'S wh1ch would make 1hc sole pl~w unstable or ~oorly bedded On slopes
exc!!tldiO(J 1 10 a check may have to be made on 111(! found<H•ons to ensure thcSiflblillY
of the scaffold.

Bad practice
lt •s c1ea1 tlun each s1andard is mcorrectlv founded !based) Unfortunalefy 1hesc "r"
common f~lli ts. found on marw construcllon sues andean cause scnffolds wcol li!pSe.
rcs111t1ng 1n 1njurv or death

Tl1e board has not been prop«rlv 'bedded' It 1S loo longand hasbee nstr uckby
11 lorkhh or dumper truck. which has knockecl 11 off-centre.

2 Aga.n. bon rcl too long; nn baseploto

3&4 Tlus was correct, until somebody duo tlw trench' As 11 is. the edge of the
trench could crumble or the boards bend ond poss1bly break.
5&6 Ou•te s•mply 1hese are not sole boards Tht• 1hermal block15)wtllcrackand(6)
1S near to useless

20
 Trench

Thrs dragr;;m shows how the scaffold ioundilttons rllustraled on the prevrous p;;ge
SIH>uld be corrected Note that Gross braces h~ve been added 10 transfer lo;jding from
til~ base of those standards near the Hench

BASIC RULES
The ground must be c<Jp<tbleof supportrng the scaffold.
2 The sole bocHds mttst be capable of spreadrng the werght of the structure
WithOUt diStort lOll

3 Two standards per sole board are bener than one.

4 Sole boards pi<Jced tll rrght-ang les to t11e butfdrng should oot projec t too fa r
beyond the face of the scaffold.
5 Sole bonrds should no t be unclermrned.

21
Heavy Duty Foundations
lllu~uatecl b••low 15 a typical arr<Jngmem lor n mu1!1- Storey mclependent scaffold
R;11lwa\ Sl<'l'i><?rS have been set •ntoa shallowbedol concH:1ew1th basepla1es p1nned
to tlw si>'Ptwrs Pw standards have been hutl1er sut>POrted w1th le<lgers and ma1n
unnsums at '"" l>ase of the sca1fold All the •:onncct1ons have been made w1th ngl11
angle .:uuplcrs d11ectly 10 tne standMdS fur aridlltOOill 11g1d1ty and strength

1-- ,'
Na11ed to Sole BoJrd

Note 8r;wes ,>nd lmermedN<Ie Jr,msoms h11ve been left out for clar:ty

S!llore hoavy duty foundauons arf' la1d cons1derauon s11ould he \11ven to any proposed
(ldaptlons !hat ""'Y be requlfed during the life of th~ scaffold as th1s .nay effect the
pos •110n of 1lw sole boMds. For 1nsta nee. 1t mav be necessary to add double standards at
tht" b.1se uf tlw scaffold In thtscase sole hoards shou ld be placed para llelto the bu 1ld1ng
and b1•long enough to accommodate !he extra standards 8r~dgmg maybe necess;;ry
lor vch1cutar <~ccess Sole boards should he placed at nght angles to the bu1ldtng ~t the
approprtale places to (lccommodale thiS

2:7
Pavement Scaffold Foundations
The nexl tll uslf a lion tdenttfu~s some of the probiP,ms facn1g a scaffolderwhen 1rymg to
'base ou1 on a pavemem A;>art from I he norml! l problem s of bas1ng out, 1t m~v be
necessary 10 rt;move the ba::;ehh braces tor pubhc il CCe.ss Cons•dera !ion should be
g oven to the need for ~ddotional1 ies ne~ r th e base

The illustr ~u ion h•ghltgh t:.; S<>nw ol t I 1e d itt lt;u lt •es wh •ch can be ilvotdcd w1 ttl fon:~~~•gi1 t
If the ;.n.wen'lent su rf~~cc is ta rrr·ro<.j. c'!verv Sl a ndard sl 1ou ld have a so le bo<l rd Somel •mes
pavement lights nttlY hvvc been covered \Ntth trtrrnac and HIS tmponam to cht~ck t~ n~;
Pavement slabs are norn1itlly adcQutne {0 1.Vh!' tht• wt~iyll t of access scaffolds

I
.:---I
--

-====,L.._ I
PubliC
Tr• pp•ng
Ha;zard

Llglll duty access scnffolds c on be founded on povcrnfJnts. w o1hou1 sol(1 bo" rds,
provided 1he pavem en t IS capable o f supportmg the scaffold, 1.e pnvong sl abs or a
m n11fllum of l 02mrn (4") C(H1Cre l e

23
Foundations on sloping ground

Tlus shows a good example of a well founded tmse. ()11 slo~ung ground The st~ndards
·"" ~llllporte<l by a 11e ledger wh1c11 1S connected to tht; t•ndsuf the transoms With rtght
"ng ho t:OtJf>l'"" Ba,epfrues are ~OSI I•oned tn the ccntrt• of the solel>oa rds. wh 1ch 1n turn
hav1• ht:t•n i<Hd '" v;ell cut 's1ti1J~ Hl the bf:lnk

NOll 8r11\.. t!~ t-dVC been on• Ut:<.l

f~"1r t; lr1r tv

'" ~ .. '

Tf1t• follow1ng 1llustra11on s11ows typical examples of onadcquate and u 11safe slop1119
founoa!lons

Mmvr ~.lbs,dence ot
E"~os•on f=>nders 'o'·"'
c<=~t • OI' use~ess

~ COOgt: TO redl.iUl
fl·,e pote•1:•al t~MC:i
!.how n ,n No,?~

Slopes steeper than 1 1 0 should be checked for stability by a qualified enginee r

14
TIES
Stability
It ~~ ''sseot1al th at t~wry sea l fold should be sccurelv !led to the butldtng struc:ture
throughoutots t'nt•r.; h•ngth and heoght to prevent "1ovemem of t'>e scaffold

G EN ERA L RUL ES
Toe~ usually pass th rougl1 the facmfo v i the bu iltlinrJ ntld s hou ld ho secto red to tlw
scaffold strucwre w11h load-be<trtng roght angltJ couplt,S, as close to a node po>nl (the
tunctoull of standard nnd ledger) as f>OSS•bl<' At lt~ast half of the tot'S should be
poS•1•vc', two·wav tiCS. thattSthey~houldprovem movem~n~ both tow~l'dsandaway
from tlh~ building. and not dt!pcnd on fnc11on (~•s 1n tht) case of~' evert I He) or merely
testr•Cl muvt~ment in one dtrt"CI•on onl\

I 1 •s ll"'"'portvnt toe nsurd rhut 11H~ hutld utg issu ottg enough tosustwn ~:he loHd wh 1Ch \A,t~JI
Ue tr~nsferrecl to •t vta the t!C Parttpets or decornttve archuectural fearurcs.
balustrades ftltftngs. ~tc . are seldom s;rony ~nough forth•spurposeano should not be
rclred upon

The lor lUbe s•oould always h•• honwntal or slope shghtly downwards ,oway from th.;
htuldlllg, and prcferahly be au~ched to both st.tndarcls. or to bmh ledg~ rs ot a ;mont not
more thon 300mm ( 1 7ins) from a bra<;cd stanclorcl.

Wht!n~ w~re or banded t1es are used they should he turned round tt node p01n1 or
otheowose bH preventl!d fro111 slopp1ng ~long a ledger or U1"'9111 bvf '""9 safe ly couplers
lii!lh"' sode of the po1nt of <lltachrncnt. and bolllrnnsom~ should be used m a<lclt•on

N U MBER A ND POSITION OF TIES

Scaffold t:es snould be ftxed t'Vcry 32rn· of tht! lace are;~ and b.l "venly spaced both
hor·>ontally and vertoca.ly, at feast ev.;ry 8.5m (27ft). ~m ondepel)dcn t scaffolds wlh~re
tEes will not be rt'!moved1 the spacmg may tH• .ncreascd to on~ t1c every 40m . ... venly
>Paced as <•bov~.

For scaffolds greater than 50m h ogh, the number and posi tion of ties w1ll ue one of the
desogn factors to be dtlCtded by a scaflold des1gn eng.ncer and as such •s outsode the
scope of 1h 1s book

Sheeted Scaffo lds

Scalfolds f>ttcd wtth sMet ing. larpau llns. <~tc. w1 ll be suhjcctecl to exira Slrcss due to
WI rHI forces \tnd wtl l require more t•cs Jn cas9S where ht-!S moybtt tcmporanly removed
tht<y should be spaced at not less than oncue every 25111· Whert•there ~~ noposs•h1l1ty
of th<' tie beong removed, thiS may be u1t. rcased to one 111 cve•v 32m>

In ~xposed loeatoons '" on places where hogh w1nds arc l1kely. and whtm' the scaffold os
more ll)an 25m hogh specral calcula l ons mus1 be mad<! to-ilssess if closer spacongts
rcqun ~d Thrs should be undartakeo~ by a scaflold cle5•gn engoneer and os outs•de the
scope of lh•s book

25
A common -sense approach
A commun · sw1se ;:tpproach t0 the POSII!On ond spnctng of ttes 1S more tmportant than
~t.,ct ·•dhercnce 10 the Cod" of Pr~cuce ror example, those w ork1ng on shc<•ted
scaffolds arc unlikely to be carrymg a wmd-speedgauge, or take the 11oubte tocatculote
th~ proGise ;trua of th e sci:! HOld face The numbers md1Cilh!<l above Should Lie regarded
tJS the n1ini1num r1ecessary 10 cnsur(! tha stahilttY of lhe S<~affold,

The btl~tc r ulcs or thumb wur111 remcmher~ng are

• S11acc ues every other lilt and every 6m (20ft! along the face of the scaffold
• T•es sht>u ld be hxed w11 h lond bear mg couplers, as close to the norl<! p01nt as
poss•hle.
• Avo1d the use ol reveal t•~s where posS•ble At least half of the ues on a
scailold m11St be "pos1tivn"
• - ,K~ full advanta~;~ of anv structural features ol the bu11dmg eg p•llars.
col11 111ns, l•n tels, r<'>bates, etc. to prov•dc llddJttor>a l strer1gth and stahdttY to
the lie.
• Milkl: sure that the budd•ng tS strong enough 10 suppon the t•e. and the load
unposed on 11 by th<• scaffoltl.
• Do not temove a Ill' for any reason unttlthcoverallstabdtlyolthc scaffold has
been ~:onftrmed

TYPES OF TI E
Through Ti es
Thruuyl1 t1e s rely on ;1 tube l11le t1e tllbetpasstng through anyconvcn•entOj)~n,ng•n the
bullrli11g tstn:h as il wtndow o1 door open ,•g\ coupled to an •nstd~ tube spa nn111g the
wall O!Jen•ng lhts mStde tuhe should prefnrablv be placc•d veru~:ally. rc~ltng on the
floor so that 11 c~ nnot sltp but may be placE>d honlonwttv If posstblc the 11e tube should
res1 '"' ~ s•ll 01 0 1her conven ll:lnt ledge for 111e s~ me reasons but rnay be place<! undc r 1ile
lmtel the baste pnnctple heu1q to<ler ovc>l$muchsupport and sccunty from 1he bu 1ld "'9
as pu~~1blc

Through t1cs 1nust h~ J.>OSittve. two way 1ics. prevm'\tmg movemf"f'\t both towonJsond
aw(.tV from rht-o bu,totng Whnre 1t •s not poss•ble to f1x a bridle tubc(theower honzontat
tube :;panntng 1he wu ll opcnn,gltlw adtaccnt trilnsoms shuu ld !Httt ag~u1 s1 the uuter
swtacc of the wall

On " I) ell log sc~ ffold, w hera thu pu tlogs are roqu 1red 1<> suppot lbO<trds, n hr~dle wile 15
frcqu.mtly placed ""~r the wall across lldJilCcnt pu tlogs euher Sid<! of a w all opentng.
Thts ttrrang<•rnent <·;m scrvt1 as a through lte. hy e Xlendtng a putlog mwards ilOd
r:onnccttng tl lo a hor ti'ontal (or vertu~al) tub<: tns tdo the wall . In this case, load beartng.
right angle couplers shou ld h« used to secure the IHll ubc, w h tchSI1ould t}ass bt.>/Ow1he
ledger lor two reasons. fhc "Yht angle, load bearmg couplers used ~re bulk1er than
stmplo p tnlo~t couplers ' " 'd wo11 ld pr<•vent sc~ffold hoards from i<~v•nn f1;11 . ln nnyeven1
tl jsb~ttcr tf the t••~S(Ire not usedasd,rect SLtppon for a working plnt lorm (JS thcwe1gh1
and vtbrauon of th•l Jllatform •mposes cxtr a unnecessary stress on the ltC tube

26
 r.

·:C.

Box Ties

I 11ese ucs take aovantagc or the phys1cal choracterostrcs of a tlwld.ng andcons•st of an

asse1Phlv of tubes and couplers f .xed a round corwem.,nt columns and ot h"r fc<Hur~s of
111e burldmg. berng w edged where necessarv toresrst l><>th the rnwarda r1d outwMd pull
o f th~ scaffold and to provrde addltiOIMllateral stabd<ty

Box 11es st10u ld tw set preferably at lift level and be sccurod to both ms•de ;md outs1de
l<'dgers un sta ndnrds un less 111 is 1S likely to oust ruct free access through the scaffol<l 111
wh1c11 case they may be f1xed to a s•ngle 11\Sideswnda1 d.A loAdhe;trmgcoupler Sl1oulcl
b~ usr-~d

II

BOX TIE

27
Lip Ties
Wher" 111s ""' possoblc to use box ues.lop til'S maybe used onstead TheseconsoSI of an l
so,;~pcd <H< aroyenoent of tubes and couplers to hook behond a conven•ent part ol ti>e
buolclong As such theyonly restraan an outward movement olthc scafloldandshouldbe
retf'forccd hy ctn adJacent burtmg transom or s•m1lar arrangement to restnci mvvard
moverncnt I op nescomnbut elotlleor nothong tot i \C lat eral stabd nyof thescaffoldanda
swav tr\lnst,rn ,_,., add uonal brac1ng may be r cqu11 t~d

'71"0
: ·> Col\tf')fl ® Cotutilll © . ~olumn
"''
:;:H ./
....
~ ·~ ~·:. ;
'
F:~
'"'.
.:~;;:].

I \
Bu.x t w Colllfnfl t1e w rt'l
D<Jo.lblo I JJ
01 U 1 1~ Bt. 11 Tri:H1som

Screw or An ch o r Ties
In surne cascs ot "possoble to 'IJuold i11" scaflolcl to cs onw tile fabroc of thP bu oldonq
dunng ItS cor'\Strucuon A vanelv of scrciJI;Pd plat~~. socke ts nncl nuts are avvtlahle for
SHtttr1g tntoeoncretedur ,ng pour·ng for subSCQltt!tllu~~ as thennchor for a t•e.

Anchur ~uc.:kets and r1ng holts au~ also av~~lanle lor f,x,ng 1nto holes drilled mto
hardened ronc:rtHtor br•ckwork \•Vhendnlhng tnto hr•C'k however. cnrernustbe wkcn
lodrtllmto thcbodvol tnebnck.not nc(u the edge nortntothe monarbctv.reenbt,cks~s
ltus s urllll(l:!'lv to produce a secure f·xtng

28
lt1S ullpOr tam to ensure thmthe facade rnaterral forms nn 'megral part of the tJu1kln1g
Sir uctur.,and is not mcrclycladcl1ng wuh linle or no Inherent strength.as rn the cas., of
llll'ber framed housrng Or system-buill Strucwrcs

Ru1g holts. 11e nngs. eu·. wh<rh relvon an i>xp~ndln(J wedge tos..,curc111ea nci10r 1rrto~
prtl clnllcd hole should nr>t bo overt <ghtencd Wheru appro;m<lle the SJ.)ec•al ttl<>l
suppl H;d l)y the manul H<:tll<•Jr should IJe ~·sed to f1x the anchor ami the rmg bolt or other
I<X<nn <nserted and tightened by hand Drill~d <n tms shou ld be tested be for" ust' They
wdl be prevented from becom u1g w1srrcwed by tilt! tub,; r)( band ~assutg thrO\l!Jh the
rmg

\
lieveal
!ol.ftlW ptn
•.·i :J
.- .
·'
~~

qrwr•l t•fl t.twuAd 1.(' •n~c~ tu ~e•l

h,IJ,. ""'''tot'"' 1 $0mm ot eno t:>pf)(IS.•tt> IQ
l''t'II:C~''+II IJHI """''t"lko:r tkt!OI IOI'IDr 1 ()nfltl
o• '-'Ul•c•:
Rtghl llll{l lt) OOVI)!,.tll
onlv I I) btl 1JIIf0 REVEA L TI E

Revea l Ties

h •s not a!-.,vavs poss•ble to provtde a pos•t•ve tu~ sudl fts n box tie. o: dr1ll tt•e fc.ttcof a
hutlrltng for screw or anchor ttes In these c'rcumstanr.cs. it reveal tae may 'itnr'lt•t•mP.s
h<' used

A reve(J I t •e rel•es on a 1ubt• (tnc rove a I t ul>eJ bet ng wedged l 19l1t ly between twooppuStl~
fnces '" th<' budd1ng St< uCHJr!l, such as the opposmg s <des of a wmdowopen1110 01 tllH
11nde rside of " l111tel a 11d II ttl ~11 1
Th,; most commo11 dcvrcc <So thrM1ded bM a ncr 11Ut i::ullcd a ·reveal S<'<<'W pin'1wh1Cil
can be ildJUSted. exp;<nd111q tile r~ve;rl rube assembly 11110 tl1e O;Jen. ny. gripping 1t w<tll
constderable force. It•::> frt~Qucn tly oec;t!!>S<Jry tousesomt~form of packu1ga1 erH.Jsof the
<•!V•'al tube to ;Jrevent clamoge to th" bt11ldmg surftlCt· A 75mm (3tnl squar~: P•Cce of
11lyv;ood 10mrn !luck •s usually ad,:quate for th1s purpose excess1ve ,,adcong should
bt• iWOtded as It may shrtnk and r~rluce the griJ>. caus•ng th~ re\l~a tube to bccorne
loose

The- t'P tube should be llxt•cl to the reveal tube wrth a r~gllt angfe coupler as near lls
po~s1l>lc to the end <>PPOS<1e t l1e 1evea I pin and 111 aII cas.;s w11 hm 150 m mi6H1S) of til''
far.f! of the opening It shovlrl also be f«"d w I he scaftolcJ "'two pti.\cesw1th r~gllt c~ ng lo
c:ou piers as for 1hroug h 11 es £;very opportu n1ty should l1c taken to takeadva 111/lgt· of the
"rch•toctural features of the bu ilding to J><Ov1de acldillon<•l secuntv and stabili ty.

29
Reveal ues rel y em or ely on fnct10n and should be checked at least once every sever•
days for !lghtnr•ss 11 is inadvtsable to use them on pu t log scaffolds.

