Scaffolding 101: Five Key Things to Ensure Safe Scaffolding Installation

Manila, Philippines—August 20,2020—Scaffoldings are one of the most important elements in a construction site. This temporary structure helps workers execute their tasks, such as repairing and lifting materials efficiently on elevated areas.

Despite being vital in most construction sites, scaffoldings remain a root cause of some safety issues. That is why authorities[1] mandate builders to keep scaffolds in good condition, observe all protocols for every stage of the scaffoldings’ set-up and conduct training for workers building the structure regularly.

For JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc., one of the leading logistics providers in the country, a complete approach to building safe scaffoldings consider both the internal and external threats in its surrounding area. Afterall, scaffoldings are meant to ensure everyone’s safety.

To ensure a safe and secure scaffolding for the site, JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc. shares some of its best practices, as listed below:

Provide PPE. Construction sites have always been prone to safety hazards. That is why construction workers must always wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Providing workers with PPEs, such as hard caps, safety goggles, or face shields, as well as masks will protect their heads from debris.

It also pays to ensure that other parts of their body are protected using proper gloves for specific jobs like welding gloves, heavy-duty rubber gloves, or insulated gloves. Wearing work boots that are slip-resistant and puncture-resistant is also important. They also need earmuffs to prevent them from having hearing damage from the noise pollution at the site.

Start Training the Workers. The safe use of scaffolds requires it to be erected, moved, dismantled, and maintained properly, which means workers responsible for these tasks must be familiar with the procedures to install it. They can achieve this objective through mandatory training.

The training should focus on the correct use of the scaffold and how to handle its materials and tools. They should be made aware of load capacity and how that may affect their tasks, as well as, needed fall-protection equipment and other hazards such as electrical wires.

Evaluate Site Conditions. Make sure that the foundational conditions of the scaffolding are enough to proceed with its construction. Concerns like erosion or potential flooding are not easily seen by the naked eye.

Scaffolding must also not get in the way of any blasting planned in the project or nearby excavations, which can, eventually, compromise the stability of the soil or ground. If the site requires other industrial-grade heavy equipment, like cranes, lifts, or other structures, make sure that there is no overhead work being performed on the scaffolding.

Create A Field Level Risk Assessment. Doing a field level risk assessment (FLRA) helps examine daily operations to identify possible hazards and control them before workers start doing their tasks.

Potential risks like material handling on scaffolding, nearby powerlines, and inclement weather conditions should be closely monitored to help ensure the safety of workers.

Respect Its Complexity. Do not underestimate scaffoldings as merely simple structures. Though temporary, its construction involves complex engineering. Companies that design and build them heavily invest in engineering and, that is why it is important to ensure that only reliable experts oversee its construction, as well as the workers’ training for its completion.

Since some construction projects have now resumed despite the lockdowns, it will be more convenient to ensure that the scaffolding requirements of your construction project are handled by a reliable partner that observes safety protocols, assess the risks of the site, and can handle the complexity of the construction project—this is what JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc. is all about.

JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc. provides services that can builders in executing their projects. With decades of experience and expertise, the company caters to the needs of any project venture.

Among its services include heavy-lift support, trucking, forwarding, logistics, domestic distribution, warehousing, rigging works, plant transfer, factory machine installation, powerplant assembly, project consultation, equipment rental, civil engineering, and trading of industrial equipment and services.

JP Marzan Project Ventures Inc. started in 1972 as RV Marzan Brokerage and used to handle customs brokerage and deliveries around Luzon. Since then, it started the separate logistics company and has established itself as a reputable partner, consistent with the best business practices.

To know more about JP Marzan Ventures, Inc., visit its website at www.jpmarzan.com.