Safe scaffolding assembly: obligations and training
Safe scaffolding assembly: what are the obligations under the law to design scaffolding in compliance with the law and the necessary training
In the building sector, scaffolding is the most important of the temporary works aimed at carrying out the so-called work at height in safety. Scaffolding is an important protection tool against the risk of falling from a height. These works are necessary not only for the realization of the project itself but also to guarantee the safety of the workers.
The phases relating to the assembly, use, and disassembly of scaffolding are operations that involve various risks, including those of structural failure of the scaffolding, falling of material from above or even worse, workers falling from above. For scaffolding Training and Course Click here
This is why during their assembly, disassembly, and for the entire period of use a series of specific precautions and structural standards established by current legislation must be respected and implemented. To meet the functional and safety requirements, the assembly procedure must be carried out in a workmanlike manner, through the drafting (assembly, use, and disassembly plan).
With the scaffolding software, you can carry out all the technical and safety checks to set up scaffolding in accordance with the law; moreover, the software allows you to safely carry out the assembly and disassembly phases of the scaffolding in step-by-step, also with reference to the type of load handling and the protection system (collective or individual) against the risk of falling from a height.
What is scaffolding?
Scaffoldings are temporary service structures that are not an integral part of the construction, but are set up and used for the construction, maintenance, and recovery of building works. Their presence is necessary in the so-called work at height, i.e. in work carried out at heights greater than 2 m with respect to a stable surface, to avoid the risk of workers and materials falling from above.
Scaffolding is classified according to load classes (amount of service load that can be supported) and construction elements.
Scaffolding classified according to load class is divided into:
- Maintenance scaffolding;
- Construction scaffolding;
- Loading bays.
- To these are added another 3 load classes specified by the UNI EN 12811-1: 2004 standard.
As regards, however, the scaffolding classified according to the construction elements, the scaffolding we have:
- To pipes and joints;
- With prefabricated frames;
- With prefabricated mullions and transoms.
- To understand the characteristics of each type, I advise you to look into: scaffolding types and characteristics.
Scaffolding Legislation:
The legislation concerning scaffolding is contained in Chapter II of Title IV of Legislative Decree 81/08 which precisely provides the indications relating to their installation, the necessary documentation, and the assembly and disassembly operations.
There are numerous articles concerning scaffolding, among which I summarize the following:
- Authorization for construction and use;
- Technical report;
- Project;
- Documentation;
- Manufacturer’s mark;
- Assembly and disassembly;
- Maintenance and overhaul;
- Particular rules.
Scaffolding Assembly in compliance with the law: authorization
For each type of scaffolding, the manufacturer requests authorization for construction and use from the Ministry of Labor. The ministerial authorization is an integral part of the scaffolding booklet, which also includes all the necessary information for using the scaffolding. It is composed of:
- Calculation of the scaffolding according to various conditions of use;
- Instructions for scaffolding load tests;
- Instructions for assembly, use, and disassembly of the scaffolding;
- Scaffolding-type diagrams with an indication of the maximum service loads, the height of the scaffolding, and the width of the decks for which there is no obligation to calculate for each individual application;
- Calculation instructions for metal scaffolding higher than 20 m and for other temporary works, made up of metal elements, or of considerable importance and complexity.
- The authorization is subject to expiry and must therefore be renewed every 10 years to ascertain the adequacy of the scaffolding according to the evolution of technological progress. It must be requested from the manufacturer and issued by the Ministry of Labour, Health, and Social Policies to those intending to build scaffolding.
