Masonry Magazine November 2008 Page. 30
SCAFFOLDING
"The contractor keeps those test scores for his records to prove the man has been trained," Breithaupt says, noting that the test results can be provided if OSHA should want proof a person has been trained.
Lifting materials and raising planks
MASON CONTRACTORS are always looking for better ways to lift heavy bricks and stone to their workers, just as they're looking for labor-saving ways to move and set up planks on the scaffolding. New products offer solutions.
EZ Scaffold has a new hydraulic hoist for lifting masonry materials. "The hydraulic hoist can be used to lift material onto the scaffolding, so you don't have to get a crane," Bridges says. "It can lift up to 4,000 pounds. It's part of the scaffolding, so it goes up with your scaffolding."
The cable hoist system allows for easy, push-button operation.
"The biggest benefit is that once you get above the reach of your forklift, you need a boom truck or a crane, or you can use the hoist," Bridges says. "The hoist is a very affordable way to keep materials on the scaffolding, which keeps your guys working."
Last December, Scafjack in Lavaltrie, Quebec, hit the market with a mechanical side bracket, the SM-2, which is about half the price of the company's SH-2 hydraulic side bracket.
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Extensive Quality Control Brings Safety
Sunshine Enterprise Inc. in Memphis, Tenn., has a quality assurance system in place that starts at its factory in China to ensure its scaffolding is being manufactured to an American-recognized standard at every station in the manufacturing process, says Charles Donaldson, VP of business development for the company.
"We not only use our factory [quality control], but also our second-tier QC from our office in Shenzhen," Donaldson says. "We also back up our QC documents by issuing a nine-digit traceability number on our equipment that starts with the four-digit heat number of the raw material that it is manufactured with."
The traceability code can be used to identify the scaffolding's exact manufacturing process. The company developed a shipping and tracking Web site that shows customers where their orders are in the manufacturing process. The quality-control measures and traceability code are designed to give mason contractors peace of mind that they're working on safe, quality scaffolding.
"You're not just buying something that you set up along the side of the wall," Donaldson says. "People's lives are depending on this." IMAS
The side brackets attach to any type of scaffolding in a matter of minutes and raise the planks as the workers build the wall, says Christian Fortin, CEO for Scafjack.
"It removes the negative task of taking out the plank," he says. "You don't have to remove side brackets, and you don't have to remove the planks. The guys never have to leave the scaffolding, Removing scaffolding is unsafe. Guys have to turn sideways. They could fall off or hurt their backs. This is very safe for them."
Fortin says the only downside is that the brackets can't lower the planks; they can only raise them. But, the brackets can save time and money.
"The guys say they pay for themselves in three months," he says. "After that, it's money in your pocket."
Fortin estimates that a crew of six spends 30 minutes per day lifting planks onto scaffolding. At a cost of $45 per worker, that's $675 per week spent moving planks. The side brackets The Voice of the Masonry Industry