Masonry Magazine March 2001 Page. 25
MASONRY COMPUTER ESTIMATING
Now in 3D
by Tradesmen's Software
obviously to allow one to work at these heights which brings workers close to this hazard.
On November 24, 1986, seven employees of a masonry company were erecting a brick wall from a tubular, welded-frame scaffold approximately 24 feet high. The scaffold had been constructed approximately 21 inches across from a 7,620-volt power line. A laborer carried a piece of wire reinforcement (10 feet long by 8 inches wide) along the top section of the scaffold and contacted the power line with it. The laborer, who was wearing leather gloves, received an electric shock and
“Don't subscribe to a negative OSHA philosophy ... if you must depend on experience, look at others' mistakes and avoid them..."
dropped the wire reinforcement, which fell across the power line and simultaneously contacted the metal rail of the scaffold, energizing the entire scaffold. A 20-year-old bricklayer standing on the work platform in contact with the main scaffold was electrocuted.
OSHA requires that scaffolds and workers maintain a proper clearance from power lines. Scaffolds must not be erected, used, dismantled, altered, or moved such that they or any conductive material handled on them might come closer to exposed and energized power lines. The required clearance from uninsulated lines is 10 feet if the voltage is less than 50 kilovolts (kV) and 10 feet plus 4 inches for every 1 kV over 50 kV. All overhead outdoor lines should be treated as uninsulated.
Overloading scaffolds is another major hazard. The mason industry by nature requires heavy loads on scaffolds. Too often contractors place excessive strain on scaffolds as shown by the following case:
Masonry Computer Estimating
That Does It All... in 3D!
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1-800-494-4899
See for yourself at:
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MASONRY MARCH, 2001 25