Blog

An appraisal of the codes and standards that apply to aerial lifts, including boom lifts and scissors lifts. Sometimes it’s simple, sometimes it isn’t. When it comes to aerial platforms, such as boom lifts, scissors lifts, mast climbers and the like, the applicable OSHA standards get twisted,...

Is it a plank or is it a platform? Can a plank be a platform or can a platform be a plank? When it comes to the working surface for a scaffold, these questions are common. But they shouldn’t be. It appears the confusion arises because the use of wood planks for scaffold platforms is commonplace....

A clarification of the role that wood scaffold plank in the construction of a scaffold platform. When I tell someone that I work in the construction industry and I design scaffolding, the response is interesting. If its fellow engineers, they think I’m nuts for working in such a dangerous field....

An assessment of the OSHA standards that apply to fall protection for scaffolds and scaffold users and erectors. Have you ever asked yourself how many ways fall protection can be screwed up, particularly on scaffolds? Well, based on my experience, misapplication and misuse is only limited by the...

An argument for re-establishing the Shoring & Forming Council in the Scaffold and Access Industry Association. I recall my first involvement with the Scaffold Industry Association, SIA, in the early 1980’s. I was impressed by the people who were genuinely involved in making the use of the...