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Posted By Malcolm Watson
Can anyone help?
I have had what can only be described as a near miss today involving a scaffold plank.
The plank is eight feet long and 3 inches thick.
The plank snapped completely when someone stood on it.
The result the plank fell over 18 feet
The person who fell through the plank suffered minor abrasions. Fortunately the broken peices of plank did not hit anyone.
Close inspection of the plank revealed that the failure occurred through three knots in the plank.
I have currently 1100 similar planks on site.
Is there an acceptable mechanical means to test scaffold planks, prior to use or is there an approved code of practice covering this situation.
Any help will be appreciated
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Steve Armstrong Malcom, It sounds to me like what you have been using are not bon-fide scaffold boards. At 3" these sound far too thick. There is a BS (2482) covering specifications for scaffold boards. This includes maximum permissible knot dimensions and extents of knot travel through the thickness and width of the board. However, standard boards tend to be either 1 1/2" - 2" thicknesses. I've had similar incidents occur due to poor quality timber and excessive (out of spec) knotting. Ensure all your boards comply with BS 2482 and that you purchase them from reputable suppliers. Carry out regular inspections (use a competent person) to identify suspect boards. Scrap any that you're not sure about. Someones life may depend on it! Also, ensure that boards are supported at the distances specified in BS 5973: 1993: Code of practice for access and working scaffolds and special scaffold structures in steel. Failing that, get support information from your scaffold supplier if it is of the pre-fabricated type, e.g., Kwik-Stage, CupLok, etc. I hope this is of help. Please feel free to get in touch on sarmstro2@LineOne.netRegards, Steve Armstrong HS&E Advisor/Registered CITB Advanced Scaffolder.
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