Scaffolding Components

Introduction:

Scaffolding is a temporary structure installed against the side of a building, around a chimney, etc. to provide platforms for workers and materials during construction, maintenance, etc. Although there are many varieties of scaffolding systems, a common one is called independent tube and coupling?scaffolding – popular because it transports efficiently, erects intuitively, and breaks down easily. Other scaffolding designs are used inside facilities for worker access to overhead equipment, for painting, etc. These designs are usually limited in height but have other features such as the ability to?fold?or?telescope.?Still, other scaffolds are available for specialized tasks such as building aircraft.

Scaffolding?must adhere to OSHA standards for performance requirements and structural design methods. Because scaffolding must be compatible with a wide array of buildings and structures, there are numerous kinds of scaffolds to meet specific building requirements. However, scaffolding generally comprises some basic elements, though the manner in which they are designed and the way such elements fit together can vary.

Scaffolding contains the following parts:

1. Baseplate

2. Soleplate

3.?Standards

4.?Ledgers

5. Transoms

6. Bracing

8. Platform/Decking

9.?Clamps standard: EN-74 and BS-15.

10. Toe board should be a minimum of 6 inches in height.

11.?Guard rails (Handrails and mid-rails) height approximately 1 meter.

12. Working platform

13. Ties

14. The ladder?shall be secure at three locations.

15. Tags either green or red tag and shall be renewed after one week.

Base Plate:

A flat supporting?plate?or frame at the?base?of a column, designed to distribute the column's weight over a greater area and provide increased stability.

Scaffold Base Plate?is a footplate?for?scaffold?systems of Ring lock??Scaffolding, Kwik stage?Scaffolding, Cup lock?scaffolding,?Scaffolding?Frames, Tube and Clamp?Scaffold. Socket?Base Plate?is used as a Socket of Universal Jacks,?Scaffold?Poles.?Base Plate?is Mainly Used to Spread The Load Onto The Sole?Plates.

All uprights or standards of a?scaffold?are to be mounted on a steel base plate. The thickness of the steel base plate shall be a minimum of 6mm and the size shall be 150 mm x 150mm. Irrespective of the supporting ground condition or concrete surface, the base plate is to be used mandatory.

The?purpose of the mudsill under the scaffold base plate?is to uniformly distribute the?scaffold?load over a larger area than that distributed by the?base plate?alone, thereby reducing the loading on the ground?beneath?the?base plates.

Types of Base Plate

• Flat?Base.
• Angle Flat.
• Ribbed or spigot.

A minimum?thickness?of 12 mm is recommended for posts and lightly loaded columns, while 20 mm minimum?thickness?is recommended for normal applications?Preferred?plate?thicknesses for the?base plate?are 12, 16, 20, 25, 28, 32, 36, 40.?Base plates?are typically cut to size using thermal processes.

Sole Plate:

A timber spreader is used to distribute the load from a base?plate?to the ground. Tie?Scaffold?components installed to provide an anchor point for a?scaffold?to a building or structure, including tie tubes attached to the?scaffold. Used to provide lateral stability to the?scaffold.

The?soleplate, also sometimes referred to as the?sill plate, the mudsill, or the base?plate, is the main supporting beam of a wall in the construction industry. Typically, these are the first piece of wood that is in contact with the masonry of the basement or foundation.

• Sole boards?must be a?minimum?of 450mm x 225mm x 35mm but the?size?may need to be increased depending on leg loads and/or ground conditions.
• Base plates and?sole boards?must be provided on, level ground and must be able to be inspected at all times.

A timber or metal barrier to distributing the load from a standard or base plate to the ground and prevents the sinking of the?scaffold. The width and thickness of a timber sole plate shall be 200mm and 25 mm minimum. In place of timber soleplate, 10 mm thick steel plate or steel channel of size more than 200mm depth (ISMC 200) with flanges facing upward, may also be used as the soleplate.

The soleplate area shall not be less than 1000 sq. cm. Sole plates should be long enough to hold at least two vertical pipes and should extend 600 mm beyond the vertical pipes. Sole plates may be avoided in case the?scaffold?is erected on firm ground like the concrete floor.

Difference between the soleplate and base plate in scaffolding:

BASE PLATE?/ JACKS - to safely carry and spread the load. A metal?plate with a?spigot for distributing the load from a standard or raker or another load-bearing tube.

SOLE PLATES?- A timber, concrete, or metal bearer used to distribute the load from a standard or?base plate?to the ground.

