09 Jan Mobile Scaffold Safety

Mobile Scaffold Safety

Mobile scaffold safety requires proper setup, inspection, and use to prevent falls, scaffold overturns, and struck-by or electrical injuries. Mobile scaffolds, sometimes called Baker scaffolds, provide convenient elevated work platforms but can become unstable if they are improperly assembled, overloaded, moved, or positioned.

Workers who erect, dismantle, move, or use mobile scaffolds must be trained to recognize scaffold hazards and follow established safe work practices.

Setup and Stability

Before using a mobile scaffold, make sure it is properly erected and stable.

• Erect the scaffold with cross, horizontal, or diagonal braces, or a combination of these, to prevent racking and provide a rigid structure.
• Ensure the scaffold is plumb, level, and square.
• Secure all brace connections.
• Use the scaffold only on firm, level surfaces capable of supporting the scaffold and its intended load.
• Do not use makeshift supports, blocks, bricks, or other unstable objects to level or increase the height of a scaffold.
• Install outriggers or other stabilizing devices when required by the manufacturer or scaffold configuration.
• Never exceed the scaffold manufacturer’s rated capacity.

Casters and Wheel Locks

Mobile scaffold casters must have positive wheel and swivel locks or equivalent means to prevent movement while employees are working from the scaffold.

• Lock all casters before anyone climbs or works from the scaffold.
• Verify that wheel and swivel locks are functioning properly during the pre-use inspection.
• Do not use a mobile scaffold with damaged or defective casters or locking mechanisms.

Moving Mobile Scaffolds

Use extreme caution whenever a mobile scaffold is moved.

• Inspect the travel path before moving the scaffold.
• Remove tools, materials, and other loose objects that could fall during movement.
• Apply manual force as close to the base as practicable and no more than 5 feet above the supporting surface.
• Move the scaffold slowly and maintain control.
• Watch for holes, slopes, debris, floor openings, uneven surfaces, and other conditions that could cause the scaffold to tip.
• Check overhead clearance before moving the scaffold.
• As a general safe-work practice, employees should descend before the scaffold is moved.

OSHA permits employees to ride certain mobile scaffolds while they are being moved only when specific requirements are satisfied. Unless those requirements and company procedures have been verified, employees should not ride a moving scaffold.

Fall Protection and Access

Workers must use safe methods to access and work from mobile scaffolds.

• Use the scaffold’s designed ladder, stairway, or other approved access method.
• Never climb cross braces to access the work platform.
• Keep platforms properly decked or planked.
• Install guardrails and other required fall protection when applicable.
• Keep both feet on the platform and avoid leaning or reaching beyond the scaffold’s safe working area.
• Never stand on boxes, ladders, buckets, or other objects placed on the scaffold to gain additional height.
• Use caution when climbing onto or descending from the scaffold.

Electrical and Overhead Hazards

Inspect the work area for overhead hazards before erecting, using, or moving a mobile scaffold.

• Identify overhead power lines and energized electrical equipment.
• Maintain the minimum clearance required by OSHA from energized power lines.
• Do not assume that every situation requires only a 10-foot clearance; required distances depend on voltage and other conditions.
• Watch for overhead piping, beams, doors, equipment, and other obstructions when moving the scaffold.

Scaffold Inspections

A competent person must inspect the scaffold before each work shift and after any occurrence that could affect its structural integrity.

Inspect for:

• Damaged or missing braces and structural components.
• Loose or missing pins and connections.
• Damaged platforms or planking.
• Defective casters and wheel locks.
• Proper guardrails and access.
• Signs of bending, cracking, corrosion, or other damage.
• Proper leveling, stability, and positioning.

Do not use a damaged, incomplete, or unstable scaffold. Remove defective equipment from service and report the condition to your supervisor.

Remember

Mobile scaffolds are safe only when they are properly erected, inspected, stabilized, and used. Lock the wheels before climbing, maintain required fall protection, use proper access, and never improvise to gain additional height.