Scaffolding Frequently Asked Questions
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Question 8:
What are the
duties of the "qualified" person?
Answer 8:
The standard
requires a qualified person to perform the following duties under these
circumstances:
In General:
To design and load scaffolds in accordance with that design.
For Training:
To train employees working on the scaffolds to recognize the associated
hazards and understand procedures to control or minimize those hazards.
For Suspension Scaffolds:
To design the rigging for single-point adjustable suspension scaffolds.
1926.452(o)(2)(i)
To design platforms on two-point adjustable suspension types that are less
than 36 inches (0.9 in) wide to prevent instability.
To make swaged attachments or spliced eyes on wire suspension ropes.
For Components and Design:
To design scaffold components construction in accordance with the design.
Question 9:
Can a powered
industrial trucks, including rough terrain fork lifts, be used to elevate
personnel?
Answer 9:
According to
1926.451(c)(2)(iv), powered industrial trucks, which include forklifts, as
well as rough terrain forklifts, are "similar pieces of equipment" to
forklifts and front end loaders. Therefore the trucks must meet the
requirements of the standard. If the manufacturer's operator manual states
that it is not to be used for elevating personnel platforms, use of the
equipment to support such a platform would violate the standard. Consequently,
OSHA prohibits the use of such equipment to elevate personnel. If the owner's
manual for the equipment is silent in regards to elevating personnel, the
employer must determine if the powered industrial truck was designed for such
purpose. The standard places the obligation on the employer to ensure that
this type of equipment is used to elevate personnel only where the
manufacturer has designed it to do so. The employer would have to either find
out from the manufacturer that it was designed for this use or (where that
information is unavailable) obtain a certification by a certified professional
engineer that the equipment was so designed.
See Letter of Interpretation
Question10:
Is there a
standard that requires employees to be able to shut off the truck's power when
on platforms elevated by forklifts?
Answer 10:
Yes. The
Material Handling Equipment standard, section 1926.602(c)(1)(vi), requires
that the design of all industrial trucks used by an employer meet the
requirements in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B56.1-1969,
Safety Standards for Powered Industrial Trucks. ANSI B56.1, paragraph 416,
requires ""order picker truck [s], high lift"" to have travel and power
controls at the platform level. Whenever a forklift is used to elevate a
platform and is used in a manner that makes it the equivalent of a high lift
order picker truck, the controls specified in this ANSI provision must be in
place.
See Letter of Interpretation
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Region
IV
