hero_bg1

Blog

April Fools and Other Nonsense

By David H. Glabe, P.E. / April 1, 2008

The bumper sticker that says: “Safety is my Goal.”  What’s the guy doing until he gets to his goal?

The sign next to the elevator on the first floor that says: In case of fire, use the stairs, not the elevator.  What are you going to do, take the elevator up to see how the fire is doing?

What about the guy that claims he is “the safest guy around.”  Better keep an eye on him.

Why do they call a fall protection anchor a deadman?

Why do workers always say that they won’t fall?  Do we have workers that plan on falling?

Why does OSHA claim that self propelled aerial platforms (boom lifts to the rest of us) are mobile scaffolds?

How about:  I’m a scaffold erector—I don’t have to tie off.

I’m the safety guy—you have to tie off.

What about OSHA Approved Plank?

What about OSHA approved anything?

Will I be certified after I take this training?

How long is the OSHA ten hour class?

Is the OSHA ten hour class one third of the OSHA 30 hour class?

Why didOklahomathink that mast climbers are amusement rides?  (It was because of the wheels.)

How do I get OSHA to make me competent?

Once I have a wallet card, will I be competent?

How long before I am an expert?

I’ve been doing this for years; I don’t need no stinkin’ training.

Did you know that if you have a big object on a scaffold platform and the toeboard won’t keep it on the platform, your boss, not you, has to move the object away from the edge of the platform?  (Look it up-29 CFR 1926.451(h))

The OSHA standards require that canopies be installed between the falling hazard and the affected workers.  Where else would you install it?

Why do scaffolds always show up in the OSHA Top Ten Citations?

Why can masons be exposed to a fall hazard but scaffold erectors cannot?

Why can steel erectors be exposed to a fall hazard but scaffold erectors cannot?

If you have to be 10 feet, 0.8 inches away from a 52 KV power line, do you measure that distance with a metal tape measure?

If you use an anchor for fall protection that isn’t designed, how do you know how strong it is?

Who decided that 100% tie off is the same as 100% fall protection?

If you are going to determine if somebody is competent, don’t you yourself have to be competent?

Does anybody ever really stop at stop signs?

Why is there a warning on the dashboard of a golf cart that says you may get hurt if you fall out of the golf cart?  Are there really golfers that think you can fall out of golf carts safely?

Why do people think that experience equals knowledge?

Why does the federal government have different scaffold standards for construction, general industry, maritime and mining?  Are the scaffolds in each industry that different?

Why does the Army Corp of Engineers require toeboards on all scaffold platforms and yet nobody else does?

And now, here is a scaffold quiz for you to answer (and this is no nonsense):

  1. How fast are you going after you have fallen six feet___________________
  2. How long does it take to fall six feet_______________
  3. How much load can you safely put on a frame scaffold leg_____________________
  4. What’s the maximum normal spacing between horizontals on a tube & clamp scaffold_______________
  5. Who designs scaffolds____________________
  6. Who inspects scaffolds____________________
  7. Who erects scaffolds_______________________
  8. What is the safety factor on suspension ropes___________________
  9. What is the minimum width of a scaffold platform________________
  10. Who needs scaffold training? ________________________________________

See page ???? for the answers

  1. 13 mph
  2. 0.61 seconds
  3. About 2000-2500 pounds
  4. 6’-6”
  5. A qualified person
  6. A competent person
  7. A trained and experienced worker
  8. 6
  9. 18 inches
  10. Everybody involved with scaffolding including users.

Tags: Scaffolding Mast Climber OSHA OSHA Standards & Regulations Resources Safety

0 Comments
Previous Post Still Developing?
Next Post Qualified, Certified or Professional?

David H. Glabe, P.E.

See what David H. Glabe has to say about construction engineering and the scaffolding industry.