Ideally, reveal liP.$ should noL be used for more thnn half o l the total nurnbe r of tics n1 a
scuff old Where til tS ca nnot be avotded. and where they are unl ikely to be removed for
1emporary acc·ess or ~ny otht:!r pu rposf; they shou ld be spa ceO at lcfl$t one every 22m ;
In ot hef Circumstances or vvhcre ct i-;.; not pc)$Sible to prov1de any through or anchot 11es,
the scaffold sl1ould be specially <k~sigr'lf!d ,

RAKERS
Where 11 IS unprnqicable to provide normal t•es. the s1nbillty oi a scafiofd con be
ach•cved by the use ol m.<ers. A single. L111101nted raktng tube. not more than 6rn tn
length mav be coupled <H the top 10 the ledger at the second ltft_ cxwndtng an angle not
greater than 75 " to the honzonwl14: 1), The loot of the rak1ngtube must bcw~ ll founded
<.md alwavs tH·: ~1ed back to the n1at nscuffold. Th 1sarrongemen t can be used tn placeof a
smglt"! tie

R ~I (H\ !,_1 T 11 :w :J '(3 !)\~! tv ' ·~· LII1 C t.: d

;;pp.- o r. .1 ng le 4 · 1.) 1

R<l!:i(·:li.<HC
.... Su et)oord

DE !;. tL

AU!:C RNATtVf ON
I•Af10 (;flOUNO

S~"J!Ci.H)iJI t l

30
First Working lift

When a workong lift •> requ ired at 1.35m (4ft 6ins) as on<' putlou scaffold. or at2on (6ft
Gins) heogh t ln the c ase of <o n ondependent scaffold and no form p~ rt o f the bu ilding hus
as yet been con Slructed to anacl1a toe. tl)e scaffold rnay be teonpora ri ly s w bol osed by use
of rakers. W hen on ly two t oes are required ~s on the case of a sma ll house scafiold
lwilhout reourns), rakers should be located, one cot her end

Rakers rnav also be used d uru1y the d ismantling of a scaFfo ld of ol is impract icable to
stabd1se the structure 1n any Oi her wa.y

CRITICAL T IES Inn general s~n se, aU 11cs vre essen ttal
to the sWboloty o f a ,;ca ll old A s s tated"'
th(..! begrnn1ng of tl\iSchapter. thecrit~ria
governing the number and J)OSi tion of
toes (BS 5973) d•Stlll(Juoshe~< between
sc<lflolds where a t oe os l1kely to be
r ~rnovcd and scaffolds wotll non ·
move1hle. tics- and between shee ted and
non- shee ted scaffolds. However it is
....·•
..;.•
;.:; worth empha.sisJn~j thtlt wht;re it may
become neces!·;ory 10 remove 1ies for
access or ~ny other purpose. tl is
essentoal th~ t the scaffold shou ld be
erected fr<>rn the outse l w1 th a gren ter
number o f t1es than \·vou ld otherw1se be
- - - Th~:;e T,m;havr~ r;,:qu1recl
~. rep laced the Brace
A critical tie IS a II<> WhiCh has been
placed 111 a Scilffolcl,

rr[ --~ \D-~

la) Where ledger to ledger braces
h~ive been removed
jh) Where a prolf?Ct1ve f<Jn IS
- ) Braces rcn1Cvt!d erected
/ for acc ess. lei Where a Contilevered ladder
@~1\\=./,-4~ s tage, loading or la nd ong stage
1s erected
id) In the centre of a bri dged
scilffo lcl

The II lustra uon oppos 1te sbows some

e x<~onples Tlw scaffold was orog1na lly
er~ctt:d vvtth normaJ t1es a1 pomt sA,B,C .
The cantilevered ladder access must
1ncl11de ~ crtt1ca lt "" Where the d1agona l
br~1ces have h~Pn removed, on the
fourth, sixth an(f seventh levels .
add it iOnal tics must be added at points
E.F Hovvever because braces are
re m()ve<J from two consec uttve l1hs (Ill ts
number 6, 7 )the norma l l<tun po1nt C wd I
also tJc <> crot 1calt<e.
Remember, ordinary ties can be repositioned: Cri tic al ties must n ot be removed.
31
REMOVING AND REPLACING TIES
Wht!n l.>uolclong a scaffold otos as well to keep on mond (and make provo soon lor)lhe l·k••ly
ne~'<l for acCI!SS wh1ch may nvolve removmg and reJ>Iacong ues .

The lonoshong mwes. pla sterers. decorators. ylaz,ers. PI C , w1ll cenaonly need t o gaon
access 10 parts o l the buil<hng obstructedbvtn<S Thcrt•wtllbc " Sllllllarrequorcment for
1namtcnance staff. although tn this latter case It wlll t><H beaspredtctable. lnall cases 11
os esscnttdl to est<tbhsl' work 1ng procedures wh1<:11 arc ""dersto<>d by al l, to avouJ the
d;<nl:J91 po~''d ll v t r<•de-sme n 1ak1ng malle t s 1n10 lheor ow11 l) and:; and rernov1ng end
repliH;II1\l tiCS VV11 1,0Ul Slll)efVIStOn

Sct~ fftJIU t1es shuuld only be removed ond , eplor.mJ under the superv•s1on of on
e~pcnenced n nd competent scalfoldeo who wi ll llC <JwMe ohhe dangc rs and capable o l
rnakmg •.-lternot•va arrangements to safegu;,_1rd t11C swt)l hty oi the str ucture

Man,· scr,ous acccciems huve been c:nused by unauthnnsed removal or mcorrect

re,}laccmt~ru of HE·~ - ilccidents wh1ch could have been avo.ded bv adequate
superves1on ilnd the tn1rod:.,ctton of safeworkeng pract1CCS

32
SCAFFOLD TIES - Checklist
1. Can the scaffold move away or towa rd the building?
2. Are all the ties fixed w i th load bearing couplers?
All tigs should be /;xed with ri[lht angle couplers unless
ues <."'re plt?Ced at ;u/ilfer(Jnt nngle - ·w hen IIley "'·~'I be fixed
With sw1ve! coup/An;.

3. Are all ties correctly posi tioned>

Tim bf..>St ues ore connected ro 1wo stc?ndat'ds. prelerably

br<·tccd.
ll the ues are tonncctecllo ledgers tile t:ot mt.•ction is best
made w1thm 300mm oltl>e st andar<ls.
4. Are there a sufficient nlH11ber of ties?
In the absence of t!XJUHJ rt(lvice ties should be fixed on
alternme hits to 1ht? lolll1eight of tile swllold iitul at ev~;ry
tlurdpr.ur oi standrtrds <--dong it's ent Iff! lt!ngth
Re,lcaf!,es should not exceed 50% of the tolal nurnb~r oi
lms

5. Are nil critical ties in tac t and secure)

Aetn&fltber cnr:r;a! ues ore essenualat mw ranrileverecl
po;fll !Inns. lo;Jdlflg !;,?y$/ and wlmre braws ll,?ve been
rt!tr.•(wt:•d lor access.
Re:netnber never allow lhe re1noval of Cf!tu:E!Itws 'N.'lhovt
e'K./)8/l iU l YfCt.' .

6. Have any alterations been made t o the scaffold?

Cl"eck Items I . 2, 3. 4, and 5 w;r y carefully at t11e 1)011/tS
~"tlu~re <'ilter;,>uons have bee.n ~rJtulc.

7. Ensure reveal ties hove been physicall y checked and

tightened.
8. Ensure all ancho rage po ints are st rong enough!
9. A l ways double check the ties after adverse weather
! especia lly hi!Jh winds\.
10. I ~ in doubt - seek advice frorn the experts .

33
WORKING PLATFORMS
A worktng platform can be anyth•ng from a stnglc board spanmng across two small
trestles 10 a canulcvered structure. 60m up near the IOI> of a mutu-storev butldrng

The ConstnrCIIon(Workmg Places) Regulat1ons reqwre that where worl< cannor safely
h" done on or 11om rim [pound. or from part ol ,1 b(lddlllg or otl>er permdnent
strtJcturtt. a sr.aflold. f'"1dders. or otlwr means of SVJJt>orttnusr be prowded The
~~ OVISIW' of n working pl;:11 foJ rn 1S the rnost cummun method of meeung th1s
requ1n.,rnent
Othm le~al rt'q1 11 rements rcl~ung 10 work•ng platforms specify tha t pl;nforrn s must be
ClOSt' t)oiHdecl'. th nt 1S, tl1erc should b<) no >tDPS througl\ w h •ch m en and ma terrals
<:ould 1~11. Hl\d shou ld be f1 tted wotll guardr,lils and tOdlOards Further Rcg ula11vl1$
speC1fv the w1dth of the pl atform. prov1de for son1e mc;u\S of sal<: a(;cess ladders
ganywavs etc and require :hat ;;recaut1onsshoul<l he taken tnprevent tools m~ t~nals
or t'qutpmcnt f~lhnQ off. Cf'dangenng those below

Thmw requercrru~nrs arc s1mply tllustraled below

/'I Ov.,•S&tl approx 600n'm

Close boarded
~:!:f'::::=::::::::-1 PIa t fot m
I
Puncheon
ilS S
Hanohold
I

--
------
---

Stal,d\Jrds spa,ced
10 support loads

4 101 angle

34
Boarded Lifts
The s;>acong of put logs and ~ransoms US!.><i to support a boarded platiorm osdeumno ned
by the s11 engtl1 and t111ckness of the hoords used For38mm II ' ,o ns) boards tlus must
r1ot ~xceed 1.5rn 15ft) ~ nd for 50mm (2ons) boards. notiJe """"than 2 6m (8ft 6ms) In
practoce, a standard 38rnm ho;Jr<l, 3 9rn long rnusl be supported at four places

- - 39 m

-----
---
--
---------
4 Supports

Up to 1 8m. 2 supports foxed BOTH ends

Ltdddr
Access

F t x.CO
\
\
2 •3 m 3 Sunporb
h xec 1u nreverH
lopp of'g

The space betwt!en the odgeof the workong pl;uform and thP huoldon(J mLOst be as small
ns poss•ble. and 1n no c •rc:t.lmscances exceed 300rnrn 11 /•nsl

Boards must rest firmly and evenly on their supports and extend the platform
wherever possoble atleast600mm(24ons)beyond the end of any wall orworkong face

Boards should overhang theor sup pons by not less than !:>OrnrnP ons);md not more thon
150mm tG<nSJ on the case of 38m m boards. 200mm (Bons) fu r 50onmboards unl ess L11ey
have been secured ag:11 nst topp1119 S110n boards top more casoly t11 ~ n those of a lull
ll'l1{1 111 (3.9n>) To be S<tfC short boards (less lh<tn 1.8111 lon(l) should be foxed ~I llotl>
P.nds.

35
Trq1pinQ haza rds can be mcn •m•sed IJy fiw ng bevelled pieces. or fi llets. where bo~rds
ow"l<lp. A s 11 general r ule. boards shou ld be latd Wt th their cnds butted. lt tssomettmes
necessary to overlap boards: t111s sl>ould be done so that the l!pper board rema111s level.
and •s proper ly supported along !IS en tcre length, as tllt<strawd

Ni;H l<.~d
bevelled
batten T•mber supp<>rl
\ Th :s board vvas
1Jfl$upporlt;d

Lapped board
I

\
rransom f1xed
to ledg<.'r
\ \
\ ··--\ ---.... Board
'

Ledger

Sta ndard

36
Platform w idth

As pn~v1 nu5ly stated. the w1dth o f 1he work 1ng pl-;;11form w1ll bericwrm med hy 1he use for
whu;h the platform IS In tended.

2 boards wide •s c;onsidr~red adcquiHC for (lCCCSS. •nspect•on. gangvvnys iind runs

3 boards w ide - for men w•thout mate• •als. or onl y for tl)e passage of mater1Dis. The
d•awam sl1ows a t11ree -boarded ;>latform be.ng used by a pain ter. Normally scCl ffolds
are erected so that they do not fou l .,,pes. gutter~. SillS. etc.r'\nnlstdeboatdcan be f•ued
to extend the effecl ove w•dth of the ;.>ta t form . and reduce the gap between the !Jiatform
ar'!d the bUI Icfn1£!

4 boards wid e gtvcs ~:.ck~qu~;t<; spoce for men <ind mtJtcrr<~ls ~md •s ohm\ ere<~ted as a
rnult1 trod~ platform An ms1dc bo;Jrr.l may be ~}dded for the srtme rtJiiSons n$ before

5 boards w ide - i1 love board pla1forn1 •s commonly used by brock layers "nd •s w1de
enough tope nn11 ma ten a Is 10 be stacked on il)e platfonn <md stollleave-enow111 room for
the pnss~ge of men and rnateri()ls and for men 10 work IUusHotcd is il progn~ssn:e
pu t log scaffold Braces etc have l)ee;, omitted for reasons of c!umy.

PAINTER

'
\,
So a rds w•de =
\•,
\
'\
5 BMrds w o<Jc= Men •
Matern; Is+ pOS$age of
- I
Men w• lllout 1113tcrials
Maten als
l ns"le Board

37
6· 8 boards wide -these are used by stonemasons and other swhomayrequrre todress
or shape stone or undcnake other heavy work, or to support a hrgher platform Thcsr•
wrder platforms are outsrcl" tire scope of thrs book, they sho11ld only be erected un<ler
the supcrvisron of a qualrftcd ~~affolcl ctesrgn er1grr1eer

Guardrail s and Toeboards

Every platform more than 2m (6ft Gins) hrgh must be provrded wrth guardrarls and
toeboards (or barners) These legal requirements are summarise<! prctonally below.

Guardrarls and weboards m~1 lJr: removed for temporary ,recess. but must bereplaC(.'<I
as soon <ts p()SSrble
Where rna terril l" artl lt~ety 10 be stacked above thtl herfjht of th~ tOeboards :r SI ~Ck of
hra:ks lu• exumplc, br •ckvuards or o llltH, s•rnrl•n •· barr1ers must be erected to prcvt!r't
ruate •cals fnlling off. endor'lgcrmg I hose below
Gua r<Jr a rl s

l
h
i
L
Max• mum 15Omm
765mm Toeooards

-~
'I f-/-
f- -1--
I
/
~ ~T
I
\_), --·
i
I

'
l.Sm I'"".,.. ed

l Max herght 1 t50 m

M rn . hergl11 0 910m
Max drstance

;
...
'
J

PLAN VIEW DETA IL

38
Access
Access to a work1ng pla l fC)rm 15 usutJUyb~~ladder T h1S must h(~St:!Cured n<?arthe top and
extend Jbove the level of the plmform by iJ montmum of five rungs (1.05m 3ft 6ins)
un less adt~qur-t te hond holdsare provided. The vertica l run between l and1ngs rnu stnm
4

exceed 9m ( 301!)

Ca1e mitSt be wken to see thai ther(~ IS <Jdequate space betvvt~<::n runus to grve a fum
f<h>l hold, ond that the te ts tW posstbtli tv of tile foot betng trapp<.'d be tween a wng a11da
ledger. 1ri':l nsom (lr broce t u he

Lndc!crs au~ t.b.sc:uss~d m mote de tmls II) .1 later ch;Jp(ct

Access should he
oS sma ll os pracucablc

The landmg ~HC·<1 must be kept tl(~ar of s 1acl~ed rnate11als. etc .. CH'l<i he! pro,ndedwnh
guardr(IIIS afld weboards. T he <Jcccss should 1101 h~ mort! 1hon 500rlH11 ( 1f t 8 n1s) wtde
<:tnd be CJS Sll'iall us prnctu:al mother du·ecuons

When the plalior Ill IS no1 111 use. <!ccess slwul<.l be blocked off to prevent unauthonsed
persons. 11\t!mll(?r s of the uubhc and ch1ldrcn from ascend1ng thE:: pla1forrn and pi<Jc 1ng
theu 11 ves m jeou(l rdy

39
Gangways and Runs
Gangways and runs should be at least two boards (430rnmll 7ons) wide of used only
for men. and at least three boards wide if used for barrowing rnatenals. G~ngways.
and ru ns should be set level of possoble but may s lope up to 1:4 . If the slope os more
11\a n thos, stcppong laths must be provided w h och may oncorporate a gap, not more
I han 1OOm m (4on~) w oclc for t he barrow w heel

I okt: all <>i ller ()lat forms. of al>ovl! 2m 161: 6or1s1ganqw~ys ,ond ' unsrnust b e orovodedwoth
{Jl.ltlrdi('IIS and IOE:!hOClldS.

Keeping the p latform clear

One of the gremest dany.,rs assocoated vmh workong platforms os tha t caused 1>1•
obstrur:tlOrl~ to free access and movement WorkongtJfatforms must be kept free from
unnecessaryobsuuca,ons whtch can cause lrtpptng and lall1ng acc1dents

Mater tal~ sf11;uld nutlH-' Sturccl on th'' \vork1ny platlurm 1.1nlc ss requ1red for tmmcd1flt~
use 1hev should ht-· f'Vtlllly chstr •bul .:;d over tlte e flt1rc long th uf t I 1e ;Jlatfurm {lnd <:(1 re
h;ken lu smr.k ~w;1vy lh' Hlf.. o.~s near to thr St<ind&rds ns possJblf! Rubb1s11 must be
removerl renula rlv and t l nllu'lfJ Ctlblcs. rope!'l etl~ .. cll!-)p~d liP O\lt of n·,evvay. The IO\Hf Ol \
the pla tform must never exceed the design lom fts (See Table 1 page 12)

40
LADDERS
Main Types of Ladder
Three mam types of l~dder are tn use throughout the construction mdustry st~ndtng
ladders. pole ladders and extenston ladders

Standing Ladders. These are s tngle sect ton ladders of up to 7.30m (24h). The Sltles
are rectangular; the r ungs may be rectangular or round Construct ton may be of wood
or alumin1um

Pole Ladd ers. Si ngle sectton ladders Wttl1 the sttles made from a stngle pole Cltt
lengthways. or ha lves of d1fferen t poles of the sa me spec1esol t•mber suttably ma tchecl
Ti1e advan tage of th is construction lies 111 the strength and flex·i blhtv ga1ned by
sct:tion1ng a pole lengthways. Pole lot1dcrs mov be tapered or parallel They an•
avadahli' tn lengths up to 12m

Pole laddet

Extension Ladders. These compnsc two or somet11nes three sections coupled

h>yether whrch extend by sl1ding over or 10Stde each other They are very seldom used
rn scatfoldong work.

Aluminium Ladders . Most types of ladder areava•l~ble rnalumrn•um Theyarclrgtuer

to carry than 11mber ladders, are srrong andwrll not warp. but should not be used n!'ar
elecrncal equopmcnt or an elect"ca l supply because of'"" poss•b1hty of electrocshock

Dct.ti l ~;d specol 1cauons lor ladders can bt! found 1n flS 1129 1982. Portable umbet
lncfders. stdps trestles and lightweight stegmgs: and 1n BS 2037 1964 'Aluminium
lnddors stups and trestles for the buildmy :111d civd engineering industnes·

C onditi on of Ladders
T11e law requrrcs rh;Jt ladde rs must be 111 good rep~" and stror1g enough forthc job. Tiley
should lle c11ecked for damage. fau lts and wear before use In thts connecllon n should
be noted IIH'U I! 1S 1llegal to patnt or othcrw1sc trea t a ladder 111 such a way as to conceal
defects New ladders can be protected by a transparent coattng such as a varnosh.
shellac or clear preservative

41
Inspec tion of Ladders
Stiles. Check sules forwarpong, sphnteflng. cr ackong, bruosong (whochadmots moosture
ontotht! tomber and encouragesdecavl The feet of the stoles are i)artocularlyvulncrat>le
to darnagt!

Runns. Rungs should not be worn or mossong Ex~moneoungsespec,allyat poom where

they amer su lcs If they are wedged. thesc should llt! coorectly posnioned Grasp the
rungs fllmly anritwost to rnake sure o\one rota to Rungs eal\ be tested by tapping wllh a
rnal lt!t A du ll sound omJocates a defectove rung

Sou ndness o f cons truc tion . Take each oud of tl\e ladder on wrn and try to pu ll Silins
dllellt then puslltogether M ovc mr:nt w ol lor1doCI.l te onscco orely li xedrungsa nd loose lie
rods A furtlmr t:l>eck should be mndc' by 1ayu1g tl\e 18d<lcr I lat. raosong one '" lCI ar\d
attt!mptu1~J to push one St ilewhole pul lo ng the other If 111esulesc<Jn b•~ rnoved rel~t.vc w
cndt other u1 ti11s wav. the rung!:i are loose. Check th;H rrwta/ ne 10ds t"Jre 1n place and
sec.·ut~ \JIJ(/ tlwt none ore miSSing

D am ag ed or worn ladders
Odt>ctlvt· ladd~rs mu st be lilkcn ou1 of serv•Ce as soon ilS the fauh or damage •S
do~cuvcrcd They s•,ouldbemarkedclearly ·oeFFCTIVE DONOTUSE andren)a•nout
of use unl ol repa,rcd Where 11 isnoqJOssoblcorpr;oct•c.altorepaor ai<Jddcrwhoeh os unfot
fuo use. 11 should be destroyed ommedoatcly

C arrying Ladders
Shot! I ~ddcr scan be earned by one person RtJSttllem upr•rl ht agaonst the shoulder and
gr osp thfl rung JUSt beiO\v normal reach tor iHSC the foot of the tadderclear of the ground
Usc th" other 11and 10 staadv the ladder bygr asp111g th" Stole furthest f~om tnt> shoulder

42
-
Longer ladders should be earned horizontally on the shoulders by two people. one
eother end, holdong the upper Stole or as ollustrated on as comfortable a manner as
possoble

When ca rryong a laddN <:arc should be taken orHou o1dong corners or passong be t wee '' or
under obstac les. If the ladder os beorog c;orrocd on an LOIJrog ht (}OSIIoon, spec illI c..o ro shovld
be taken on the vicin oty of overhead row erltncs to ansure the top oi the Iauder os wcll
c i,;M <>f any cobles.

