If you are in charge of a worksite where there needs to be a way for workers to access/work above ground level, then getting a set of scaffoldings is the standard, sensible thing to do. However, simply installing a set of platforming at your worksite isn’t enough – you need to make sure that appropriate safety measures are in place so that the chance of an accident is minimized, and that accountability can be clearly established.
Making sure that scaffoldings are used safely reduces your liability in the event an accident unfortunately occurs. Because of how dangerous these platforms can be when managed poorly, there are a lot of checks and balances you need to sort out so that everyone can have peace of mind.
1. Hire a safety inspector
One of the first things you should do is hire a qualified scaffolding safety officer/inspector whose job it is to be the chief authority on the feasibility and safety of using the platforming in question. They need to supervise both the installation and maintenance of the platform – which included routine daily checks every morning before people start working on it.
Hiring a safety inspector allows you to enjoy some peace of mind as they will ultimately be accountable if anything goes wrong with the scaffolding system or an accident occurs. This is because their single job is to make sure the system is safe for people to use and check it for flaws.
2. Train employees
Making sure that all of the workers on the site are familiar with the relevant scaffolding safety rules is also essential. No amount of checking can prevent an accident caused by the human error of someone who is ignorant of safety measures.
This means that all of your employees are giving a rundown at the start of each day about the proper use of the scaffolding system. Even though this can be a routine and boring thing, it is necessary to ensure that everyone on the site is working on the same page when it comes to the temporary platforming you intended to make use of.
3. Look at the different options
When you are hiring scaffolding it’s a good idea to make sure you do your research to get the right type that you need. Perhaps you need one that has wheels so it can be moved and secured at different place, or perhaps you need a wider one to fit larger tools onto.
The point is that selecting the right type of platform for the job you are doing is essential for maintaining safety. Using the wrong type of scaffolding for the job you are doing will make things more dangerous and no amount of preparation can correct that kind of mistake.
4. Leading by example
Of course, you should always lead by example if you end up in charge of a worksite that needs to make use of scaffolding. There are so many things that can go wrong that people will want reassurance from the person in charge about when things are good to go.
The team expects you to watch their back and to have done the necessary work to ensure they can use the platform safely. The last thing you want is to lose the trust of your workers because you failed to plan properly.