Standards:

A standard is a long pipe or tube running vertically that connects the mass of the scaffold directly to the ground. The base of each standard is connected to a base plate, or sill, which helps distribute the weight each standard bears. As standards are of fixed lengths, taller scaffolding requires that the pipes be connected so as to route the load directly through the structure. This is accomplished by way of a pin and socket joint which twists to lock successive pipes together.

Pairs of standards are placed at the back of the scaffolding (nearest the building) and at the front of the scaffold, the two pairs of standards forming a bay that has a width (back-to-front dimension) and length (side-to-side dimension).

The standards, also called uprights, are the vertical tubes that transfer the entire weight of the structure to the ground where they rest on a square?base plate?to spread the load.

Every Scaffold and every member or component thereof shall be:

• The metal has adequate strength & Free from defects
• Suitable and safe for the purpose for which it is intended.
• The scaffold Supervisor shall carry out monthly inspections of all the materials required for the scaffold and
• immediately replace the damaged materials if any.
• HSE coordinator shall carry out a quarterly audit of Scaffold Material along with Scaffold Supervisor.
• Scaffold Contractor has to change the Scaffold material if when asked by the HSE department.
• Flame cut tube, Crosscut tube, Mushroom Head Tube, Spilt End Tube, Bent Tube, Welded Tube, Rusted Tube, not considered as scaffold tube. Refer to the below image

Ledgers:

In between each standard, running horizontally along the length of the scaffold is a ledger or runner or crossbeam, which adds further support and weight distribution. Multiple bays are connected with these ledgers both at the back and the front of the scaffold. The placement of ledgers defines the height at which the worker platforms are staged (except for the lowest one which is?placed near the ground).

Joints in ledgers should also be staggered, i.e. joints in adjacent ledgers should not occur in the same bay. These joints should be made with sleeve couplers and not be more than one-third distance away from points in ledgers on the same lift and in adjacent lifts should not occur in the same bay unless there is an unjointed guardrail (not to be removed) when joints in the ledgers above and below can be in the same bay.

The spacing of ledgers (lift heights) will be:

• independent tied scaffolds – 2.0m
• putlog scaffolds – 1.35m

Bracing

No scaffold can remain stable or safe unless properly braced. Bracing should remain in position at all times to ensure this stability. There are two main types of bracing, as follows:

Fa?ade Bracing:

These are used to stop the framework from moving or swaying. They are attached to the front face of the structure and run along the length of the frame in a diagonal position and are fixed securely on every platform. This type of bracing should be installed every fourth bay as well as the first and last bays, so the space between the braced bays is a maximum of three bays.

All bracing points should be 300mm off the connection node joint of the standards, transoms, and ledgers.

Cross or transverse brace:?

This type of brace is mainly run diagonally in between the inside ledger and is fixed to the outside standards using a swivel coupler to boost the framework's firmness. They can also be fixed ledger to ledger on the lifts above the base out. This brace should be added to every other bay or every other set of standards.

Fixed to join inner and outer alternate pairs of standards, fixing is by using right angle or brace couplers connected to the ledger or with swivel couplers to standards.

When a bay length is 1.5m or less, the bracing may be fixed to every third pair of standards. Onboarded lifts, the brace would be fixed under the outside ledger to the inside ledger of the lift below to avoid the toe board. Bracing may be fixed from the inside ledger to the guardrail level of the below provided that every pair of standards are braced.

Couplers and clamps:?

Scaffold couplers?are essentially the fundamental component that is used to assemble tube-and-coupler?scaffolding. Tube-and-coupler?scaffolding?is?defined as ‘a?scaffold?in which individual circular tubes serving as standards, braces or ties are joined together by means of purpose-designed couplers’.

This basic fitting that is designed to join two?scaffold?tubes can be used to create a diverse range of?scaffolding?structures or used as an accessory to prefabricated?scaffolding?systems.

These components are classified into two categories –?load-bearing?and?non-load bearing.

Load bearing couplers or components are:

• Right angle couplers
• Swivel couplers
• 5 KN brace couplers
• Adjustable fork heads
• Adjustable base plate jack

Non-load bearing couplers or components are:

• Expanding joint pins
• Toeboard clips

Click the below link to know more details about scaffolding components in a detailed manner and also download the scaffolding toolbox talks, safety check sheet, and do's, and don'ts, etc. on one page.