Erecting and Lowering Ladders

A I odder os erected as loll<>ws Forst lay ot on thegroundwuh the loot towards the IJoseol
the struc ture ot os to be set d9<1' nst One person shou ld stand m the foot oft he I adder wot n
one foot placed at the bottom to brace it llgaonst movo111ent. The second 111an should
posotoon homself at the ~ead of the ladder andtakong hold of the top rung raose 11 over hos
head Graspong the ladder rung by rung he should move towards the root. raosong the
ladder as he goes The anchor man grasos the stoles a~ thr:v come w11hon rei!Ch and
draws toe ladder towards tum

The sequence os reversed when Jowerong a ladde r,

One person can raose a s110n latJdo;r by placing the foot D!Jilonst a wo ll or fixt ure and
pushong 11 upnght from !Itt> hll<1d

43
Placing Ladder
The ;ongle at which a ladder is set up against a structure should be 75 degrees or a ratio
of4upto 1 out Thcbaseoithcladdershouldrestonfirm,cvenground Ncvcrpackone
srd<1 of the ladder to compensate for uneven ground; e•ther level the ground or,
alternat ively, bury t11e foot of the ladder so thatrt ~tan ds evenly On soft ea nh. pu t <<
board Clown.

The essential pornt rs tha t the foot of the ladder st1m.rld rest on a secure, stable base.
Never a uemptto gain extra hetght by placrng the ladder on boxes. drums or any other
type of makeshrft pl;:nform. llrt rs not long enough for the job get a longer one!

Litddcrs must prOJCCt at least 1 05m 13ft 6rns) above the landmg place. The landrng
rung s11ould b~ level w1th o r slightly above the workrng platform There should be
s11ace Hhovc eac11 ru r1g foro proper foothold Ensure th e foot ca nnot become trapped
between rungs and obstructions behind the ladder

Where ladders are posiuoncd on rntermcdrate stagrngs these should!)e ctose boarded
and provided With toeboards and guaniratls.

NOT£. When mowng or placing l11dders, bewflrc of overllen<i power l1ne.~ and orher
electrical hazards

411
Lashings and Ties

A ladder must be supported and held by the st iles, never by th e r ungs. It should be held
securely in pos,don so that H cannot move from its WP or houorn points.

Ladders provided for sc<Jffoldmg access shou ld be securely lashed from stoles to
scaffold (ledger or extended transoms\ using a squa re lashmg as shown at or just below
the upper landing . Proprietary fixings (ie. I<Jdder ties and clamps) maybe used. but care
should be taken to use the correct type. Some require the sule c wss -sec tion to be
rectangular and are not suotable for use w ith pole ladders.

Ladder Clamp Ladder Toe

45
Long l<tdders may requ~rc a lasl11 ng or tre at the mrd-pornt to prevent excessr ve
movemen t In some c~rcumstances the use of ladder s tays wrll make a JOh bothcasrer
and so fer

The ladder must not rest agarns: lot be lashed to)anv fragole surfaceoragaonst follongs
such as guners anddrarn1>•ocs Bracong boards should be used lorwondows and o1her
openongs

Use o f Ladders

A secure 10011119 rs essen l oa I " ' any I<Jdder work ;lnd thrs requores a sound paor of llo<>ts
w Hh soles on good <;ondot<on. f ree of mud or grease In wet oo·ocv weathc rextracarewill
be necessary 10 m;Hntaon a secure footrng

Checi< H•ere is nobody eiSb un the ladder before chnbong urdl'scendrng •t Always lace
the l~dder and hold ont o the s111es. not the rungs. Tlughs and hrps shou ld be kept
between the stoles anrJ!cot should be placed on the middl()of the rungs: ladders <He not
desryrwd lor any deg rue of srde load.ng. Do not cl 11nb I \igl rHnh;m tl' e thr rd ru (lg fi'Om the
top

Avood carrvrng matcroals and tools up whenever poss•ble If a 'lorst lone os avaolable.u
should bf! used Alter nat•vely, tools onay he carroed up rn pockets. on a belt desogncd for
the purpose. or on a hay Whrchever method rs used, 11 shou ld leave both hands free to
l1old orHo 1he ladder

Ovcr .rcachong or Slrctchrn{l w hilst on a ladder os extremely dangerous and can lead to
loss of balance If the work area cannot be reached. move the ladder or obtaon a longer
one as approprrate

4G
Preventing Unauthorised Access
Unauthonsed access outs•de workong hours can be prevemed hy l<ishong a scalf old
board across the rungs The same precaution should be taken to prevent acc~ss to
oncomplete scalfold ong wheo1 ladders provoding access rern;11n on posn oon Warnong
notices should also be posted 111 these circumstances.

[ .•..__ -....
....,
----·~~--

DANGER
INCOMPLETE SCAFFOLD

KEEP OFF

Care and S torage of Ladders. Steps. etc.

Laddeo~. especially of made o f wood. shou ld not be Stored ou tsodc for long penods
where the w ellthcr cun d<tri'IBge th<orn, They are best Stored onsodc, but of thos os not
possol>le they should t>e covertHl or stored on a po otec tad posn oon

LadcJt;rs shou ld etther be hung horozontally Of) a rdck, supported under the stiles <lr
rested on blocks. agaon und"r the stoles They must not hi' supported by the rungs{thos
<:<ln loosen or otherwose damllgc them) nor stored flat on the ground or aga•nst walls.
radon tors or hot popes whoch can lead to warpong saggong and <loswruon

Deposotso{ onucJ or grease should becleancdoff rungs and cement wop~>Qawavbefore ot

harders fafu monoum ladders may be corroded by wet lome or cement). Pulleys and
honges neecJ lubrtcal oon. cord~ iind ropes shou ld b~ chucked

Ar>y damage oo deieroornto on shou ld be reporto<i to the person responsible for the
equ 1prnent

47
MANUAL LIFTING AND HANDLING
A quarter of all reportable accidents occu ring in the ConstruCtiOn Industry each year
rnvolve 1n1uries sustained through manual lifting and handling of materials and
equipment. The number of lifting and handling accidents has Increased by 75% over
the past 20 years. to more than 70.000 accidents a year.

A sca!folder spends most of his lime liltrng and handling scaffold1ng material
under a variety of conditions. The na ture of the job dictates that he must be mentally
alert to the onherent dangers of a physically strenuous JOb. Muscles and joints can be
strained by sudden and awkward movements. twiSting or jerkong wh1lst lifting or
ca rrying a load, or by anempti ng to hfttooheavy a load Back mjuries are common They
may be the cumulative effect of repeated minor injuries or the result of abrupt strain.

The nsk of injury can be reduced by adopting a correct mental att1tude. whtch
encourages good lifting techn iques Stoop lifting should be av01ded. it greatly
Increases the c11ance of back inj ury. The stress imposed on a rounded back is much
greater than if the trunk is kept upright, using the leg and thigh muscles topowerthc lift.

The illustr<llion shows an e<a rnple ol stoop liftrng . Th e trunk is twi sted to enable the
hand tO reach down to the load. which 1s grasped by the finger. t1ps, and the knees have
been locked to prevent the man overbalancing Themusclesm the lowerbackareabout
to do the work and will come under great strarn as the worker attempts to
s11nult~neously straighten up and hft the load. The consequence of this may be a
slipped disc or torn back muscles

Kinetic Lifting
The krnetic method of hfung enables the worker to make full use of the body's own
weight and momentum to 1nitiate the hit. The natural Shape of the spine IS mainta1ned
throughout (although the body may be bent forward the spine should remain stnlight)
and the hh 1s powered by the strong leg and thigh muscles. This method of lilt1ng
1nvolves the min1mum amount of muscular effort and this reduces Stress and faugue.

48
The followong six key factors should be practiced untolthey become second nature. a
songle co-ordonated actoon .
Feet . All lift ing a nd handlo ng can o nly be successful of 11 os carried out on a firm
base . The scaffolder may work from the ground. or on a temporary platform andn
is essential that tho feet are placed so thai a good ba lance is maintained
th roughout the lifi.
There is no correct or exact
dis1ance apar t for the feet. Each
individ ual has to consid er h os
own w eight. heoght and buold.ln
general terms the feet should be
on lone with the lih. comfortably
apan, w ith one fool slightly in
front of the other The rea r foot
shou ld point forward when
lifting. on the direction o f
movement This position gives a
good. adapta ble ba lance and a
wide e noug h base to perform
the lift.

2. Legs . Having estabhshed a good base for the lift and recognised that it may be
necessary to make adJUStments of balance. it naturally follows that the legs must
be relaxed suffocoently to achoeve flexibolity. To obtain flexibility. both knees must
be unlocked to allow the feet to adJuSt automaucally. This os a requi rement for all
good movement.
Whilst it is lmportanoto un lock and bend th e knees. they should not be placed onto
the complete squat position as this wi II place extreme pressu re on knee jo in ts. The
illustration shows the forw ard leg at 90° angle wh olst th e back legwi ll provide the
thrust for the lift. Although the lifter is on ly u song one hand. the w eight w oll be
taken through the centre line of the body. thusma.xlmosongthe w eightofthebody.

49
J. Head. The head should be gently ra1sed and the chin tucked firmly in. This w1ll not
only stra1ghten the neck: but the whole spine and it Will bring about many other
correeuons on body movement. automatically hfung the chest and prepanng the
arms for a more efficoent action This head action should be carried out at the
1011181 stage of all lifting movements

4. Straight Back. A bent back is a

weak back It w oll lead to
excessive muscular tens1on and
damage to 1he spone. It w ill also
undermone shou lder and arm
eff1ciency. Generally, if the
correct head position is adopted.
the back can be kept straight.
even of it is not ver11caI.
The back should stra ighten
automaucally. prior to the hands
takong the load. The illustrauon
shows a difficult hft; the feet are
well planted, the knees well
posouoned and the back
straoghtened as thechinisbeing
drawn on.

5. Arms. Arms should be as close to the body as possible The fu rther the arms are
Elxtended the greater the stra in The elbows should be kept onto the body.

6 Grip . A good gnp is essent1al for the scaffolder as he spends the maJonty of h1s
time handhng tube wh•ch because of 11s shape. IS d•fficuh to grasp.
Whenever possoble, one hand should be below the load, with most of the weight
be1ng taken by the palm and roots of the fongers The illustrat•onon the left shows
the we•ght being taken on the fingertips Thos lS wrong. The picture on the right
shows the hand under the load with I he weigh t on the palm and the roots of the
fingers.

50
Sequence of lifting a scaffold tube

Before lift ing any weight. a worker must ensur e that the ground area osclear and free
from tripping h azards. It os import am to see that no· one is in t he way and that there os
nothing likely to obs truct the lift. The w eig ht shou ld be within the lofting capacoty of U1e
individual wor ker. The load shou ld be approached squarely, facing on the direction of
travel. Th e fe(!t must be pl<.>ced apart w it11 one foot s log htly in front of the othP.r to
rna oouaon a comfortable balnnce, the knees bent and tl1e body as close to th(! load as
possoble.

The tube sho\oldbefirmlygrasped, w itl1 th e arms kept as close on to the body as possible,
grasping th e tube on front of tl1e body, Adjust the posilioro of the h.ead (headup - chon in)
a rod beg oro to loft usong the leg and th igh onuscles.As the tube is raised transfer the gr ip to
main tain a balanced grasp on the tube. holding it close to the body.

The weogh t of the body <:an be easily

transferred frorn one foot to another.
e n su ri ng thut the balance os
mainta ined and enablong the load to
be taken by the whole body.

Thos use of the bodyweoght is best

illuSLfated w h en the scalfolder os
carrying long tubes in the verticiil
posnoon, The d iagram opposite shows
the b<>ck leg still in the thrust posn ion.
the fron t foot on thedorccuonof the lilt.
The back is straogh t and head erect

Th~' weoght ts taken or1 the palms of

the h;mds and t11e enti re bodyweight
is posit ioned to resist any movemen t
o f the tube . Note that the top
forefonger os extended along the tub(!
and wi ll <Jet as a sensor to gove early
warning of any moveme.nt oft he tube,
enablong the feet to be rcposot i.onedto /
mamta in a good bala nee.

Remember!

Aches and nams are warnong sogn<>IS iind ondocate fatogue and stress. If ognoo ed,
the fina l outcome may we ll be some form of onjLrry as a result of oncorrect loftong
tech noques.

51
LIFTING SCAFFOLD TUBES
Tho follow•ng sequences show some of the common handling and hfung tasks requ~rcd
of scaffoldcrs everyday

Safety Check
Before hfttng, check -

(aI tha t the area tSclear of any trtpplng hazards

(b) th<tl your action w tll not endangt:r anybody

lc) th at you are capable of lih1ng the loild

Lif ting a Long Tube

The correct foot pos1tion h as been
adopted · from foot in thedirectionof
the hit, the rear foot ready to thrust
behtnd the load. The ch tn 1s sti ll to be
tucked 1n. but the back •s stratght ,

The tube is lilted- the feet have been

ad lUSted tO a llow the lifter to walk tO
the centre of the tube us10g a 11and
over ha nd movement to mainta1n the
w eight of the load . The ch1n has bee ''
tucked tn thus ma intainmg a s tra1gh t
back.

52
Havong reached the centre of the ( )' \ _...
tube the hands adjust for balance. • r
The hand w hoch os placed over the
tube os bt'arong very lrttle weoght
ber.au~c the hand under the tube ,s
POS•uon<.>cl c loser to the centre of the
whr! >~ncl •S th erefore taking most of
the lood

Now the tubc•s ready to be raosed 10

the carryong PQSIIoon whoch on thos
case os on the shoulder.

As tho loft os corned out 11 will be

necessary for the body to be turned in
th e d orectlon of the intended lone of
carry.
{

The knees are unlocked and ready to

allow the feet to adjust to the new
posi11on

The '" "'S and shoulders are used to

begin the ti ft.

53
As the hh nears the correct he1ghtthe
feet have begun the adJUStment
wh 1Ch wrl l l!llow the body to turn
under the tubeandallowt heshoulder
10 rece1ve the weight

The load has been released by the

load bea11ng hand and transferred to
the shoultler. the other hand IS Kept In
POSIIIOn to steady the tube. The le~t
have nearly complet ed the adJuSt ·
mems

r.-·-..
I I

The shoulder hand 11as been ploced

1mo the steAcfy1ng pos1t1on, the f eet
have completl'ld the adJustments
w i11Ch have allowed the body to
complete the wrn sa fely.

The hh 1S complete, <:~ nd the carry can

beg1n

To place the tube back on the ground

the act1ons are reversed.

54
LONG TUBE (vertical carry)
Again before perform1ng the lift -

fa) Ensure I he area is clear of tripping hazards

(b) Ensure your lift act1on wi ll not endanger anyone

(c) Ensur e you are capable of handli ng 1he load

As you are about to carry the l ube in the venical position

(d) Ensu re the ar ea and space above head he1gh t is clear along lhe em ire
length of the carry.

f he sa me ac!tons as 1n the prev1ous hft is.cnrried out. unttl the load is t«kc n by the hands
m !he r.er11re Tlte end of the lUbe should bebuttedaga111st something solid. If noth1nn 15
available. anolher ma n can use the mstep of h 1s boot to 'block ' the end of the tu be

I
I
I
.I .

--- ~-------~~
I ~- 'A
NOTE· NEVER usethetoeofthebool
!JS the tube could twist{)U/ on either side ,md
cause a very painful in1ury

55
 1/

Having buned the tube it can be raised

obove the he.ad and willi the
bodywe ight beh1nd the tube, and the
pa lms and heels o f the hands bearing
the werg ht, the tube cDn be walked to
a near upright posit ion.

The tube IS now ready to be lifted. with

111e knees un locked. the back s traig ht
and the ch rn tu cked IIi. the
boclyweight is positioned to res 1st th e
movement of the tube.

NO TE· rhe h;gh hand forefinger is

------ again acting as a sensor.

To begrn the lift. the knees bend and

both hands rna1nta1n the same
tJistancc apart by slrd1ng down the
tube eQua lfy. T h1s will incline the tube
even more toward tlie lii ter. who
accommodates the movement by
sliglulv bending the h igh arm wh ich
is the <Hm that IS about to take the
en tore load- tli e bottom hand is on ly
acting as a gu1de and restrai nt.

56
The lift os completed as the legs
straoghten

They mus1 remaon unlocked allowing

111e feel to make 1he necessary
adjustmen ts which wi ll permil the
body to change to the direcl ion of
carry.

Woth the manoeuvre completed 1he

carry can beg in.

NOTE· the /Jottom hand is placed

mundthe outside of the tube to act as
,, resrroinr. whilst the top hand bears
the lull weoght of the tube.

l---

57
Lifting short tubes
This method is normally used when lih ing short tubes (between 1.5m and 24m
which are placed at ground level.

The natural pOSotoon os adopted for

selecuon of tube

As the init ia l select ion is mad~ by

inscrtong the fingers onto the ends of
the tubes, it isesserll ial to ensure they
are free of sharp edges

As soon i.IS thev are clear of the

ground the free hand is placed under
the tubes to assost on control

NOTE. Three tubes />ave been raised

,1/rhoug/1rilo rilird one rs hidden by rl>e
orhertwo.

The tubes are now upright and can be

ad1usted to form a pyramod l>anern
woth the base toward the shou lder

The knees have remained un locked:

back os sti ll straight The ·feet have
made the necessary ad1ustments
Chon remams tormly tucked m The
bodywcightos Still bel1ond the load

58
The lOP nnd bol!om h;mds slide dow n
the tubes " s the knees bend Th•s w 111
~llow the sho ulder to be POSIIIOned
JUSt below tn e centre of the tubes.

Tile we1ght 1S taken on the shoulder

wnh the Iorward hand and Sl)ouldcr
arm nc tmg as a restrnmt

NOf£: the rear l oot 1s "' the thrust

posn ion find the i.Jodywc1ght 1S
posmoncd behind the Jo,,d

A:; the shoulder •S below the centre

pomt of the load 11 w•ll eas1ly ttl> over
1010 the hOri7.0ntal POSIIIOO, Wl!h the
front hand steaav.ng the momantum

As the tubes reach the hOfiLOntal

posmon the legs carry out and
complete the hft.

Wnh !he lih completed the carry can

beg1n

To l>lace the tubes back on the ground the movemen ts are repoated m reverse

59
The ollustraltons have shown a man hftmg tubes at ground level It can be clearly seen
that the JOb osphysocallystrenuous Scafloldtubesare unwoeldlyanddofficult to handle.
The problem os even more diflocuh when tubes are handled vertically

The sC<lffolder 1\as to use the same handling skolls when workmg on a three or four
board wodc platform a considerable heoght above the ground Apart from usong the
coo recttechnoques a sca'folder must be even more careful on makong the usua l pre-lift
checks when l\andlong long tubes vcrto<:ally.

The fina l ollustraltons show some of th~ dangers wh ich may be enco untered.·

l utA: tMS&ht>tJd
n~ gond .l,,t::
!\ I ~· [.( \C) 9'<JI
~..-·" t:tt"bl"·

Some ha•nrd s which migh t be en countered

60
ROPES, KNOTS AND HITCHES
The corrPCt vse of rope and knots is very import am m scatloldmg work Ropt~s are used
for r<IIS111g w1d lowenng tubes. hoards ond htt.nys and lor lash•ng ladders and hoards

Type s o f Rope
Ropes c,tn be hroadfy spht 1r11 n naturo l ft brc and man made ftbrt' ropes

N atural fibre M•n· m"de fibre

Mnmla Polyam•de lnvlon)
Sosal Polyest eo
Ht)mp Polyc t11yl<~ ne
Co non Pulypropyloo'e
Cull

RtlJ)es lllf(leo than Smm on doarneter <Jre ycner ~ lly supploeu on 220m l<•nn th~

The most comma•' soze of rope us••d fm lof! ong rna oeroal~ on SCoffoldon9 os 18mm
d tarneter Th1S ts ti H~ co1 n~ct Sl1t1 tor use Wlth a yin vttwcl Sr11allerV'Jrr.: ropes arc used
ior lt•shmg laducrs

Hopes areclasstf,ed by the number of str.rtncts and 1h~ manner H'Whtch lhe strilnds:-tre
twoS!ed Jntl t>lall e<l togetheo The only type 111 con11110n usc os tilt• thrt;P strand pia on lo•
H11wser latdl rope

. ,
3 ·SIr an<i (pld 111 ur hawser laod 1rope

Man made f obre ro~~$ are gr<tdually replacong ,,a tural fourc ropes Th•• reasons for th•s
art~ that they ,ue slronger lesshabte•ochemtcalc-ttta:ck,conlp1ctei\''CS•St41nt tomtldevv
and rot .-1nd have oouer wnter rt~s •sta nce. However they do hurn and ca re should be
taken to avood excessive fnctoon on sheaves and blocks where care must be;aken to see
!hal the Cl)rrect sile ol rope os used.

