What is Scaffold?

Scaffold   is a temporarily provided structure which provides access or platform to work or which is used to support materials, plant or equipment.

Scaffold measure units

• Bay:The space between the central lines of two adjacent standards along the face of a scaffold.

• Bay Length: The distance between the centers of two adjacent standards, measured horizontally.

• Height: The height measured from the foundation to the top assembly of ledgers and transoms

• Length: The length of a scaffold between extreme standards, sometime designated by the number of bays.

• Lift height: The vertical distance between two lifts measured center to center.

Scaffold Categories

• Freestanding scaffold: A scaffold, which is not attached to any other, structure and is stable against overturning on its own account. Or if necessary assisted by guys or rakers and anchors.

• Independent Tied Scaffolds: A scaffold, which has two lines of standards one line supporting the outside of deck and one the inside.

• Putlog Scaffold: A scaffold which has one line of standards to support the outside edge of the deck and utilizes the wall being built or the; building to support the inside edges .

• Slung scaffold: A scaffold hanging on tubes, ropes or chains from a structure overhead. It is not capable of being moved or lowered.

• Suspended scaffold: A scaffold hanging on ropes which is capable of being suspended or raised or lowered.

• Putlog Scaffolds:

Putlog consists of a single row of uprights parallel to the face of the building.

The standards are connected with ledger fixed with right angle couplers and the putlogs are fixed to the ledgers with right angle couplers or putlog couplers.

The blade end of the putlog tube or putlog adaptor is normally placed horizontally on the brickwork being built.

Sole plate and base plates are usually used under each standard.

• Independent scaffold:

An independent scaffold consists of a double row of uprights, with each row parallel to the building n the row of standards nearest to the building can be set back about 300 mm from the building face.

Upright should be connected with ledgers with right angle couplings and transom fixed to the ledgers with putlog couplings.

Sole plates & base plates should be used for each standards.

Ledger bracing is generally fixed to alternate pairs of standards.

Scaffold Components

• Base lift or Foot lift: is a lift erected near to the ground.

• Lift: The assembly of ledgers and transoms forming each horizontal level of a scaffold.

• Brace: A tube placed diagonally with respect to the vertical or horizontal members of a scaffold and fixed to them to afford stability.

• Knee brace: A brace across the corner of an opening in a scaffold to stiffen the angles or to stiffen end support of a beam.

• Ledger braces: A brace at right angles to the building.

• Longitudinal brace: A brace generally in the plane of the longer dimension of the scaffold particularly in birdcages.

• Guardrail: A member incorporated in a structure to prevent the fall of a person from a platform or access way.

• End Guardrail: A guardrail placed across the end of a scaffold or used to isolate an unboarded part.

• Ledger: A longitudinal tube normally fixed parallel to the face of a building in the direction of the larger dimensions of the scaffolding.

• Putlog: A tube with a flattened end, to rest in or on part of the brickwork or structure.

• Standard: A vertical or near vertical tube.

• Transom: A tube spanning across ledgers to form the support for boards or units forming the working platform or to connect the outer standards to the inner standards.

• Base plate: A metal plate with a spigot for distributing the load from a standard or raker or other load bearing tube.

• Adjustable base plate: A metal base plate embodying a screw jack.

• Adjustable base plate: A metal base plate embodying a screw jack.

• Board Clips: A clip for fixing a board to a scaffold tube.

• Toe board clip: A clip used for attaching toe boards to tubes.

• Coupler: A component used to fix scaffolding tubes together.

• Parallel coupler: A coupler used to join two tubes in parallel.

• Putlog coupler: A coupler used for fixing a putlog or transom to a ledger, or to connect a tube used only as a guardrail to a standard.

• Right angle coupler: A coupler used to join tubes at right angles.

• Sleeve Coupler: An external coupler used to join one tube to another one.

• Swivel coupler: A coupler used for joining tubes at an angle other than right angle.

• Joint pin: An expanding fitting placed in the bore of a tube to connect one tube to another coaxially.

• Sole Plate: A timber, concrete or metal spreader used to distribute the load from a standard or base plate to the ground.

• Spigot: An internal fitting to join one tube to another coaxially.

• Brick Guard: A metal or other fender filling the gap between the guardrail and toe board and sometimes incorporating one or both of these components.

• Scaffold Board: A softwood board generally used with similar boards to provide access, working platforms and protective components such as toe boards on scaffolds.

• Sheeting: horizontal, vertical, or inclined sheets of material such as corrugated metal or plastics sheet. attached to the scaffolds in order to provide protection from the effects of weather or alternatively to protect the surrounding area from effects of works being carried out from the scaffolds structure.

• Toe Board: An upstand at the edge of a platform intended to prevent materials or operatives feet from slipping off the platform.

• Working Platform: The deck from which building operations are carried out.

• Steel Tubes: Tubes are normally supplied with a maximum length of 6.40 m and are available in shorter lengths by request. Used tubes should be free from cracks, splits and excessive corrosion and be straight to the eye.

• Box Ties: This is consists of an assembly of tubes and couplers

Scaffolding Boards

• Scaffold boards of nominal cross section 38 mm x 225 mm.

• Components of similar width but laminated timber or metal, with equal or greater strength.

• Timber boards of other thickness or greater with than normal boards.

• Boards shows signs of ill –treatment, abuse or decay should be discarded from site.

• The hoops or other means of protection should be replaced or re-fixed.

• Boards should be stacked flat and raised from the ground by crossing battens.