Blog

The scaffolding standards of care can be ambiguous if not at times downright bizarre. Between the requirements of safety standards, the demands of the market place, and the confusion of inconsistent safety enforcement, it’s a wonder that there is any agreement within the industry. It’s amazing to...

I believe that it’s safe to assume that if you are reading this article, you survived Y2K. In fact it’s nice to know that we are starting a new year having survived the previous year, especially if you look at the odds of not surviving. More than 41,000 people died in auto accidents in 1998. And...

In January of this year I wrote an article titled “A Better New Year?” The article described fatality statistics in the construction industry. If you will recall, in 1997 there were almost 700 fall related deaths which means that, on average, there were at least two deaths per workday attributed to...

Here are frequently asked questions concerning scaffolding, applicable standards and regulations. What is a competent person? By definition, a competent person is basically an individual who can identify a hazard and has the authority to take corrective action. While the competent person may not...

A friend with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent this sketch to me. He asked for my opinion concerning the safety of the installation and whether this scaffold complied with the OSHA Standards. What would you answer? We can analyze this scaffold two ways: 1. Is this...