Care mus1 <tiSO 0(:! takenwi1Pn ocetv:ent~ cutters or hlow l :~mvs arc 1n use t1ot to Jet 1h0
ftll llw COI1lf'* '"' contacl w1tll t-t man t'l 'ladc ro~Je Natural fJhre ropes 1end to char bu~ not
burn and are safer m these cond1ttons

PerhaiJ$ the most Sutt<Jble ropes tor usc If) sc<~ffoht•ng "'e of staplt! spun t" fobro him
polypropyleow Tlwse ;ore not os ~ lro n g as nvlon aolll polwsteo but art' cOr1Siflcrallly
chcapt!r T•wv "'" loght. nurahle afl<i cheaper than man<li! and are parttcularly wa1er
rvsoszant and !loa! '" w;neo Th., only draw hack nf th os type of mfll croal is il>at ;os
tcmpPraturc 1ncrcast)S H becomes softer and loses sareng1h 11owever lhts onl\'
bOC<>mOS!;Ignoltcant above 50 C (120°FJ where there 1$ il lOS$ ot 1 3~o on StrCil!JIIt

61
Care and Use of Fibre Ropes
Fibre rope. hke wue rope. can be damaged whtle tt ts bemg removed from lhP. shtPP" ' Y
cod A new cod or rope. should be fattl fi<Jt on the floor and unwound through the cotl tn ~
couo let -clockwise d•rccuon Even when the rope is unwou nd<;or reedy, loops and kinks
may forrn and 1h ese musl be carefully removed, 1<1 avotd damage to I he rope.

After use. 1he rope shou ld be re-coiled in a clockwise direcuon When cothng I he rope
remove kmks as lhev tor111

VVIlenever a f1Dre ropC" ~~cut, the rope ends n1ust be bound or whspped 10 preven t the
rope from un lwi$lmg ~ind fr.tlYIIifJ. Ordn1ary wh1ppmgs are mad(~ w tth fme twme

Storage

Poor storage can cause f1hrc rope to detenorate asrap1dlya5 ha rsllw;.e In order to keep
ro11es "' good condition f(lr iJS lono as poss1ble.-

• Stoce thern maUry cool room that has good a tr ctrcuialu'.>u

• Do not ~tore ropes on the ftoor. In boxes. or trl cupboards w hern thc(u rc~rculat ton
1$ restrtcted They should be hung up in loose co, Is on largc·dt;:~meter wcoden
pegs well obove 111e floor

• Pro1ec1 ropes from wet weather and sunltght. They should be kepi away f<om
br,lers. radt~tors , sw~m pipes und Diller sources of 11ea1 and all exh anSI gasf.S.

• Dry and clei'ln wei ropes beforeswr"'9them . l\llc,s1Ure not onlyhastensdecaybul

also causes I he rope 1o k1 nk very ea$ily.lf ~wet rope becomes frozen. tt musl n01 be
rifs~urbed unul H I S comple~ely lhavved, o thervvise the fron:n fihrcs wi ll hreiJk
when handled A llow wet «nd frozen rope 10 dry naw ra lly. Too much heal vnll
cause the ftbres to b(~t.:om~ hnttte ond 1he rope will be unftt for further servtce .

Use of Ropes
• Never overload a rope Apllly" factor of sa fety of a leas I 5 1 and preferably 10:1
and make further al!o.Jwance~ for 1he .ttgc and condition of the rope

• Never d rag a rope along the ground The ou ls~tle wdl be damaged and gm will
become emb"<Jdcd 11nd des1roy the mternal ftbres .

• Never d rag a rope over sharp or roughedgesa ndnever rlragonepart o f a rope over
cnoch•;r

62
• Avood all but straoght me pulls woth rope. a knot or bend woll we<Jkcn ot bv
~pproxom<Jtely 50'»

• Pack all s•1arp ~orncrs when loftong materoals. to prevent them abradoo1g the rope

• When a rope <S <ott<ocMd to a hook or rong il lh •mblc SI10llid be placed on the loop or
eye to reduce the wea 1· 0 1"1 the rope

• Never use f1bre rope rw.or wcld ong or flame culling opcr<ot•ons. The sparks and
mooten metal can d.om,ogc the rope or setol on fort! Avoodc~ posure to all forms of
heat

W•ll'l Th1mblc

'

Inspection

The on ly way !o detcrmonc the safety of a rop.,, Hnd ots load-carrv• ng ablioty os l>1·
regularly 1nspec1ong "wry foot of ots length Tho· m;oo n POintS to be watched lor are
external wear. cuts <ond abrasoons ontern(ll wcnr between the strands and
dctenorauon of lhe hhrcs

If the rope os dortv and on poor condotoon. or ol the strands have Degun to unlay or olth~
rope has lost ots hie and etastocoty, ot should not be used lor loft1ng purposes Should
t11ere b., ~nv doubt as towl'lether nr nota rope •s f1t fo• use. ot should be replaced ~!once.
Nt:wr nsk danger to Ide uo d11m~gc to property by taku1g chances

When a rope 11as been <:ondNnned,H should b~ des trwml u t once or cu t up Into short
fanq ths so 111at 11 can nr>t be used for llf11ng purposes

63
KNOTS, BENDS AND HITCHES

Knots and bends cut the rope st reng th by 50% and h uchesreducethestreng thby25•.
Th•s relates to the f1nal strength of the rope and not the rcstswnce of any g1ven kMt
llg~•nst sl•p.

Common knots
Thtl rn<)SC common kno1s and l utches used m scaffoldmg , ~rc

Rolling Hitch
flus •s the prefeued ~not for hftlllg :ubes and hoards

Clove Hitch
For lihmg tubes and bo~rds How ever the rolling l11tth 1s preferred sn1ce 11 •s
less like ly to slip Whc11 llftu1gt hc rope should be pos•t•on one th1rd of the w ay
ol0119 tlla tube or boartl

Figure of Eight Knot

Us<•o to lock a rope m poS•Uur1 ·~ to prevent 1t sl•d•ng through a block or to
Ct~mpor.anly prevenl lh~ end of thP rope from 'r4Jytnq

ROLLI NG HITCH
FIGURE OF EIGHT

-·
CLO VE HITCH
Tombcr Hitch
Suotable lor hftong boMds. sorncumes ust.-d on con1uncuon wotll a half-hotch.

Half- Hitch and two Half Hitches

C<>n be quockly 11ed and cao> be t><ll ro <rlmost anv general usn Often used on
COI"'!W1C I10n \"'Hh otht!r knots eg clove httch. round turn. lnHher hnch.

Square Lashing used on sc:offoldong 10 s.. cure ludders to rhe sc<lffold

structure Beg on the lashong w oth a clove hotch and pas~ the rope over and
bellond the transom or ledger and back on front ol thf~ ladder stole several
umes Make two frappong turns and fonoshofl wolhanotherclovehllch.Lash
both stoles.

TIMB ER HITC H TWO HALF HITCH ES

SQUARE LASH IN G

65
RAISING AND LOWERING MATERIALS
The scaffuld gang spends a great deal of •IS II"'~ dur~ng the crecuonandd ,smanthngof
scaffolds m ra•s•ng or lowcrmg tubes. boar<1s and hn•ngs Th•swork has to be earned
out•n .111 kmds ot weather and at manyd•ffc"'nt ln<:atoons '"the H1gh Street or other
puhhc places. on t•nclosed bu•ldmg Sites or on sorne "'ator civtl engmccrmg
con::.;tnn:uun "' <I rcmo1e area The mHthodS used 10 ra1se and lo\over scaffold111g
mate flats wil l be determmed by the extent and type of scaffold l)e•ng hudt and 1hc
Pqu ti)I"''\C 1,1. .:1vH tlnhl e

Tl1o- met110ds avn•li!biA w •ll genera lly foll tn l o un~ ur other of I he followmg caldyor~es

Handhalhng cha•nmg Fori< hit truck

L•gl1tli n•~ hand li ne Goods noost
G1n wheHI and rope Tower (;rnne
Th•s cl>llp!E'< exam1nes thc:;e vauous met.,ocfs and suggests how r~sks can oe rcrluced
and wot1<1ng l'ff •Ctencv ,.,proved

Handballtng somc•tlm<!S called 'chaon•ng •s tlw "'''thod 11ormally adopted on the fors:
f~w hh$ of d scaffold n,.,
gang wtll form il chaon up :h,.tacc of the scaffold and pass
tubes ,md hoards from one to anotncr Th" •llustrat •on show a good example of
h;;Jn<lh;olhng

'l
~·
c
~
,, ·
.
i/ •
'
.:::, ·-

~ ~- ~
·- ·

~ / .

-~
~

"' s
/
'

~V r~)

~ Ii
., ~. A
_..:,.._

M<~n A has ~as sed a long tube to man 8 whO l•kc man Chasadopted agocds~fepos•t•on
where he t:afl use both hands to ra1sc the tube M~n A should notrelea se the tube until
mvn B has clearly •ndrca ted he has lu ll control uf the whe A good mt!tl•ud of
col'nmun•cauon 1S for the man receiVtng thl! tube to cnll ·mv tube w'len he <S rcadvand
ut control

66
Light line sometimes ca lled 11 ·hand line· is often used ern scaffolds up to 15m hog l1.
Tubes. boa rds or sacks of fittmgs arc tied to the lower end of a 13mm 1'h .. ) fibre rope
and then hault>d up by ho nd It is essential to adopt a safeposotoonwl1en doing th os. Thos
mvolves usong a standard for support. one leg be• ng placed behmd 1hl' stondard to act <;JS
an onchor and preven1.111e loiter from overbala nc;o ng.

Body
posnioned
arou nd
f ront of
standard

Back
Stri.l ight
Knee
slight ly
bent

Crouch Back tends

Posit ion to bend

Leg Feet
placed planted
be Hind & fonnly
either side on
of ledgw
standard

Foot
position
w ode _.. Ro;.>u tllldched
••- - - 1n Y'JIOOg I)IIJC('

CANNOT OVERBA I. ANCE

STANDARD ACTS AS
AN ANCHOR

COULD OVERBALANCE
NO FA I L- SAFE BACKUP

67
The Gin Wheel and Rope oscommonlyusedtor(lose matcnals. whocharetied to the end
ol a 18mrn ( .;·} doameter rope passed over a songle wheel pulley Th1s is hxed to a
honlontal can11levcred tube The materoalos then hauled up by the man on the ground
to the workong level

TwotypesofGonWheelareavaolable.the 'Rong'typeand 11\e Hook type The11ngtypeos

dcs1gn..d to f11 over a scaffold tube The hook typeonlydiffersm the t>Oont of suspcnsoon.
111SICiJd ol a rong the pulley os suspended by a hook.

-
760mrn max
-·
rtw g "' w hc<'l IS usuiJ lly !atspendcd
frorn il can11levc red tube This shOltld
be properly fixed woth r~ yht ongle
couplers. ;.>refN~bl y 10 two standards
approxunately 2m above the Iandino
t>lacc If tne cant olevered P<Jrl of the
RIGnT
ANGLE tube •S unsupported. the poont of
COUPt..i:RS suspenston should nnl ~xtend more
than 760mm 12ft Gms) Check fottongs
should be bed e•theo s1dc of the
FIG Of suspcn~ton pom~ 10 ensure tt'e gm
(IGHT - wtwPI ca11not move 1f a hook type
wMcl IS used 11 must be suspended
on i'l 6m m w~rc last·nng w 11h a1 letiSt
f1ve 1urns around the two!( a ncJ tull<l,
~"d the cmen end of the hook m uSt be
moused to ensure 11 cannm l:>e
SLFFVE <1•stJiaced.
ONlY
Ttw f1bfP rope sl1ould h ave' il
l'iltntmum dtameu!r of l8mrn and d
"o~per knot (uSll<itly a f1gure of e•!li11
knoll toed near the ends so that 11
<:annot run through the gan whttt!l

68
 • 100
••• • <g

··"'"

,.
•I••·

~ ·~

•fi.D£PENOENT SCAI ~OLD

l, • !
··~·
......
"•

PUTLOG SCAFOLO
The maxomum load aha ashould be raosedor lower~cl by <1 gon whet>! and ropc:uanyone
umc os 50kg. The load mi)Osed on I he scaffold woll IJ<o double aha; b.•rng lolled (,ls
ollustra ted)

Ct1rc should be take n pa r IICUf\-~rly w h en lowertng moterra ls. If the we1ght 1S t<>o grc\U
oother the man lowertng ahe fo<od will we<gfl less 1han lha lvac! ~nd wil l be pulled o ff hos
fe~1. "' '"" complcto:> tossemblv noav collapse

69
Forklift trucks are frequen tly used to raise and lower sc11ffold material to and from the
scaffolding. lt 1s essen ua ltltatt he forklift driver is made aware of the weight of the toad.
He sl1ould also know the load beanng capacny of the scaffold . Work1ng platforms are
sometimes overloaded by enthusiaStic operators who are not aw are of these facto1s.

W l1ere a for k!ill !ruCk is used for lotiding o platform. a second front ledger 1ssometunes
fitted. in front of. and below the ma1n l ront ledger to provide extra protectoon from
Impact and as a ·check litting'

Tower Cranes are o ften used to ra1se and lower ltHf.)e loads o f scaffoldn1g rnatedal.
d11 n ng the construcuon ot mulu-storey blocks. The dn ver shou ld be made awa re ot
the weighls 1nvolved: it 1;; essentia l to ensure that the swttold IS cap<Jblc of bea ring
the load

Extreme care shou ld be Ia ken by the ma n receiving the load . Thecr<>ne drivcr h<Json lya
hm1ted control ancJ t lte receiver c<ln be easily knocked from the platform .

Goods Hoists shou ld only be used to raise or lower ma tenal tt1a1 can be safely
contained within the area of 1he hu1~; 1 plaLforrn. Th is rule generally restriCt$ the
seal folder 10 very shan wbes. i lransoms) and scaffold ltu ings.

Remem ber many acc1den1s are caused by f;,ll 111g rnatenals Ensure that all materw l1s
ra1sed. lowered and plaGed safely and securely on 1he plat form

70
ORGANISATION AND WORKING METHODS
Erecting a scaffold onvolves a great deal of hard plwsical effort - It os hard work,
generally only undertaken by fot young men. As wll lo all w ork of tl11s k111d there is no
absolutely righ t. or correct way of doing the job - much will depP.nd on the particular
circumstances: the height and extent of thP. s tructure, the natl)re and 1oca11on o f the
site. the numbers employed and so on. It remain-s truE!, however, that unless $Orne
thought isgtven to plannmg and prcpanng for the tob<J great deal of tim<land <Jffort<;~n
be wasted.

Wa_ $led ~·ff<>rl menn~ unnecessary expunsc. tir~d opcr~oves. (v1ho nn~ like ly to c:u l
corners or make mistakes), and sub -st<mdard vvork, The result may bean inr,reased risk
of acc idems to alii hose ustny Ihe sc.aifold and ever> w tnnocent passers·hv.

The industry IS get>red to payment for work done: the more you do - the more you earn
S lo\~V workers w i II tend to tut corners and wkc risks in order to rna in ta in their flverage or
<lchoeve h ogher payments. The reasons for t11eor lower performance wil t m vanably be
found on the or approach w the work. a lack offoresoghl, plann tng and organ•sa toon An
example tS 91ven be lovv

Example 1A
A gang or scaffolders arnve <11 a s11e 10 erect an uodependen t scaffo!d, 36m long by 25m
hogh Th<•y lulVe a choice of unloadong at poonts, A. B or C. They choose C. unlo~d the
lorry ;md begu1 lay:ng out matenal from poon l A ;lnd workong D<!Ck toward,; t11e
unloachng poont

/ / / / " //
BUILDING LIN E

1-- - - -- - SCA FFO LD POS ITIO N 36 rn LONG -------.~1

A 8

The matena l h as to be earned and latd out for each of the lifts.

Eacl1 6m sec11on of the 36m run con tai o1S

2 - 6 .5m ledgers
2 - 2.5m braces
6 - 1.8rn 1ransorns
2 6 - scaffold fi tlrngs

Each hh of scaffold requues one man to carry and lay \>UI these mat~n als s•x t•ml:'s

71
Example 1 A
Th e t01al<.il st~nce wa lked Is as lollows

Each Ifill con•pflscs one carry Dnd one return tflp. so that each 6m run requtrt!S

12 lf•Ps of 33m whtch ttquals 396m 12 tops of 15m whtch .,quais 180m
12 trops of 27m wh •ch ,.;qnd ls 324m 12 tr~ps ot 9rn whtch equals 108m
12 !fillS of 21m w 111cl > ~q u ;~ Is 252m 12 ~tips of 3m which equ<o ls 36m

A Iota I of 1296m per loh totl<l W<ilked byorw m"n As !her., arc 131tfls tob~liiidou l, one
man must willk 16848m (13' 12961. whtch tS the t;quivalent of 10', mtles

!Note the ,JIJIJVI! r.alculauons llo not mcludc sw{Jy bract's. boa1 ds, yu,;rdratls. tot:howds.
Standards, /tulrl!.'fs or ti&S)

Example 1 B

12 :Jnt :Hio\ • ... J('l

17~9n' 108m _._ lOS
' - - - 1'? • !5:l1 18Qn,-- - - -- - -- - 180

rhe mawflal •S unloaded at potnt B.

Eact1 6m ttt'rl!OO would , eq\llre the sCJme numb~r ot tnps. tt c 12tbut as the mdmrtil ls
M C distrtbultl<l from the centre. each 36m n •n wtll requ"''·

12 !fillS uf 15m wh•Ch ttquills 180m 12 tnps of 15m whtch equals 180m
17 trtpS <>I 9m WhtCh t!QUals 108rn 12tnps of 9m wtuch equals 108m
12 tfii)S of 3m whtch tlquals 36m 1 2 mps of 3m wluch equals 36m

72
.......

A total of 648m per loft to be walked by one man Agaon 648rn moltoploed by 13 hits
equals 8424m whoch equate~ to 1u~t over 5 moles
Til .. distance b"tw ecn thu two positions B nnd C os only 18m. but through lack o l
forestght, over 10 tons of materiel has been en m od on acldttu>rlAI5 miles
Fxpressed more smtply, by thonkong a head and plti ""' nn where the rnateroa Is sllottld be
unloaded (and bel oro• th<lt . ot tlle De~ot, of how they should ftrst be load<Jd on iO 1110
lorry), the effort. tome and <:ost of laying out the matena ls can ! H) considerably reduced,
as can the nsk of tired men making mistakes and causong accidents,

To achoeve a planned and organosed work pattern ot os necessary to c xamonc ex•stong

methods of work Each task should be analysed

(a} Wha t can I do to on1prove the flow of work?

(bl W hat can go wrong>

If <l""Stion (a) l1as been applied to the f"sl exanlple, " consode rable amoun 1<>I t ome anC1
(•f fort wou ld not !lave lwcn W8Sted. Ouest ton (b) os necessary when plann ong a work
pattern to tden tofy potcntoal haLards Tht• next example shows how these q•.ocstoons
give resu lts that 11nprovc produCtivity and decrcosc the nsks.

Example 2
One further example wolf serve toshow howa t11oughtful,commonscnseapproac11 to
111e JOb can Silvc tome nnd effort and reduce the nsk of accodems

In the sketch be low thrCJ<J men are employed on meeting an ondependem s.:affold

• I

Man A os ftXIIliJ rtght angle <:ouplers to st~ndards, ready to reccove ledgers

Man 8 is throwortg UP flllonys, droggong t h~ sack of ftttonys along behond hun
Man C •s ca tchong the lot tongs and 1->lacHI\J them on the platform. ready for Man A

73
A more effrcrentuse or labour rs actucved on the exam1>le shown below.

.1

©
I ~

®
Eacl' of the men on the platform 11as his owr1 sack ofl1tt 1ngs. wh1ch 11as been rai sed to
tliU work1ny level vmh the aid of a l1gh t linc The thtrd man (8) can be employed laymg
out ledgers ready lor hx1ng This ISObv1ouslva moreproducuvearrangement Two men
ar~: employed tn hxrng the couplings rnstead of one. as tntheongmalexar-.1t>le, w1th Ihe
th1rd man preparing lor t h(' next stage oft he w ork. The tob w1ll p1oceed mort: QuiCkly a nCI
the ro~k of someone be1ng mju red by a badly thrown or I111Sdtre\:tcd l1tting is oltm1nated

Safety N ote
Th.,. common pranece ur 1hrowtng uv fntmgs tS efflcmnt only where a small ,,urnhcr IS
requ11ed and the d lst<Jnce thrown IS 1101 too oreat. A Skilled and exprmenced man can
011ly I)C relied upon lu throw Ul) 8 filling 5 or 6m [Say 18·2011) and there IS nlways a
danger that one may be m1Sd11ectcd or dropped caus1ng a potenual ha~ard to those
workong below or to passers-by It IS tarsafer toplacetl'e lottmgs on a sack and haul them
up 10 the requ 1red leve l wuh a linu and 9111 wheel.

