Safety
Set Up- Is the scaffold being erected under the direction of a competent person?
- Are all employees involved with (or near) the scaffold wearing hard hats?
- Are footings sound and rigid - not set on soft ground, frozen ground (that could melt), or resting on blocks?
- Is the scaffold level?
- Are wheels / castors locked?
- Is the scaffold able to hold four times its maximum intended load?
- Is the platform complete front to back and side to side (fully planked or decked, with no gaps greater than 1 inch)?
- Are guardrails and toeboards in place on all open sides?
- Are all sections pinned or appropriately secured?
- Is there a safe way to get on and off the scaffold, such as a ladder (without climbing on crossbraces)?
- Is the front face within 14 inches of the work (or within 3 feet for outrigger scaffolds)?
- Does the scaffold meet electrical safety clearance distances?
Use
- Is the scaffold inspected by a competent person before being put in use?
- If the scaffold is over 10 feet high, is personal fall protection provided, or are guardrails over 38 inches high?
- Are hardhats worn by workers on and around the scaffold?
- Are scaffold loads (including tools and other equipment) kept to a minimum and removed when the scaffold is not in use (like at the end of a day)?
- Are employees removed from scaffolds during high winds, rain, snow, or bad weather?
- Are materials secured before moving a scaffold?
- Are employees removed from the scaffold before they are moved?
- Are heavy tools, equipment, and supplies hoisted up (rather than carried up by hand)?