Blog

Technology’s effect on the future of regulations and training. When it was suggested that I write about technology trends I thought it would be a no-brainer, what with me being an engineer. The word technology suggests science, engineering and the industrial arts, which is how Mr. Webster defines...

The Amazing Inside Story of how a Cantilever Beam Works! Cantilever beams, also known as outrigger beams, are frequently used to support the end of a rope from which a suspended scaffold hangs. Have you ever wondered how that beam works, especially if you are on the other end of the rope? Well,...

An explanation of the term “Competent Person” and its relation to scaffold user training and scaffold competent person training. Can a scaffold user be a competent person? Does it require a competent person to be a scaffold user? And what if you are incompetent—does that mean you cannot be a...

Scaffolds used in locations such as refineries, chemical plants and power stations are often referred to as industrial scaffolds, suggesting they are unique to that environment. But are they? Is there something mysterious going on in the refinery that transposes a common scaffold into a magical...

In the year 2000, at the turn of the century, the U.S. Federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration, OSHA, issued a Letter of Interpretation wherein it opined that aerial lifts known as scissors lifts (see illustration) are not aerial lifts but instead are mobile scaffolds. The opinion was...