It •S nu11ntcnded to condemn ttu:s wtdespread practtceoutnght.there wiHbeoccasu.ms

wht!re 11 's as qu1ck and ea~ to throw up a f!'W lottrngs asotts to 119 up;) gtn wt,eel and
I• nt" hut 11 >huuld nevet be done

Ia I II tlw scaffold 1s hcong <!rectcd 1n a public place

tbl near glass or near a lragrlc roof
lc) ar~vwhere w110u1 11 rnoy cause 1111urv to a th trd pany. or da mage to property
1<11 anywh<Jre other than from ground level
tel of the pr;.ocuce contravenes the company's Sal my Pohcv

74
Safety and Efficiency

TheSfl ;1re on ly two examples o f flow , Wll h forethollglu Rnd pl ann,ny and by ;~dopt ing
an 1ntttlflgen1 <ll)proach to the fOb. scaHol<hng work can be mad•: eas•er less.:ostlyand
saft!r There are many opportun•t•es'" scaffoldmg work to pract iCe these pnnc1ples.
W ha11s needed aboveall •sa thought ful. consclen\IOus att itude toth8 foband acOI1Cem
for sa f()ty.

A;;'" so many •nstances mvolvmg scalfoldmg work, effiCiency ann Sdft•tv go hnnd "'
l 1~ nd, <•ffoc,en t w ork1ng rnctl1ods ore usually nlso tile sflfc Wfl y of workmg.

75
OBSTACLES AND HAZARDS
OVERCOMI NG OBSTACLES

Many obstaclesarccncotll11erecJ 11'1 scaffold work -all pre5cm mg problcmswh1cl1 need

to I>" r;,solved. The solu llons may be verys1mple- for example. rnismg a ledger tog 1ve
acr.nss 10 tl doorway - or ex1 rcmoly complex - say <.-t scaffold br1dge over a rnotorvve:1y.
requrrrng the exl'er11Se of ;Jn cng1neer l<l clesign the suucture and superviM' 11s
tonstruct1on. In "'""Y c<tscs a scalfolder will need 10 use h1s own 1ngcnu 1ty 1n
ovcrcom1ng many lesser obstaclo?s

Th1S chapter offers some adv1ce on how 10 overcome the more typical obstacles
encountered in everyday scaffoldrng operatrons.

Occupied H ouses
Many of tl1e problems the sco flolde r encounters on th1S typ<l ol JOb could be overcome
by beuer liars<>n betwet:n the con tractor and the householde r

Ou1te often the hou!>Cholder employs a builder who on turn employs the servrces of a
scaffoldrng contractor It rs at that pornt that things con go wrong. The householder rs
not wid wha1 •s going to happen. and doesn·, have a chance to pass this informat1onon
10 hrs nerghbours. who may already be somewhat upset by the general drsturbance

A housewrle who has JUSt hung otn her wash rng. or sonleone who has weeded and
11d1ed up the ga1den wrll obJCCI strongly to the gang laying soleboardsoverflowerlleds.
wnlklng matenal across tilt! l~wn or lny1ng scaffold tubes 10 the d nveway. ln the case of
the nerghbou rs, if access is rcQ ulfed through the or grounds, perrniSS1on is u nl ik()ly to bo
g1ven w~ehoul prior notice

All these problemscanbeavordedordeal! wnhprror tothcgang arravrng.lfthegang has

co operauon from both !he householder and his neighbours 11 wrll reducethedoffrcul!y
of overcomrng some of the obstacles This can be seen rn some of the poctonal examples
that follow.

I I
' • L_l -,
=- ~
c
;
:
! _j
- ' Jd
'
i

~~IL
r -
'· -
.-- ·•;.
1: r-:- -- ,,
·-=.
'
I
' I

w ~
I '
' .,........., ''
''
,"-,.
• •

A s1mple doorway hos been bypassed.

76
Brtdg•ng over a garagtl roof can the roof take the we•ght?

'
D
Rcst•ng on w .r.oow
11.,\dgr tted 1f pos-s,ble

M.,elos IO $tOO 'j,(:3ffOid~ng Son•'• ...,,.•fJhl t.l'ke~·

:o
shdtng down •m1f wmG<-Jw •(!(]ge BUT coo
gar•tg'" rou( 1at..e c•';e tCSi 1

"OTE FRONT SCM I 01 0 OM•TT£0 rOR CLA~ITY

A lightweigh t bndge over the gara9e .

==><ut.-:·.' •
-.·Door..·., . . .
I I

I ~
c;== ~
~
•==]"u

i':~CJ A
·~

" ;,
I / CJ~
I I •
1
'
~ '
""""= -

;~·-
7
'
GA~ ''lot.

1 ~
Sn, n •.,
u ~

:)oth 1••"' ·~~~•

\\•.:•·jhl p( t. JLjl!

N01 f BRACtS UOAKOS <>tc 0M t 11f0 >OR CLARlTV

77
 An arrangement for re-roofing that wrll reduce the amount of wear and tear on the
garden and wrll also increase productrvrty

M11111 ~cc'"' Sr:affold

Wall<wav

TEA HAC[
OF
COTTAGES

NOTE- LADIJER ACCESS & END TOEROARD OMITTFTl fOR CL ARI1 Y

TERRACE Of COr I AGES

Col! age 1 Co;~a\ie 2

Po rhway

78
 fjr,.h t>'>

,., --
~ -
\
__.,,.,To
-
-I
--
-
_if
-
-
: i:
__!
- -:'I •-u,, ;
-
"" I
"
• -
I ,, •" "II"
I
••,,
" : -,, I
- "
•I II
,,
II
[""
,, ,,.
tl' .
' ,,
"or•.
.
• .:J
:~ I or •
' "
II - •
"V· -

~
' l- ,V· '!

ij:
:l,,
I
J l. M
I~

I
-ll
I
, I

..:·1

~ -- ~
'
lil_jl ~~j -- "" " 1~
'
1
' -- ·'
_J.i, - , __ ~ ·.
e ....... :\·e-:. ..-rt 5r J u.: ;•·
,., s. ~:plit,t ':,.0' n II ,i,l

A typocat arrangen..,nt on a shop

front The onsode ~tanda • d os founded
a1 Ihe forst floor level and the outer
standard on the pavement Generally
these scaffolds are for decorators
Occas•onally a f;tn will be added to the
scaffold whon roofing or chimney
workhastobecarnedout l!maythen
be necessary to double the outer
standa rds as shown
,·

• 'lll'lil!l~
I,.;; M

The same rmncoples can be apploed to the base of housP. wh och has a basement floor.

Reference to the chapter on Foundations woll show other typocal obstacles that face
scatfolders

79
PUBLI C HAZARDS
Pavement scaffolds cause m any problems for the scaffold gang. Materials have to be
unloaded and stacl<ed on the pavement or'" the gutter. presenung an obstacle and a
hatard to others All local authonueshave rules and regulauons that must be observed
for example a pavement licence may be requtred . II may also be necessary to seek
permissoon from the pollee to unload lornes 10 'No Parkong· areas.

Whenever a scaffold os erected in a busy publoc plac<l ol is recommended I hat the local
pol ice are kept onformed. iheycan govevalvable advoce and help on solving many of Ihe
problems !hat may a rise.

B~1ween 2.1 & 2.5m Nothong r>mJ8CI11)<)

Lo l l heoyht over 01 in to the
coadwdy
Spare matcnal &
laddeo stowed on Bottom hIt should
bottom l.lt overnoghl be close boarded

-
/
lubes paooned
white or
tidhCSIVe
fluorescent -~
>tnpes
-~,~~===
.._.~ , , --
=~=~:t-t===~rlf=="';', =""
X
1 -=
-="-" ~
L (·~-:~- ~==~=-~-----:- '"- •..,;/;::"<~::(::~~~-:::··
-. --:..~.
~
A ll JOInts should
be w rapped to po otecl
Mateo oal • tackeo.l ;>ubloc from sharp edges
n• guttl~• durn'l~l erccuon
(with wor n~ ny COI\eSl
PlclStiC p1otect•ve cup
1nse• tt-~<.1 nH\> 01 over
the •~mt of t Ll be

80
The f~rst duty of a scaffold gang IS the protect1on and safety of the public PArticu lar
problems wil l depend on the location of the scaffold; it maybe ina busyshoppmgarea.
with a narrow pavement adjacent to traff•c lights, or near a school. a park or play111g
are~. or publ1c house or fish and chip shop. Whatever the location the followong
problems will need to be consodered. •

At busy and congesiCd sotes a very early stan Will enable the gang to unload the
lorry and erect the base of the scaffold before the traffoc builds up

It maybe necessary to remove ledger braces to permit <Jccess under the scaffold,
and prov1de a close boarded bottom lift tostopanything fallingontopedesmans. lf
guardraols orfoot ue ledgers are prov1ded. the ends of the tubes shou ld be capped
and nll1oints should be wr<fpped to prevent injury to passers-by

Children. espec1ally under 11 years of ag~ are inquisitive and fearless. They will
climb ladders or even sh1n up standards, and have a hab11 of geumg themselves
.nto dn nger A speeraI watch should be kept when ch ildren are out andaboutaher
school. Always attacll a scaffold board flat against the rungs of the ladder when
leavH)g the job for luMh or tea breoks to prevent unau thorised access

The evemng and nrght-ume can bnng problems from o lder children, vand~ l s or
adu lt revellers, All spare mmerial should be secured. lllther by removmg 11 from
the s•teorstackongn ~ecurelyon the llfst hft.Aiways remove laddersandplnce 1n a
safe plac~- out of reach .

If through ties l)ave been f1xed. someone should ensur.? lhill tile open wmdow
cannol be used by a thief

81
GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
• Safe passage must be provrded forthepubllc. Rememberbhndoeopte. people
in wheelchaors. sen •or crtizens, l~d•es w1th shopp1ng trolleys. prams,
pushchairs etc m~y have difficulty In negouaw'g places where access is
restricted. Barners erected as required.
• No part of the scaffold must project•nto the roadwaywhere it maybe struck bv
any vehicle

• Statutory requlfoments. local authonty regulations and pollee adv•ce should

be complied w1th

• Llghtmg regulatiOnS must be observed

• Safety notices displayed as necessary

Other safety considerations

1. ProjectiOns such MSc anop•es. t~rge coping St<HIOs, howwindows. clra1n pipes
etc.
2. Overhead c~hlcs. etectnctty, phone cables
3 Fore escapes. umcrgcncy exns etc.
4 Foundat1ons

Considerations prior to dismantling

Are illlthe t•es u1 1act and secu re?

2 Have any <Jdapt•ons taken place. and if so. h~vc they affected the stability of
the scaffold)

3 . Has the scaffold been damaged?

4 If the hgh11ng IS f1xed to the scaifold. has 1t been d1sconnccted ~~the ma1ns>

82
PROTECTIVE FANS
Fans are erected to a fiord protect ron from anythrng whrch may IDII from a scaffold or a
bui ldmg They comprise an rncli ncd fr11mew ork ol scaffold Hrbes covered wnh
corr ugared or on sheerrng or scaffold boards The doi!gram below •llustrates the genNal
arrangcmet\1

VER"ICA•,
TOti30An(J

OVTRIGGFPS
·NEEOLoS1

I ~~At\ 50\1<;

..- .
'•
,,\~ ~.·

ROAD

Fans are not rmended for access to a scaffold, nor fonhestorageof materrals. Warnrng
not rt:os to th ts effect shou ld be deMiy drsplaved on the Inn
~---- -- ------~

FAN S AR E FO R PROTECTION O NLY

DO NOT USE FOR ACCESS
OR STACKING

Types of Fan
Fans are classr fred lrghtwerght or heavyworght accordmg to rhcrr load capabthty It rs
not always tlOSStbll! to prt!drct what wetght will tall and from whtll herght

CLASS A A hght duty fan wrth a maxnnum loadrng equtvalent to 0 75 l<N ,....>,
surt8ble for protectron from parn t ~nd mOrtllr d ropp•ngs.

83
CLASS B A medtum dutyfan With a maxim um loading eqUivalent to 1kN/ m 7, for
p•otect1on from bncks. aggregates and l1ke we1ghts from heights not
exceed1ng 1Om.

CLASSC A fan w1U1 a loading over 1kN/m2, w hich should he designed to suit the
ap;>lica llon

CLASSD A fan for Arresting the fall of persons or like weoghts. Th is should be
erected in accordance wHh CP 93.

Design and Construction

Fans 1nclass A and class B n>ay t>e specifica lfy designed although the stand;ud form wtl l
be constructed Wllllout design d rawings. Cl;lss C and D fans must be designed ~ n d are
beyond the scope of th1s book.

Fans attached to scaffolds

Fans cons1st of ou tnggers or needle·s extended from the scaffold, supported by wires or
spurs (rakers) Transoms are run par;>llel w ith the scaffold ledgers to permit the fan to
be boarded or sheeted at ngh t angles to the bu ild1ng or scaffold. A common method o l
fixing lig ht duty fans is to pass tl<e outr•ggers over the ou tstde ledger and under the
in sode one Tht; problems of this arrangement are shown o n the ollustration In any ca Sf!.
it is better not to fix fans to existing lift ledgers

5
Addll!o!'!al lo,1di,.,g o•' •nStde
IC<fgi::r "'~19..,t cause opltlt -
tllth<wgh unhkeiv

2 L· !..~hhood of mJtcn~b bl!•ng

p!oc~;d on ian o~ lficultv oi
r~moving de'ot•:S-vltt working h it

3 \·V11e. su;;.pl)l1 can cause f;;lling

m·atertals 10 bounce oli 3nd m•ss
lt'l& l3n Vollre msv also be
tft~maged

4 !;halln..·.• <lrlf!ll! ill !O\"'S ~ulhng

1n<JIU110I IO bu•ld \IP on Ot.l!St<.fe
~!JO~" oi fan R~mnvn! nf I ties pnse~
s-ate:•1 h<tr.!rd 10 p~opl.:.O l~n fan

5 Hlln(!r(:cltS .;>rP,q~(! ort o;H!'! d e

orlge l')i fQn o;'!nc<>~,rnges peoplli'! to
wol~ on lnn ;~nd nwr~<ts!!:c. fan

l:.:odn•9

84
Fans attached to buildings (Class A)
Thes•~ are gt>neraiiY used m COOJuncuon wtth cradles lor wmdow cteantng. s:one
clean.ng operations or other ma•nten<•nce work on the face of the budding. The
suspension pou1ts lor the cradle and w.re lor supports may ofte n be the same. Large
quanttuesol water are often reqo.redlor these JObs In thesec~rcumst ancescorrugated
~ron sheets must be hxed so as to afford adt•qua te and sale <1ra1 nage

General construction requirements

Outriggers (needles) spaced every I 5m for lansauachedtObUIIdmgsandevery

bay when attach~'<! to scaffolds Class B fans should he I txed at every scaffold bay

Support transoms - must be spaced soDS to make sure there are no traps'1n the
deck•ng

Parapets -should be ert•cted bv ftxtng puncheons on the outs•de tan ledger and
fix1ng toeboards w these.

Spurs and rakers - •akers. generally descnhcd as transom supports •f used to

support the fan from above ,nSII''ild o l w !res. The term 'spurs· IS generelly used <o
dcscr·l,.• rak•ny tubes used tos11pport thefanlrombetow Spursshouldbe f••edto
tile outS1dc fan l<>dg"r or an a<ldu ,onAIIedg!!r W1thu1 the ou twle tlllrd of the t;; n

Wires the d•amcter and strength of suspens1on w>res should be des•gned

;;ccord•ng to the size ond lo<•du1g of tile fan. Most purpose-nw(ie slinging WIW Is
Bnunmdepcndent w~re rope core(IWRC). whichhasabreAk•ngstra•not 4 10nnes.
but a salework•ng ·oadofO.!>tonnes. W tresshou ldbc ftxed usu1g>1 round turn and
two bulldog g11 ps. 0 N NO ACCOUNTS HOULD 6mrn OIAMETERW 111E LASH lNG S
BE USED

Ad dtttona I tiOS 11\l1S1 hf' ftx.OU ill the h·v\:1 ,,r thr fi-tn l!l~ 'i' Chdpll' run r,,.st. (Jn ly load
b«:artlllJ i1t11nqs H\a\ t t.secJ 111he r -:vt'Struct:un Largt~ fans supptar:cdby ~put~
Wilt rt•OUift" .tridtt -tJndl :>r(JCiflg

85
Decking
When cre.cung a I an 11 1S tmportant tornake sure that the hit at the levelatwhtchthe I an
1S llxed 1S boarded out. so that matcnal does not fall down the mside of the scaffold
Allernauve arrangements may be made. lor example. parapets fixed to the ms•deof the
fan or the nl!xt lth down boarded out

Sc<•llold boards should eltl)er be lashed, using 6mmw~re,or sucuredwnhanaddn 1onal

scvllold t ubc G<Oiva I'\! sed corrugated ~ron sh<!ets may also be foxed us1ng tubes orw1tl) a
var1c1V of shectl"'g clips w h ich cltp rou nd tho m1d of the sMets. or w1th sheetmg hooks
w h1Ch pass t11 rough the sheels and hook 1ound the suppor11ng scaffold wbe$ .

F"ns arc often exposed to high wmds wh och can l1fl slwets and boards off the f~ n.
consecluen tly 11 1S impC>rtant to rnake sure tha t all dHCk•nfl is firmly secured .

86
SAFETY CHECK

• Spactng of ouanggars 10 sullload on fan •e lyp!l of decktng and duly ol fan

• Scaffold rn\tst be

- close bo<trded
properly laslwd or llf!ld down
- properly suppoqed •e no 'araps'

• Corrugaacd •ron sheeting lllUSI

- hiave a mm.murn of four cl •ps or hook hol1s l)t'r sh~~1

- drc.tn pro:Jerly Guttenng and dram ptpcs mus1 be hxed where neces!>ary

• Far> shou ld be •11sf)()Cleddiidy by !he user and parucular care tak~n afler l11gh
wmds and storms Ar1y domagc to the fun musr be repnired ul1mcd1ately

87
 PART TWO

BASIC SCAFFOLD STRUCTURES

INDEPENDENT TI ED SCAFFOLDS
The mdepnndent ti~d scaffold 1s IJerhaps the most com mon ly used scaffold. II cons1sts
of two rows of standards paru lle I to the budcJi ng, jou>P.d together with ledgers f•xed with
nght angle couplers In turn transoms arc fixed at nght angles to the ledgers w11h
·putlog' couplers The assembly must be braced w1th ledger bracmg, usually ;n
alternate pH~rs of s tandards and wnh longnud1nal or facade bracn1g every 30m ~ long
the face rJ f the Sc<Jffo ld lndependem swffolds must be ti ed 10 the budd •ng (See TICS.
page 25)

Uses and loadings

Tl1e uses to whiCh Independent scaffolds may be pu t and their assOCI>~ ted pemiiSSible
load1ngs <Jre sumrnansed in BS 5973 Table 1 (See IJage 121

Most 1nde11endent scaffolds are f•ve boards w1de w1th four boards between tl>e
st andards and one bo<~rd betwi)Cn the u>s1de stand~rd and the bu dding . Two Dnd ll1rcC
board scaffolds are vsed when there rs restncted ilCCess between bUIId rngs or for
•nspection purposes only Independent scaffolds mav not be buill hrgher than 50m
without expert adv1cc.

