Masonry Magazine December 2008 Page. 20
An Inside Look at Scaffold Accessories
Products that help masons stay OSHA compliant and work safer, faster
By Brett Martin
Image courtesy of Waco Scaffolding and Equipment
Accessories make scaffolding systems more accessible, easier to use, and safer for workers. They're also instrumental in making scaffolding compliant with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, which is attracting masonry contractors' attention.
"The demand [for accessories) is growing, primarily because OSHA is starting to step up its inspections and we're seeing it in waves," says Mike McAnnally, national sales manager for Memphis-based Stepup Scaffold. "OSHA will go in and blanket a city, sending contractors scrambling to make their scaffold OSHA compliant."
Accessories that make scaffolding safer and OSHA compliant are relatively inexpensive in the overall picture of what masonry contractors invest in scaffolding for their jobs, according to McAnnally.
"If your biggest interest is protecting employees, having low insurance premiums, and not getting a fine from OSHA, you should get the accessories you need," he says.
Removing Guard Rails, Keeping Dry
MASONRY WORKERS usually have to physically remove a guard rail when it's time for a forklift or telehandler to set materials on the scaffold. Granite Industries Inc. in Archbold, Ohio, has a better way: a sliding guardrail that doesn't need to be removed.
"You slide the brace back, put your load of brick or block on the scaffold, then slide it back closed, and away you go," says Matthew Wyse, VP of sales and marketing for the company. "It allows a company, instead of removing a brace, to slide the brace open. It's a lot safer, and it saves time."
Workers need to open only the bay where the load will be placed, he says. The guard rail slides closed, which meets the OSHA requirement for replacing the rail once the load has been set in place.
"Safety directors and OSHA will think this is great," says Brendt Johnston, engineer for Granite Industries who designed the sliding guard rail. "When the guys are up there doing masonry work, they're always behind the guard rail. When you have to set something on the scaffolding, you just go up and slide the rail so you're always behind it."