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SAFETY MOMENT, APRIL 29

Solid footing under every leg

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Safety moment, April 29

Solid footing under every leg

A scaffold changes every day as it is built, moved, loaded and taken down. One missing plank, a soft base or a rail left off can turn a normal shift into a fall. People working below are at risk too, from tools and material that drop off the platform. A minute of looking before you climb is how we catch these problems.

SAFETY MOMENT

April 29

The hazard

A scaffold changes every day as it is built, moved, loaded and taken down. One missing plank, a soft base or a rail left off can turn a normal shift into a fall. People working below are at risk too, from tools and material that drop off the platform. A minute of looking before you climb is how we catch these problems.

The action

Scaffold poles, legs, posts, frames and uprights must bear on base plates and mud sills or another adequate firm foundation. Loose bricks, concrete blocks, boxes and buckets are not a foundation. Check that the ground has not gone soft from rain or digging, and that the scaffold stands plumb. (29 CFR 1926.451(c)(2))

ASK THE CREW

How do we keep people below safe while we work overhead?

From the talk: Scaffold safety. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

PRINT AND EDIT

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One moment for every day of the year in the same format as this one: the hazard, the action, the question and the source talk with its citation. Print a page a day or show a slide.

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