91
The requorements lor bracong and tying tndependent scallolds have been discussed on
otl\er chapters; However. these are summarised below lor convenoence -

• Longotudonal bracong every 30m along scaffold. eother contonuous or 'dog log ,

• Ledger brac ing <ll nltcrna te paors ol standards, vsing right angle couplers
from ledger to la<Jgor or swovel couplers lC> StAndArds

• Toes should he every o ther loft and approxommcly every 6malong the scaffold
NotoHor~ than holt ol the toes should be revcalues

ACCESS

The maonwor1ung platform for ondepe01den1 scaffoldscanoltenbe 30m-40mabovethe

ground Consequemly access of men and matenals to tillS 11l~ tform requorcs caroful
consoderatoon Matenols ars o ften raised by hoosts but men normally gaon access voo
lodclers. For h igher work ong platforms (above 20m) u lvddcr tower is the preferred
mcvns ol access and gives nccess to eacll lift il r<~qu orcd

E:nd
tuclJo3! d
elm

NOTE Board!t
macked lh ~ ·~ •
sho1.1 ld be h~t>~ d
dowr1 I u J p1c<.:t:
o f 600mm h<M'U

92
Ahernat1vcly. ladders and land1ngs can be bulit1nto the scaffold Itself. The dtstance
between tandmgs must not be more than 9m Access holes through Jand1ngs should
not be more than 500mm wide and should be as small as pract ic;able tn the other
dtrection Laclders sl10u ld pro,ect at lea st 1.05m (3ft 6 ins) above each ldndu1g . They
Sllol•ld be set at an angle of 4 VQrtlcal to 1 horizontal and supported only by the shies.
wh1ch should be secured at the top us1ng taslungs or other attachments.

Routine Safety Check

Each night

• Uldders should be boarded up to prevent unauthousedaccessto the scaffold.

• L1ghts shou ld he placed so that the publ 1c are prot()cted from acc1denwlly
d<Hnag "'g e1ther themselves or the scaffolu. eg. by dnvtng u1to it

• Check that warn1ng Stgns are"' I>OSttiO"

Each morning

• Make sure tl1m scaffold has not been mtcrfe1·edwith pa rticu larlybychtldr~n.
and is safP for use

Evoryweek

• Statutory mspe~:~ions must be made every week and alter severe storms by a
·competent person' and form F 91 Part 1 comple1Cd

When dismantling

• The order in wh ich o scaffold Is d 1srnant led IS not necessa rily tl1e reverse ol
the order of ertlction Generally, scaffolds should be taken down lift by lift and
not from one end to the other

Hazard awareness

Indepe nden t scaffolds are 1n common use and arc often taken for gr~nted. W hi lst
independen t seal folds are stnughtlorward to erect and use, carelessness can result 1n
accidents An awareness of the potent1al halards 1S essenual1f acc1dents are to be
avoided

93
ERECTING AN INDEPENDENT SCAFFOLD

The followrng dragrams show iltyprcal sequence ol erect ron (for a three mang<~ngl. h
should be noted that only two temporary tubes am used, both of whichcanbe left rn the
structure unt11H 1S 1n11e to d1smnn tle

In some of the dragramsdlffcrcnt actrvrtles are shown thfl sequence is<JiwaysA. B. C

IB Levelled
f l)( fit${
RAC at
ift hetghl

Posuron first pa.r of standards Fox first ledger

A f1x~d to Slandnrrt
1>61ow ICdgor

Repeat -~-

Post11on standard and transom Repeat at other end

F1xe<1 to standard&
abovo transoms

""' Fnc fool ue ledger

""'
appro• 1 SOmm up
\ hom ground
(S) 'I
Frx second ledger Fox foot tre

94
 Place bt'aces •n
po5t110n II bolh
ends

G)
Attach braces and check structu re os plumb and level

~ ~ ~
A Pusn

~ ~
scaffold

~ .z
:o butl

~
Undi!t

~ ·z
~ I ~
~
~ I~
~ S Plu:rnb
st<Jndard
~
· ~
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~ I~ ~
~ ~
I z ~

Sl&l"'dards

' ""-.
"' It'--.
"' !)..
""'\
\ ftx Hansom

.\ ~\
on 1op or
ledger

~
1\
\ I

Attach ontermedoate standards and transom

95
 A. F1x permanent ma1n tlansoms
on top oi ledgers

Pot~ i tlon
taeode brace
fi nd plumb
standards

Plumb slandard and fnc

bottorn of bt CK:e

Plumb remai n1ng s1a ndards and fix tntermed•ale transom s to suit boards

96
l PUTLOG SCAFFOLD
The put log scaffold, also called a bncklayer's scaffold1s erected w1th tubes and li1tmgs
to support a work plallorm adJacent to a wall or bul!d"'9

Tho sco ffold consists of a single row of standards I)Srallel to the face of the woll,
supported ar1d lied toge ther by a ledger. ThH l~dger also supports the outer er1d of the
putlog. the other end of wh 1ch is lr1serted into the wo ll

The put log 1s in effect. a transom wh1ch has been floueneda t one end 10 fonn a blade,
alternauvely.the transom can have a putlogadaptorconncctcdatoneend Theblade1s
fully mserted into the bed JOint of the bnckwork or la1d flat on top of the bnckwork. or
•nsened on edge into a verucal jOint, when the scaffold •s erected agamst ex•stmg
bnckwork.

Put log

CONSTRUCTION
Standards
These should be placed on baseplates. founded on sole boards. The spacmg between
standards should not exceed 2. 1m w •th" maximum d iStribu ted load of Z.5kN/ m2(50
lbf ft'l The lift height•s normally 1 35m

Ties
Through 11es must be II)Serted on alternate hits to the full he•ght olthe scalfoltl, dnd
cver1•6m honzontally On progr<•ss•vc bncklayer's s<:•flolds. care must be takenwht"'
the brockwork •S 'green T!1e Schlfold should not be work(~d on unultl)e b"ckwork 1S
copaiJie ot $uppor tmg tile scAf fold

On walls withou t open1ngs s1nglo br<cks should be left out to acceptt1es.

97
Bracing
Facade or sway braces must be foxed on the normal way Ledger or cross braces are not
stroctlv rcquored. although for a progressove brocklayers scaffold ot os advosable to lot a
lt!dgt!r br<oce every third stand;lfd.

Bridle
Where 11 os necessary to by·passa wondow or door openongabrodletubeosconnected tO
tho undersode of the put logs and <!Cis as a support for the ends of pu tlogs not suppor!IJd
by the brickwork. It SI)Ould be fixed with right angle couplers

The brodle tube als<> serves <lS the inner foxong poont for br~c~es.

r
r
5 Boards wo(le - --< 120mm to allow
for men, mauu1ab for plum bong
& P~SS\19C by Srock layer

Putlog blade
pushed tn I at
at least 75 mrn
Brodie Tube

Standard-
Advo sable to fot
Baseplate ledger braCil cvcrv ~jt~
third otandard ~
Solepld te
-Foot Toe

98
Stontlard Standard
I
Guardrotl

I
Toeboard

Working Platform
The worktng r>l~tt lorm shou ld be ftve
honrds wtde. wtth suffictem room
between the foceofthe brickworka t1d
the edge of the ms<de board to allow
the bncklayer to plumb the bnckvvork
The yap also allows the superfluous
mortar to drop to the ground wnhout
Sp01hny the face of the bnckwork

In add<!IOn to the normal arrange-

rnem of quardrotls and tocboards.
brickguards s11ou ld be erec ted to
ensure rntu eno l cannot f<.ill from the
pla tform

99
HAZARDS
Some of the ha1ards mOrt! commonly assocratcd w•th putlog scaffolds am listed
hclow.-
• Foundatrons can bo underm1 ned by other work. or the scaffold may L>e erected
on backfilled trenches !

• Workiny p Ia t forms ca n be overloaded and have bricks stacked higher than the
guardra il

• The guardra•ls are removed lor forklift access and not replaced.

• Toeboards are somet•mcs removed and used to prop up door and w1ndow
frames.

• Single unsupported boards are used to t)!Ovrdc access to the br~ckstack

• Brickg uards not erected lor r)Ot available)

• T1(;s or braces remove<!

Bnckstack h1gher than

Guardrail he•ght

No flrockguards ......_

UnsupPQ< ~ed Scaffold W•I'XJOW

Board Frame
\.

Brtckv.rork ....-

100
ERECTION SEQUENCE

Erect standard 011 soleboa rd and baseplote and fix f1rst pu tlog to standard w1tl1 nght-
ang le coupler

F1x SHc:ond standMd and putlog us before

Ftx ledger to standards below putlogs The structure ts temporarily suppor ted w tth
rakers

101
 4
~
~ I' i'

1\
\ \
\
Level and f 1x foot toe ledger appoox.mately 150mm above baseplate

~ "' ~
~' i'

1\
\ \
\
FIX brodle tube approxomatcly IOOmrn from wall.

Brate the structure. L~dger br<~ces may be fixed from bndle to foot 11e and InClude
lacadt! br<•cc to provi(fc long otu<lma l stability.

The scoff old os complet ed by addong intermed iate transoms. theworkmg pl<>tform and
yua rdra•ls and toeboards

102
Safety Checklist

Before Erection

• Clear ~II debns and level ground.

• Ensure all backhllcd Hencr.es are hrmly compacled

• Er1sure rhe scaffoldN rs aware of the backfilled uench posnoons

• E:nsure rhe s<:affoldcr IS aware of the posiuon of fulurc groundworks

After erection of Base lift

• Standards plumb and properly founded on soleboards and baseplates.

• Ledgers level and connecred 10 rhe srandards bv well ·servoced rogiH·~ng le

couplers.

• Pur log ends (or ptlllog Jdaprors) ~ro prol)erly insertt~f onl o. or laod on the
bnckwork

• Putlogs ore level. properly spaced and connected to the ledgers{maonputiOgs

wnhon 300mm of ~ach srandard).

• Brodlcs are connected to the pu!logs woth roght· angle couplers.

• Boards are close laod. properly supported and suffocoem space has been
allowed berween the inner edge and I he face of Ihe brockwork to allow the
bncklayer to plumb the wall.

• Guardrails, tocboards a old bnckg uards ilfe on placo;

• Proper access has been provodcd on rhe correct posH oon, (nornmlly adjaceo11to
the b"ckstack. and rhe moxer).

• ~nsur e the brocklayer foreman and the forklifl drover are aw~re of the
rnaxomum loads the scaffold os capable of carryong, eg -

'2 lm standard spacing = 2 5kN m > (50tbf ' ft' ) whiCh 1n turn equals
approx 140 brocks {stacked nex1 ro each standa rd), ono loaded mortar
board Olld the bncklayer and hos tools- per bay

103
After the Erection of the Second Lift and before titS boarded out.-

• Ensure the ues have been fixed to mature br~ckwork .

GP.ncr" IIY 11 <S ~rnpoSS<blc to f•~ ues 10 the second lift w <thou t leavmg holes <n the
h<~Ckwork and second hft br •ckwork <Su nlikely to be n1ature enough to prov<dc u secure
l< o T<c s should be <nsertcd tn the baselift to m ature brickwork ie. th rough door and
w.ndow openings

• Ensure the blodes of the putlogs are sttll fully tnscrted on the wall at base hit
level There <Sa tendency lor scaffolders to ·spnng'the scaffold away I rom the
bulld <ng when mscrllng the second hh put logs

Thts <S less hkcly to occu t '' ledger braces are <ncorpo rated

D uring Operations. ensure: ·

• The forkhfl dr tver docs not overload the plat forms.

• Bnckguards ~re always used.

• Unused ladder access poonts <ue properly guarded

• A nydamagedone by the forklift or dumpers •s rcctif•cd <mmedtately

• Boards are not taken and used as props for doorframes. wtndow lram"s and
roof trusses.

• Gable ends have prope< through ti(,S.

• The gable encl l<fts have correctly supported boMds guarorotls. toeboards
and proper occess and egrt!SS

During the Tiling Operation. ensure:-

• The top hit <S tugh enough for tl'le toler to comfortably step onto the roof

• Cons<der the necessity of f<X<ng addition<ol guardratls to ensure that the t<lcr
cannot I all over the scaffold guard""' if he falls down t11e root.

During Progressive D isman tling :-

• Ensure guardraol& are ,;rec tcd at the correct he<gh o and the platform <S
properly la<d forth~ glazoers or for the br<cklaytlr who is pointongthe putlog
holes

• Che<:k tics are left <n place

104
ACCESS BIRDCAGE SCAFFOLDS
The 'Btrdcage· scaffold 1s so called because It resembles a cage I It is normally used
Inside build1ngs to ~lrovide an access platform lor working on ce1llngs, sollitsor u\ the
insta llAtion of lighting or venulauon or spronkler systems Small JObs would generally
be done us1ng a tower or hydraulically operated aeroul platform where possoble, but for
larger plojects involving longer peroods or time. an access birdcage is requ ired.

The scaffold 1S constructed using standards arranged at regular 1 nterv~ ls 1n pnrullel

Iones. usua tty even tv spaced Standards are laced together with a grod of ledgers and
transoms at every hft he1ght and the top hh cs boarded out to prov1de the wor1ong
platform

105
SCAFFOLD R EQUIREMENTS
Th e req\Hrc mcnts specified for access birdcage scaffolds arc fully set ou11n BS 5973
and va ry accord •ng to whether the birdcngc is a sing le lift or h <lS more then on~! li ft For
s1ngle lift b~rdcanes part•cu lar otten t,on must be paid 10 bracing

These requererncnts are summar1s(~d below-

Maximum loading
0 75 kN m (equivalent to 1 ma n every square metreI

Standard spncing
Max 2.!>m 18') '" each d~rect">"

Lift height
1s• hh max 25m (8'1subseQue111 hits max 2Om (6 6''1

Edge bays
W1dth of E!dij<' bays may l>e three, fou r or frve boards to accommodatt! tll(J ncccss
requ~renwnts for the scaffold

Led gers. trnnsoms and fittmgs

Ledgt!r~ 11nd transom>; should be f1xed to sta ndards and to each other wuh nght
angle couplers. At the workmg hit. transoms mav be ftxed to ledgers wtth put log
cltps to enable boards to be la•d

Bracing
81 aces "'"Y be f1xed from ledge ,· 10 ledger or to standards usmg sw1vcl couplers
W he 11 l<; dgor IJrac,ng is uscd,a footue is rcqu~red to r eceive the lower end or the
b•ace on the f~rst li lt One b<(ICO mu st be provtded for every six verticals 1n each
luw "' both dlf&Ct1 ons If the budcaye IS fu llv butted at alll(,vcls, then braces c" n he
om1tted 1s~~)"~ below\

Tying and buuing

Stab•liiY may also be prov•dod by butung tubes aoamst ex1Stlng structures Bu t 1f
only one wa ll 1S avatlahlc I I tS necessary to prov1de a puSI>·pull fixmg Where two
pa1R ih: l w alls at e avail«blo tubes can l>c butled aga1nst bot h w~lls No veii H;al
sho uld be more than sox tubes Away from an edgt> or <11hcr restratnl poi nt One
restra 1n1 Sh<nild be prov1ded every 40m ' f4 301t ') of vcrt•cal face

C ONSTRUCTION

Found atio ns
Grea t c;~rc must be taken when sca ffolds ar<: erected on IHghly polished w ood block.
mos1ac. marble ar\d Slmtlar floors. If n~cessa ry a proteCtive layer of suiloblo matenal
must be placed under the soleplaws

W•th b.rdcage sc<•ffolds the floor of the bUtld•og has to carry the fofl wetght of the
scaffold and ns load Soleplatcs arc therefo re 11ecessary to help d•stnl>ut" thtJ io~d as
w1dely as p<>ss,hlc nnd they should i>lways be se; at ng iH ang les to beam s or JOiStS.

106
Baseplates and Standards
Baseplates must be placed on solcboards to receive standards These should be nailed
or screwed to the soleboards af there •s any danger ot movement Standards should be
plumbed and JO•nts tn alternate standards staggered •n order 10 obtatn strength and
St<lbll tiV

Ledgers
Ledgers shou ld be fixed •n a honzontal plone at all times It isadvtsableto hx the fi rst hit
at 25m (Bftl and subsequent hhs at I.Bm 2m (6ft 6ft 6insl centres (The 8flt1sh
Standard recommends thatthehrst hft rnaxamum should be 2.5m(8ft),subsequent hfts
ol 2m 16ft 6 1ns) maximu1n

In sangle ltil b~tdcages honwntaf tubes m the top hft should be JOin~ wtth sleeve
couplers and not tnternal SP•90I S. <IS tl)ere ~reno add1110nal hits toma"'w " ' 11onzonwt
n gn!lly. 11 the hon wn tol tubes are bu tted agarnst para llel w all s the sca f fold c<~ n be
d1fficultto d ismant le

Transom s
On non work1rtg llfts.transomsshouldbe hxcd to thestandardsbyroghtanglecouplcrs.
On working hhs transoms should be ftxed to the ledgers w1th nght angle or pul log
couplers and spat:cd as other scaffr>lds to support b<>ards evenl y(See ial>lc 3 paye 17)

Generally one transom should behxed1n<~achbay, no1 more than 300rnm(12ms)from

a standard Jo.nts 1n transoms must be staggered .n order l oobta ll) max1mum ng1dny
and s~fetv

Bracing
Sta bll 11 y IS obt<Hned by d•agonal l>racllt!) to the I u ll he•yh t of the sca ffok f at each c01ner
10 both d11 ec11ons. p<ITtiCtilarly if 11 1S not possible to include tuls (Sec und~r Scaffold
Reqtmements onpoSIIt!l
Ties
Tying •s •~orm<~llv achieved by but11ng walls with alternate ledgersandtransoms lEnds
of tube may have to be padded to prevent damage). Alternatively box or reveal ties may
be necessa ry. Foot ues should be prov1ded th roughou r rhr. scaffold excep1 w llert!
nccess 1s rcqu1 red, and n tleasl in alternate bays ill hoth d1teCt1ons to form boxes ISee
under Tymg 11nd Gulling, opposnc)
Working Platform
The working p18 tlorm must be close boardecl dnd if 39m (13ft) boards are used. each
board must be span at least four transoms Handrarls and toeboards must be prov1dcd
whertlthe space between the deck1ng and 1he wall exceeds 150mm(6111S) These must
be f1 ttod on rhc itH1de of the >;t~ndards

Access
Access requrrtlmcnts must comply with BS 5973, Sectton 16. Access rs gent)rally
prov1dcd at the edges of the scaffold using ladders and land1ngs. {Sec under Access
page391
107
METHODS OF ERECTION
Two methods of erecttog a btrdcagescaffoldarecommoolyused The ftrst uses afoot 1tc
round a box two bays wide. opproXtmatOiy 150mm I rom the base. ftxed 10 sta ndards at
each of the lou r corners followed bv ledgers at the first lift heigh t. Intermediate
standards nnd braces can then be fitted.

Foot Ti (~

Erect stand~r<ls <lt c<tCh corner and secur., Wtth foot ti es

Tr~nsom
I

AttaCI11edgers at ltrst li ft

108
...

lnson ontcrmedoate standards <1nd ledgers

Fix facarle braces at each corner

109
 5

F•x centre standard

Atwch temporary transoms

110
-
1

Attach ledgers lor second hh

Contrnuc facade bracing 111 a zig-zag or dog leg fash ion

1 11
The sequence •s repeatmi unuhhc- struct urc •sat the reQuited hctght. Worktng pla tlorm
w tll be boiJrdAd out and guardratls and tocboards f•ncd

Safety Checklist
• Check sole plaws are posittoned so tha t tow I wetght rs dtStttouted as widely as
poss•hle Base plates ol standards secured to sole plates.
• Check St<indards not mor1: than 2.5m apart in each dtrCCttOt) , must be vertical
at1d 111 ltne.
• Check ledgers are level and mIme and spactng of transoms
• Ch~rk dtagonal bracmg tn both d~tecttons; securely fixed withswtv('l couplers
• Check sccunty of tres. at least onecvery 40m'of verttc<tlface W here transoms
or l~dge rs butt walls. check no gap Pack.ng to 11rcvent dAmage to wall
• Check secunty arid condll ton of boMds. toehoards at\d guilrdrails
• Chuck securtty '' 'couplers ~tnd fltt tngs: condrtton of fitlt n!JS.
• Check toad on work.ng platform tS evenly sprend; platform not overloaded
Matcnals stacked near stand~rds. Where nec.,ssary bnck guards etc used
• Check l~dd~r~ prov,de<l for access correctly suprorted nnd lashed ur <:lomped
to sca ffold Extcndmg ijlleast 1.0!"" (3ft6<ns) above plat lorm level

112
TOWER SCAFFOLDS
W l1ere scaffold towers 11r0 formed from standard steel scaffold tube and f otungs they
m11y be filled w1th castors or w ll eels for mobility. or constructed as statiOnAry towers.
They usually support a smg le work1 ne platform not project1ng beyond 1he base a rea and
are prov1ded w olll handra ils and toeboards Access to the working pl<>fform by l<>ddcr
may be e tther inside or ou1sid~J th e StrtJCHtre .

