QEHSOperations
Scaffold safety
OSHA-mandated requirements for scaffold design, erection, use, and dismantling — covering supported, suspended, and mobile scaffolds.
OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart L governs scaffold safety in construction. Key requirements include: scaffolds must be designed by a qualified person, erected and dismantled under a competent person's supervision, equipped with guardrails and toeboards at 10 feet (or fall arrest at higher elevations), inspected before each shift, and never loaded beyond their rated capacity. Common violations include missing guardrails, inadequate planking, and improper access. Scaffold-related incidents are among the OSHA "Fatal Four" construction hazards.