C.t!!at ...,1-tt-~
.~> lh U IIIY i<Kk•
l.;)d($f'ff;hut,I!Htlt
! ...,\ ... ,. ,.., .......,
.... ,nl, ••!cow('•

NOTE. Propriet<7ry towers m both stee!Bnd alwntn1un) are not coveN-!d in this chapter.
These should be constructed t1nd used 1n accordance wtlh the 111anofacturar·s
lli Structions

113
loght duty access towers ar1• used maonly lor hghtweoght work such as patn!lng,
somple mamtenance. etc andwoll not $upporta loadgreater than 1 5kN m 7 (301bf ft·l
TlloS osequovalent to a tuadoftwomenstandongpersquaremctrc Thesaleworkong toad
shou ld be clearly displilycd on the working platform

Heavy duty towers such ~s camera towers and weldrng pl~ tfo rms must be t: apa!JIQ o f
suswm ong d ostnbutcd foods on excess of tl11s liguo<1 . Thasc towers are nearly alw ays
Stotoonary and expert advoce sllotol<l be sought on thcor dosogn and erection.

Stationary towers d iller from mobole towersonlyonas far as tho:ycannot be moved and
that thcyaremorestahl c They aregenerallybuolt to greater loeoghts thanmobole towers
~net are frequently anchored or guyecf on order to give extra stabohty. Common uses
onclude televosoon camera towers. weldong 11latforms. hghtong. access to work ong
places and rout me inspectouns

Foundations
Scalfnld wwers must alway' f>,. wrtoCill, even if erected on ~l opong ground
Molutc: SCiJffold towers should on ly be used and movcci on f1rrn and level surfttet!S
Where the ground os uneven or soh ot maybe necessarv to loy a temporaryfoundotoon or
track to spread the weoght and permot the lower to be moved more easily a nd solely
These temporary fou ndatiC.>OS should be su otably constructed so that the bearong
capar:oty of the ground ornmcdoately below the track os nm exceeded at any poult Any
dospli!ccment of the loundDtoOn or track. should be JOrt!Ventccf !Jy anchor ong ot securely

The anchorong of the track to thf, ground does not n'""'"" th<' necessoty for :he towc o
otSelf to be Dnchored to the grou"d wher(• th os os essentoal

Where H 1S knovvn tho t D tower tS w be used on a suspHrHfC:d floor 1l shou ld he dcs•gncd

so tl,a t tl'e load os no greater tlolln thc bear111gcapacowof thcflooo. Expert advk:cshould
be sough I 1111hcse c1rcurnswnccs

W l wn guy wores are used or kcntledge os apploed to provode stahohty, the load ompost,tf
un the swndards os wn~otlcrably oncreased The foundatouns must be capable of
supponong these oncreilscd loads

Thegenerao rules rclatongtu fmmdauons apply equally to stM ionary towers On some
sotes adJustable base plate~ may be needed to ensu re the tower os vertical These must
be poeventcd from fa I long"'" of the vertocal tubes <Jnd ~nv lockong d"viccs correctly
e nyagmJ

Stability

To q1vc stabrlttv loa tovlPr tht• rcJuoof the r1yhctng rrorncnt tthe force acttng to ~t"!P.p tha
h.lW.-!C ts:naght• to :he ovcrtur ntny moment tw•nd forces or ttn ec<:entnc v.tetgt'\1 such as
I hat trt•posed by n g1n wtw.:l) sltouiU bcgrcarer than 1 b In pracace thiSIS<lChn:~v~d by
h nullny ·he hctgh· to the ~l!ilSt base rat10. Ootngg~rs may he Ust."<J .:.o mcrease the
s.t~lhdttv of n tower by cfft:Cttvcly •ncreasmg the base dunt~nstons

The hcoght to least base domcns oon ratooof mobol~ acccs~ towers usedwothon buolcf ongs
should not exceed 3 5 to 1 Mobole access towers <JdJ~cent to bu ildongs shoulci hove a
<Dtoo not more than 3to 1 . No tow eoshould be btnh woth o leastllase dimension of less
than 1 2m f4hl

114
For stationary tow~rs these rauos maybe mcreasedto 4 to 1 and 3.5 to 1 respeCt ively
These rauosapply onlyto towers construc tcdof steelsc8 Hold•ngm aterials. A ium in• t•m
towers are lighter and d•fferent criteria apply

Tow ers should be bractJd o n all sides a nd in plan ill ev~ry alte rna tellft. beginnong atthe
base and also under deck le111:1 .

Anchors and Guys

In ordtH to mcrease the stabohty of statoonary towers guy ropes may be fixed to the
tower ~nd anactwd to anchors four>ded in the yround GuodHnce osg•ven on BS 5 973 on
the types and uses of anchors for suppOrting free standong towers. There are four
common types:

• Cross tubes an ached to the foot lift

• Dnven wbe anchors attached to guys

• Screwed 1n flight anchors

• Pln te and pin anchors

Guys for temporary scaflold1ng structures shotd<J be of 1Omm o r 1 2rnm d•ameter wife
rope. wh och should be attached to the scaffold structure and to the ground tube or
anchored by" songle round turn and thref! bulldog clllS

Detailed d"scroptoons and OlCihods of usc fo1 anchors and guys <~re not covert.d rn tills
book

Cast or s
Su•t.ol)le castors <>r whtwts shou ld llt' sel ~t:ted w su 111he s•te and load or>g of tl1e tower
l he sale working load 1S usually marked on the wheel These musl be foxed at the
extreme corners of the tow"' 1n such a mo nn~r that they cannot fAll out ol the lower •s
moved, or a w hee l os out of contoct w oth the ground They must be fitted wuh .~ffectovc
wheel brakl!s whoch cannot be accodentally released

Wht:n kentledg~ (dead weoyht such as sand bags. concrete blocks. etc ) os used to
stabohse a tower, the c~p acoty of tiHJ castors to take the exlri! load shou ld be checked.

ladder Access
Ladders should be f •xed fly lashong the st•les of theladd<'r to horizonti!l tubes and shou ld
be loco ted on ttw narrower !<tee. Where poss•ble ladders should be posllooncd onside
the base area. When the means of access tsoutsode the str\JCture, co11s•de oat oon should
l>e g1ven to the effect on the stab•lily of tile tower

In pracuce 11 os d off •cu It to fox latlders ' nsodc the tower a~ th os would mvo lvc cons truc1 i ng
an ac<:css llhp 111 the w ork •ng platform If the access ladder os used frequenllyand the
tower os large enough to prevent danger I rom ovenurn ong. 1hc ladder w•ll gener<i lly be
foxed on th() outs ode of the tow er

1 t5
TOWER CONSTRUCTION
The height of the lifts shou ld not exceed 2. 7m (9ft}. The lowest ledgers and transoms
should be fixed a8 near to tho castors as ppssrble. The tower sl10tJid LJe stiffened using
diartonal bracing at approximately 4 5° to t11e honzomal on a ll four faces. Leducrs.
transoms and pion braces must be JOmcd to the st<md<rrds by nght· ang le couplers
Standards should be JOH1ed wrtl1 sleeve couplers or lapped tubes: never w11h omernal
SPIQOt pi ns. A ll JOI!HS .Shou ld be staggered.

There 1$ a minomumbasedomensoC>IlOf 1 .2m. When the tower base os greater thim 2.5rn
x 2.5m (8 ' x 8') the weigh t of I he tower honders it from being moved easily and forthese
larger towers advice should be sougiH.

The Working Platform

Workrng platforms should be close boarded Transoms should be spaced at Interva ls
not exceeding 1.5m (51t) when 38mm th ick scaffold boards are used Howeve r 1! is
recommended that tra nsoms are nbt more than 1.2m. (4ft) apart. Wiler~ short boards
ure used (for examiJie at access op.,n ings) they must be fixed down at I)Oth ends to
prevent llpfling . lt is good pr~ctice to do this for all boards.

USE
The user should never apply horizontal forcestllthe level of the workong platform (eg.,
by hau li ng heavy ropes or cables,) and should not I ift s1gn if:cant wetghts up 1he ou tside
of the tower Where gin wheels are used on cantilevered tubes the tower must be
special ly design!'ld for this purpose.

Mobi le towers shou Jd only be used on even ground. never on a slope wh ocl1on igh t al low
thnm to run away Castors should be locked except when the tower is being moved. If
there is any doubt about the adequacy of the brtlkes. wheels should be chocked~

Mobile towers shou ld never be moved with men or materials o n t he working

platform. W11EH1 movmg the tower, th 1s should be done by pushing at the !owest
practical poir1t.

ER ECTION SEQUENCE
The erection sequencf! for 11 Tow er Sc<Jffotd •s shown on IJages 119·1 20

1 16
Safety Checklist

Foundations

Ensure thai ground surfacers farm and level

For srauonary towors check !hat standards are fttted w 1th baseplates and thar
baseplates are securely f1xed 10 prevent lateral movement.

II tempor ary foundauons 01p~thwavs have been provujed for a mobile tOwer, see
that they <lre ;>roperly prepared

Ensure 1ha1 suspended floors are nor overloaded

Check for additiOnal loads wllich may be omposed when guys or kentledge are
used

Standards

Musr be venoca l and stable

Joonts should be m~de woth sleeve couplers. and staggered

Ledgers and Transoms

Must be honzomal Dnd complete

Must be fitted to standards w1th nght angle couplers

Lowcstled\Jt'rs and transoms foxed as near to castors as possoble

Sp~cong of ~ransoms 1 2 m 1.5m (4 Sit) or less

Bracing

l owcrs braced on all s1des and i n plan at every alternate lift starttng at the base loft
and also under deck level

ladders

Check that the ladder 1s lashed top and bottom on each stile.TI>c ladder should be
fixnd to the narrower sode of the tower

Ensure that the foot olthe ladder os about 150mm clear of the castor so rhat tile
tower can be moved about ea~lly

117
Working Platform

Only one workong platform os pemlltted

Oeckong must be on good condotoon and be evcnly supported woth corre<;t

overhang

Who:rt~ laddeoaccess os provoded. there must ue only a monomum gap for access to
the workio'g platform

Guardrails and 1 oeboards

Must be in place and properly $eGured

Couplers

Check that only correct couplers are used. (lnd they are fully ughtened .

Tubes

Check all tubes lor splits. flattened ends and corrosoon.

Castors

Ensure th<ll <:lls!ors are lotted so thatthev cannot fal l off olout of contact woth thl!
ground

Chc<:k that brakes are lilted and in proper working order

Ch<1Ck r;astors are greased regularl y and rotilte free ly

Check wheel treads are in good condotoon.

Loading

Ensure that the maxomurn dostrobuted load os not greaterthan 1 5 kN / m> and that
where kemledge os used to ensure stabohty the castors are capable of supponing
the load

Ties and Guying

Guys should be checked to ensure that tensoon os correct nnd that connecting
poonts and anchors arc secu re.

On larger towers. seek advoce on methods of guvongandon loads imposed by guys

and Lies.
No ttl
Towers must he secured agamst adverse weorller. vandalism ere when felt
Ufldttt!rld8(/

118
Etect standards at each corner ~nd Measu re ott firs t hft and r,. ledgers
secure to root 11e and transoms. level and secured wtth
nyht·angle couplets

Add braces on all four stdes and f•x !'ot mobtle towers ht castors. secure
pllln brace and brake

119
 4 5

Fox onaerm~>diate transoms and deck Measure off second hfl and In ledgers
out temporary onoermcd•ate work•ng and Hansoms
platform

6 7

Add brac e s a nd in te r med i ate Board o ut working plat form and odd
transoms guordra•fs and toeboards

120
SYSTEM SCAFFOLDS
Introduction
S~stem scaffotclmg may h<J descnbed os easy- to-use sc ~ffotdmg whoch can be
a$semblnd by relatovc ty mexperot,nced labour. There ;tre a great many such systems
now avaolable. rangong from hgllt duty alumonoum alloy access towers to heavy duty
steer Sl•t>POrt structures They all omploy doffc o·en t potented tockong devicos (w udges,
lockong pons e tc) and are dcsogncd to d offerent specofocauons. wluch makes <l dofhcult
and someumes dangerous to onl erchange one system woth anotl)er How<Jver. the
maronty o f sys tems ar<J math' froon standard don meter lubes. so tl1atthey can be used
with s tandard scaffold follongs.

ltos v oW I that spec oft<: instructoon, traoninfl or an erectoon handbook ba provoded forthc
rn<'n ert•ctong any system scaffold. Users should pay stnct attcntoon to loarlong and
methods of erection published in the rno o~u facturer's onstructoons. There tsno na toonal
or common specificotoon for systen>scalfolds Conse<JUCntly.care should he takt>n not
to mix dofferent systems

Common Types of System Scaffold

M ost systems are composed o f standards with preformed connectors w elded at
ontcrvals along theor length to which ledgers are fixed woth a proprietary clamping or
wedging arrangemen t, as Illustrated below

----

I, :-l

I
L.J
~ _j

1 21
Some earloer systems usc tubes n>~de onto frames typocallyH or X shape, to avood the
nei!<l for bracong.

c 6

Components
Standards come m a variety of leng: hs and have preformed connectors welded at GQ ua I
dostances along th eir lengt h. A spigot arrangement os formed~tone end olthe standard
for extension purposes; occasionally sockets are formed instead.

Ledgers ar;, in vH ryonglcngths woth connectors welded to eac11 end. The connec toon oS
m;ule when the wedge. cup or bolt os hammeoed or screw"d light

Transoms are generally made to receove etther 4 or 5 boards. The endsoflhe !ransoms
are connected to the standards on the same way as the ledgers. Some systems
accommodate tradotional scaffold boards and therefore require ontermedoate
transoms

Braces in each directoon arc made to fit the differen t bay sizes, Some systems use
standard tubes and fittings for bracing.

122
Boards also called stagtngs or battens come on a varoety of lengths. thocknesses and
widths Decking is seldom onterchangeableaseach type Is designed to sot exactly on the
narrow hpol thetransom Boardsareolten made from steelwoth a shpresostant surluce
and pre-drilled draonage holes. Tl1ese systems allow lor the anacl1ment ol proproetary
toeboards.

~~~.-----.--.--_----~=-
=-~---,
j? ..
Boards<._
. ·.,

---------- .•...___ Transoms ------ --------

Toe board

Transom

Ties ore general ly formed in tubo ond fim ngs. As yet no one has desog ned a successful
·system tie '.

\23
Adjustable base plates are essenual except on completely level surlaces.ln pracuce
these are often interchangeable between systems However. care should be taken to
establish whether the adJuStable base plate is des•gned for heavy or light duty use: and
111~ SWL (safe work1119 loacl) where necessa ry

Coarse & 11 n e
vdju strnen t

Psn

Ad,uStJble
,ack

~ Base plate

Erecti on Methods
Foundatrons an~ prcparP.d as for other type~ of scaffold. by plac1ng sote plates on
ltrm ground or umber sleepers. or lor long term scaffolds or falsework. by beddrng
them sn a lean concrete mrx. Clearly the type of toundatron wrll depend on the
purpose for whrch the scaffold 1S 1ntended

Sloptng or uneve" gwund c;an en use problems Carefu l considt!riHion should be

giVen to the s tart 1119 po1nt of the scaffold. Sf,lltngout shoulrlstart from theh l~fl 1est
po1nt and adJIIStiti>lc base plates used to lev<) I the structure.

124
2. Positron br<se plates and/ or adJUStable base plates/ jac:ks in roughly the cor rect
place.

3 Lay out transoms and ledgers for the first bay so they are ready to frx after the
standar'ds art-: m place

4. Place a pa ir of standards or, two adjustable base plates and loosely fi< bottom
1ra n5om.

f? '{J
G=ji;;;;= = = t g

125
5 Fix transom m head h erg11t or above to form a fra rne.

6 Frx ledger anti thrrd standard

7. Cornpf~ te bAy <rnd adrust jacks to ensure tl\at bonum ledgers and Hansoms are
level

8. Tigh ten up wedges/ frxtng a ttachm•~n ts.

126
9. Deck <>ut as necessary before erecting subsequent bays and lifts as requ<red

10 Complete towork111g lift. deck out and fix guardrai ls and t!>eboards, braces and 11es
as required

11. \IV here returns a1·e necessary. carefu l plann1ng isreqwred tu ensure the scaffold
··r,ts".Th,s shou ld be done at first li ft stage.

127
Most m<Jnufacturers produCf' the or own literature descnbll)g erectionandd1sm~nthng
procedures and th1s should ~lways be referred to Managers must ensure that the
system 1S SUitable lor the work. and that employees arc aware of the bas1c scaffold.ng
rules. 1J8rt1cu larly tl>r>SI! concern1ng foundat iOilS, l>rar. 1ng, pl;nf orms (mclud1ng
quardrai ls and tochoorc'ls) a11d t1es

SAFETY AT WORK
Whatever system of ~c;1ffotd 1S used. 11 1S essent 1al that nil opcrauves. regardless of
thi'H skdl and expcncnce should have regard to thclf own safety and the safety of
omers Th1s 1spanrcularly ulwortant when system scaffolds are erected by untramedor
':"oo~m1 sklllcdoperattves In llu~ser.asescareful superv•S•On 1S even more1mpor1an1 and
supcrv1sors w•ll 11ee<J to havr• a sound knowledge of baSIC scaffoldmg tecllniQucs 1f
itccedents are to be avotUt!d

RC'aders are recomrnuiH!m! to study 'Safety at Wmk' (GC: 702) a CIT B pubhcat10n
111tcnded IJ(Hl)a n ly lor young people e ntenng 1he c:onst rtiGtion i nd u strv f or the f11 St
t•me. bu l of val ue to <:~duh workers and to all tlm$<1 Hngngcd m thc:Hr superv1sson ancl
tra 1n1ny

128
GLOSSARY OF TERM S
Abnormal facade. A facade which
does not permit the fixmg o f through
ties or non-movable tics.
Adjustable base plate. A metal base
plate embodyong a screw,ack.
Adjustable forkhead. A forkhead
fmed woth a threaded spondle and nut
to gove adJuStable height
Anchorage . Componen t cast or fixea
mto the building for the purpose of
a noch ing a 1ie.
Anchor - guy. A pon or tube driven
IOtO the ground at approxomately 45°
to the horizontal to provode an
anchorage for a rope
Base plat e. A metal plate w oth a
spigot for dis tributing the load lm m a
standard or a raker or other load-
bea ri ng tube .
Bay. The space between two
ad1<1cent standards along the lac~ of
a sc<Jffold
Bay length. The dostance between
th e c ~ntre s o f two a d1acen t
standards, measured 11orllo ntally.
Board-clip. A clip for fixing a boa rd to
a scaffold tube.
Board - inside . A board placed
between the scaffold and the
bu old ong on extended transoms. or a
hop- up bracket.
Boards • retai ning .See bnck gu ard .
Board • scaffold . A softwood board
cornboncd woth others to form access.
workong platlorms ;:ond generally
us<:d tor protectove componem s such
ns toeboards on a scaffold
Bo lted tie. A n ass-embly of nuts.
bolts. anchors, rings or tube s foxed
Into the surface of a building
Box tie. An assembly of tubes and
couplers formong a roe lor the sralfold
by enclosong a feature such as a
column
Brace. A tube placed diagonally w ith
respect to the vertica l or horizontal
members of a scaffold and fixed to
them to alford s tabi lity.
Brace • facade or face. A brace
oarallel to the face of a building .
Brace - k nee. A brace across the
corner of an open ing on a sc affold to
stiffen the angles or rostoffen the end
support of a beam
Brace • ledger or cross. A brace at
righ t angles to the building
Brace • longitudinal. A brace 'n the
plan(• of lht! longtH dimt!nstnn of the
scalfold, parrocularly on bordcages.
Brace · plan. A brace in a horizontal
plane
Brace • transverse. A brace on tile
plane ol tile shorter domenston ol tile
sc;olfok!
Bracket • Hop up or extension. A
bracke t to anach usuall y to the inside
of a scaffold to enable boards to be
placed between the scaffold and thP
bu ild ing.
129
 Brockguard . (Also rcm"l'"9 boards)
A barroer usuallv of coarse mesh
f•ll1ng the gap between the (Juordratl
(HHI toeboard . and somct•mes
mrnrporiJ tii1H ona or bolh of those
com;Joner 11 ~
Bridle. A 11omomalwbe fi)(ed across
an openmg or parallel to the face of a
bu•ldmg to support the mner end of a
putlog transom or toe tube
Bridle • inside or outside. A brodle
euher 10s1de or outside a building
wall .
Brid le . vertical. A verttCa l ll.Jbl'
Pt.:rform n-:y the s~n1e fu f'ICtmn tts o
hrodlc
Buning transoms . A transom
extended onwards to bun the bmld1ng
to prevent the scaffolthng mov1ng
towards the bu ilding .
Butt tube. A short leng th of tub(!.
Butting tube. A tube wh 1ch butts up
against the facade of ~ bu•ldmg or
other surface to prevent the scaffold
movlllg towards !hat surface
Castor. A sw ivelling wheel secured
to the base of a vert•cal member for
the pu rpose of mobtllltng thtl
scaffold
Check coupler or safety coupler. A
coupler added to a JOi nt under load lo
g1ve securtty to the couplcr(s)
carrytng the load
Chord. The princ•pal long•tudmal
member!s) of a beam or truss
Chord stiffener. A tube f1xed at right
angles to the ch ord of a prcfobflcated
rafter, beam or truss for the purpose
o f preventing buc kli ng
130
Coupler fixed f onial. Acouplcflo f1x
a tuhtl across the end of ~no1her at
r!ght angf,~~ m the samd plane, as tn
th(~ quttrdrarls.
Couplur pora llel. A coup IN uSd(IIO
101 11 tiM> tulles' " t>arall<"l
Coupler purlin, rafter o r rodge .
Sp""'·" angle or vart~ble anyl~
coupl;,rs lor J0'""'9 .,.,,•mbcrs n
shecwd bualdtnys and roofs
Coupler · pullog . A couplar us,•oi for
(!)ctng o lHill og or transom too ledger .
ur to connect a tube useo only as o
guarrJrad 10 o standa rd
Coupler • right angle. A couptar
usad tn JOtn tubes at right nng lt'!'S
Coupler
coupl~r \J~~d to JOtn onr· tl1bc 10
anotnt•r Cr)i'JX•nllv
Cou p l er supplemenuny
CoutJk:r (s) <tdtltJd to a iO,ntto h;l('k u1>
the tHaut C:lltJpl e• t.:'!king lht.t I<Jttd
V'..il1,;o H'lt.' t~!-l ttmatcrlload on th\' Jl'>tnt
1S n t' XC• .s.s of •lw safe work~ng load
of rht• mau1 n>llpler
Coupler swtvcl A coupir.r ust:d lor
fOtn·ng :ub~s \Han an gl~ other than:.
raqnt nt1qlr-
Coupler sw ivel finia l. A couple ' 10
l1x ~i 1Uhf~ vcross 1t ''"' t~nd nf ,, n1)11 ,, ·r , "
1tw Si'l11h.;: pliUl~ hut m an a nglt!, iiS
I ll~ handrt1i l c> a Sta•rr.asc
Crane jib A smal cran,· sp•:--ctall'r
adapt~ lor ilrVOiitl mountrng 10 ~
scalfoltl tul~
D eck ong rho boardls) or unttS
forrn.nn (1'\ta workmg pln tfonn .
Downl pm , S.a.a Sp1gn1 ptn
End g uardrail. A guardraol placed
across the end of a scaffold or used to
osolate unboa rded pan
End toeboard. A toeboard at the end
of a scaffold or at the ond of a boarded
portion of it.
End toeboard clip . A sunol;or dcvoce
to '"" tocboard clop for use on end
toebo. rds
Expanding spigot . A device destgn
to expand and gnp the inside of a
tube. Used for joining tubes.
Facade · abnormal. A facade w hich
does not permit the fixong of thro ugh
ties or non -movable ttes.
Facade brace. Fac e brace . A brace
parallel to the face of a buolding.
Facade - no rmal. A l;~cade wlltch
pcrmtts the foxong ol through toes or
non movable ties
Fittings. A general term embracing
com~onen ts other than couplers
Forkhead. A U·shaped housing for
assembly on the end of a tube to
accept bearers.
Forkhead - adj ustable . A forkhead
fitted w oth a threaded spondle and nut
to give adjusta ble height.
Forkhead - rocking or swivel. A
forkhead to accept bearers at a range
of angles.
Gin wheel or block. A singlo pulley
for fibre ropes attnched to a scaffold
for raising or lowering ma teroals.
Going.The horizontal dostance
between the nosings of two
consecutove st eps of a stair
measured on a horizontal line
Guardrail. A member incorporated in
a Slructure to preven t the fall o f a
porson from a platform or access
way.
Guard rail post. A vertocal tuho.
frc!qucntly a puncheon supfJOrung a
guardraol
Guardrail • end. A guardrotl placed
ocross the end of a scaffold or used to
isolate 1mboarded part.
Guy anchor. A pin or tube driven cr'lto
the ground at approxima tely 45° to
the horcwnta l to p rovode an
anchor age for a rope.
Height. The height measured from
the foundation to the top assembly of
ledgers and transom s.
Hop up or extension b racket. A
bracket to attach usua lly to the onsode
of a scaffold to en able boards to be
placed between the scaffold and the
buildeng
Ind ependent tied scaffo ld. A seal·
foltl whoch has two I ones of
swndards. one line supportm(l the
<>u t~ot.l<l of the deck and on(• the
t fiSidt~. Tho Hansoms are not hwlt
onto thr wall of the bucldong It os not
fret! stantlcng. hut retoes on the
buol<hng for stabtlity
Insid e board . A board placed
between the scaffold and the
budding on extended transoms. or a
hop-up bracket.
Interlock pin . See spigot pi n.
131
Jib cranP.. A small crane specoally
adapted for povotal mounttng to a
scaffold tube.
Joint pin. An expanding ftttong
placed in the bore of a tube to
connect one tube to anotMr t:oaxially
(see spigot).
Kentledge. Dead weight. buolt ·up or
added to a structure to ensure
adequate stabiloty.
Ledger. A longttUd11181tube norma lly
lt x,,d tlitr<~llel to the f<J ce of <1 butldtng
tn lhc dorection of the larger
thnwn~,ons o l the sr.aflold It ans Js
<1 support for the pullogs nnd
lf{)nsoms and frequenlly for he tubes
andl~dgt!r bracas and os ftxed to the
adJacent swndc.uds
Ledger or cross brace. A brace at
ngl'l angles to the buildtng.
Lift. The assembly of ledgers and
trnnsoms forming each hori ~ontal
level of a scaffold
Lift . foot. A loft erected near to the
ground.
Lift head room . The clear dtstance
between a platform ao1d the tubular
assembly of the lift above
Lift height. The vert•ca l dtstance
between two ltfts. measured centre
to centre.
Lip tie. An assembly of tubes formmg
an Lor J shaped hook round a part of
a buildmg.
Lip tie . double. A lip tie which Is a
puSI1/pull tie , ic. has a cross tube on
the back and front of the wa II.
132
Longttudinal brace. A brace tO tht!
plane of the longer dtmens•on of the
scaffold. r>arttcularly in birdGagcs
Movable tie . A tie which moy be
temporari ly moved for the execu tiOn
of w ork.
Normal facade. A facade whtch
permttS the fixing of through ties and
non -movable ues.
Parallel coupler. A coupler used to
jotn two tubes in parallel.
Plan brace. A brace on a horizontal
plane.
Prop tie . An assembly of telescopic
props and tor scaffold tube jacked or
wedged between the floors of a
storey on side a bUilding and oncludtng
a tie tube.
Pun cheon. A vertical tube supported
at Its low er end by another scaffold
tube or beam and not by the ground
or on a deck
Purlin . A tube secured to the rafters
of a butldong and parallel to the ndge
for the purpose of attachtng the roof
covenng and to act as a top chord
sttffener for the rafter beams.
Push/ pull tie. A tie w h ich acts to
prevent the scaffold moving etther
towards or away frorn the bui ldtng.
eg a reveal tie. a box tte. a double ltp
tte. a bolted ue wtth a ue tube
Putlog. A tube wtth a bladt• or
flal1el'h•d c~nd 10 rest nor on pan ot
1he br1ckwork m structure
Put log adaptor. A fiutng to provtdc tl
putlog blade on the end of sca ffold
tube.
Putlog coupler. A coupler used for
fixing a putlog or transom to a ledger.
or to connect a tube used only as a
guardrail to a standard
Rafter and rafter beam. A
transverse tube. beam or truss in a
buildi ng spanntng across a roof or
from the eaves to the ridge
Raker. An inclined load bearing
tube
Retain ing bar. A strip or device fixed
across the top of the decking to hold it
down
Retaining boards. See brick·guard.
Reveal screw pin . A htttng used for
ttghtenong a reveal tube between two
oppostng surfaces
Reveal tie. the assembly of a reveal
tube wll ll wedges or screwed
fittings, and pads, If requ ired. fixed
betwee n o pposin g faces of an
opening in a wall together with tile
tie tube.
Reveal tube. A tube f•xed by means
of a threaded fming or by wedgtng
between two opposing surfaces of a
Structu re, eg. between two wmdovv
revea Is, to form an anchor to whtch
the scaffold ing may be t•ed.
Right angle coupler. A coupler used
to join tubes at right angles.
Rise.The vertical dtstance between
two steps of a stalf.
Roofing clip or sheeting clip. A
fttting for fixing roof or wa ll sheeting
to tubes in structures without the
need for holes 1n the sheetmg
Scaffold . A temporary structure
whtch provides access, or from
whtch persons work, or which Is
used to support matena ls, plant or
equipment.
Scaffold board. A softwood board
COf'nbm.:d w1th others to form .access.
workong J)latfurms and generally
us,~l for protec11ve components such
as toelx>ards on a scaffokl
Scaffold - free·sta nd ing. A scaffold
w hich is not attached to any other
structu re but is stable in itself or, if
n ecessary, stabtlised by ra kers
and/or anc11ors.
Scaffold independent tied. A seal·
fold whtch has two lines ol
swnrlarrls one lone suJ)ponmg the
ou tstd~ of the dech and one lhd
111Stde The transoms are not built
inttJ l ht! wall ol the bui ldn1g It IS t1C>t
froe·S1~ndrng. bu1 relies on tho
budd11l9 fo r s;abi llty
Scaffold · put log. A scaffold whtch
has one line of standards to suppon
the outstde edge of the deck and
utilizes the wall being built or the
bulldtng to suppon the inside edge
Scaffold • slung.A scaffold hanging
on tubes. ropes or chains from a
structure overhead. tt •s not capable
of betng moved or lowered.
Scnftold suspended . A sc<~ffold
hR ngtng on ropes whtch •S capable ol
benlg ra1scd ;) nd lowe red
133
Sheeting. Horizontal. vertical or
onclined sheets of material. such as
corrugated metal or plastic sheet.
auachcd to a scaffold in order to
provode protection from 1he eflects of
wea ther or alterna tovely to protect
the surrounding are~ from the
effects of works being carried out
from the sca ffold structure.
Sheeting hook. A threaded rod hook
woth a washer and a nut used for
anachong sheeting to tubes.
Sheeting rail. A honzontaltube fixed
to the verticals of a scaffold to
support the sheeting.
Sill. See sole plate.
Skirt. A short poruon of verucat
shccung usually adJacent to the edge
of a roof to give extra protect oon to tl)e
area enclosed im medoa tely under the
roof.
Sleeve coupler. An external coupler
used to join one tube to another
coaxoally
Sole plate. A tomber, concrete or
metal spreader used to doStribute the
load from a standard or base plate to
tl)e ground.
Spigot. An internal fo iling to JOin one
tube to another coaxoullv (see JOont
pon)
Spogot • expanding A devoce
des;gnL'<l to expand and gnp the
onsode ol .. tube Usl!d foo JOIIUng
tul>t!$
Spigot pin. A pin placed transversely
through 1he spigot and the scaffold
tubo to preven11he two from coming
apa rt .
134
Spine beam . A longitudinal maon
beam spanmng from end to end of a
roof at 1hc ridge or eaves.
Standard. A vertical or near veruca l
tube.
Standards • pair of. The standards
formong the frame at nght angles to
tho buoldlng.
Supplementary coupler. Coupler(s)
added to a JOint to back up the onaon
coupler lakio)g the load when the
esuma1ed load on the JOint os in
excess of the safe w orking load of the
main coupler.
Sway transom . A 1ransom ,,,.tended
onwards on comac1 with a reveal or
the sode of a column to prevent 1he
scaffold movong sideways
Swivet coupler. A coupler used for
J0111tng tubes at an angle other lhnn a
right angle.
Swivel finial coupler. A coup ler 10 fox
a tube across the end of another in
the same plane but at an angle. as
the handrail to a staircase.
Tension pin. See spigot pon .
Tie tube . A tube used to connect A
scaffold to an anchorage.
Ti e or tie assembly. The conopottenl~
attached to an anchorage or the
bUIIdmy or framed around a pan of rl
or wl.'dgcd or screwed onto ot Used
wuh a lt..-• tube- to sacure I he scalf old
to the structu re
Tie • bolted. An assembly of nuts.
bolts. anchors. rings or tubes fix~d to
the surface of a buildong.
Tie - box. An assemhly of tubes trnd
couplers forrnrng n tre fM the scaffold
by cnclosrng a feacurc such ns ~
column
Tie - double lip. A lip tie whrch is a
puSh/ pull tie. le. llas a cross tube on
the back and front of the wall
Tie - lip. An assembly of tubes
formmg an Lor J shaped hook round
p~rt of a bu ilding
Tie - movable. A Ire which may be
temporarily moved for the executron
of work
Tie -prop. An assembly of telescoprc
props and/ or scaffold tube tacked or
wedged between the floors of a
storey inside a burldrng and mcludrng
a tic tube.
Tie - push / pull. A tie whrch acts to
preven1 the scaffold movrng erther
towards or away from the burldrng,
eg a reveal tie. a box tie, a double hp
tie. a bolted cie with a tie tube
Tie reveal. The assembly of a reveal
tube w rth wedges or screwed
fittrngs. and pads, rf requrred, fixed
between opposing faces of an
openrng rn a wall together w11h the
tre tube
Tie - through. A tie assembly
through a window or other opening
rna wall
Tie - wire or band . An assembly of a
rrng anchor and wire or stee l bandrng
used to tre tile scaffold to the
buildrng.
Tocboard. An upstand normally at
t he outer edge of a platform
rnten(fcd to prtlvent mate11al~ r>r
operallves · feet from slrpprnfi off the
platform
Toeboard - end. A coeboard at the
end of a scaffold or at the end of a
boarded poruon of rt
Toeboard clip. A clrp used for
attaching toeboards to tubes.
Toeboard - end clip. A s•mrlar devrcc
to the toehoard chp for usc on end
toeboards
Transom . A tube to ~onnect the
outer s1andards to the 1nner
standards or spannrnn across
ledgers to hum the Support for
boards or unttS forming the work1ng
platform
Transoms - butting .. A transom
extended rnwards to bun the buildrng
to prevent the scaffoldrng moving
towa rds the budd in g.
Transom - needle. A transom
extended from or into a buildin9.
T ransom - sway . A tr ansom
extended inwards in contact with ~
reveal or the side of a column to
prevent the scaffo ld moving
sideways
Vertical bridle. A vertical tube
performrng the same funcuon as a
brrdle
Width. The width of a scaffold
measured at rrght angles to the
ledgers from centre to centre of the
upnght. Somet11nes designated by
the number of boards. within the
upnglns and the number beyond the
uprrghts on extended transoms.
Working platform. The deck from
wh rch brJ riding operatio n s are
earned out
135
I NDEX
Access - rndependent scaffold 93
- tO working plmform 39 putlog scaffold 103
- una uthorrsed 47 birdcag~ sca ffold 112
- 10 1ndepender11 scaffold 92 tower scaffold 117
- tower scaffolds 115 Clovehrtch 64
Anchors and guys Common scaffoldrng terms
- tower scaffolds 11 5 Couplers 2
Base hit 4 right ang le 17
Base plate 1. 19 put log 17
Basrc scaffold reqwrements 5 swivel 17
Birdcage scaffold rnspection and maimenance 18
- construcuon and use 105 Crrticalties 31
- scaffold requrrements 106 Cross brace 2
br,Jcing 106 Deckrng
founda trons 106 - of work rng platforrns 35
tyrng and buurng 106 - offans 86
erect ron sequence 108 Oistrrbuted loads 12
Bo;Hds Dog leg brocc
thicknesses 15 Eroctron sequence
identificatron 15 independent scaffold 94
rnspecuon and marmenance 15 putlog scaffold 101
common faults 16 brrdcage 108
storage 16 towers 119
Board bearers 1 - system scaffolds 124
Boarded lofts 35 Facade brace 2
Braces 9 Fans
- rndcpendent scalf old 92 protectrvc 83
putlog scalfold 98 - typesof 83
brrdcage scaffold 107 - desrgn and constructron 84
wwer scaffolds 116 general constr(JCt ion
requ irernen ts 85
Bridle tube 98
- deckrng 86
8S 5973 Tables 1. 2. 3 12
Cht.>cklrsts
Frgure of erght knot 64
- sca ffold t•es 33 Frrstlr lt 4
- puhlrc h~7<!fd ~ 82
- fans 87 Foot tre 4

137
Foundations 6. 19 Loads on scaffolds II, 12
- bas•c rul es 21 M ain transom 1
heavy duty 22 Manual lifting and tl;mdllng 48
pavement 23 Materials 5. 13
- slop1ng ground 2.4 - ra•sing and lowering 66
budcage scaffold 106 Obstacles
- towers 114 - overcoming 76
- systems sea Hold 124 Orgamsa tlon
Guardra•ls and toeboards 38 - e!f1C1en1 workmg methods 71
Gangways and runs 40 Pavement foundations 23
G• nwhecl 68 Pla tfonn w idth 37
Glossary ol terms 129 Protecuve fans 83
Handballlng 66 Public hazards 80
Independent t•cd scaffold 91 Putlogr. and transoms 8
- uses and toadtng 91 Putlog couplers 3
- access 92 Putlog scaffold 97
- erec11on sequence 94 - construct•on and use 97
Inspection 11 - 11es 97
Internal joint p1n 3 - bracing 9S
lntermed•atc transom , .9 - common 11azards 100
Joints - erectton sequence 101
staggered 7
Rakers 30
K•cker lift 4, 8
Rep lac•ng ues 32
Kmetic hftmg 48
R1ght ~ngle coupler 17
Knots a nd h itches 64
Rolling hitch 64
Ladders 41
Ropes
- types 41
- types 61
- •nspect•on 42
- care and use 62
- carrymg 42
- storage 62
- erecting and l ower~ng 43
- tnspect•on 63
- lash•ngs and t•es 45
Safety
use of 46
47 - gen"r~l cons•dern tions 82
care and storage
Safety at work 128
Ledgers 8
Scaffold couplers 3
Ledger brace
Scaffold !rome 6
Ledger spacu1g 4
Sleeve coupler 3
L•h he•ght 4

138
Slop1ng ground Tower scaffolds 113
- foundations 24 - foundat1on 114
Sod compoc t10n 20 - stabi lity 114
Sole board I - anchors and guys 115
Sole plates 19 castors (wMels) 115
Spacing - ladder access I 15
- of standards 4 7 - construclton and use 116
of ledgers 4 - workmg plat form 116
Span of boilrds 12 erection sequence 11 9
Spigot 3 Transoms
Split JOint p1n 3 - d•sta nce apart 1' 9
Square lash"'g 65 Tubes
Staggered fOintS 7 specificatoon 13
Standards 1' 7 repatr of 13
Sway brace 2, 9 - onspecl ton 14
Swovel coupler 3 - common faults 14
System scaffolds - storago: 14
- common types 121 Two half hitches 65
- erectton methods 124 Wtd!h
of scaffold 4
'Throwong up' filli ngs 74 of workong platform 7. 12 37
Toes 9 Workong platform 10,34
- general rulus 25 max.unum number 12
- nutnhcr and posit1on 25 Wtdth 12
- lypHS 26 boarding out 35
- 'through' 26 access to 39
- 'box' 27 put log scaffold 99
- 'hp' 28 ondepend~nt scatfold 91
- screw or anchor 28 btrdcage scaffold 107
reveal 29 tower scaffold 116
- coucal 31 Ztg lag brace 2, 10
- replacement of 32
- checkltst 33
Ttmber huch 65
Toebo<ords 38
Tower r,ranes
- usc '" scatfoldtng 70

139