![]() Then the platform must extend between the scaffold uprights. The platform must extend as fully as possible between the front uprights and the guardrail supports unless you are (surprise) in California.Then make it as wide as you can and use fall protection. The platform must be at least 18 inches wide unless you can show you cannot do that.As an example, for a ten-foot span, that would be 2 inches. The maximum deflection for a plank is 1/60th of the span when loaded-that is when the plank is loaded.Of course, if you happen to be in California, the space is 16 inches, apparently an effort to split the 14- and 18-inch requirement. Not sure what happens if you use personal fall protection instead of a guardrail. The maximum space between the front edge of the platform and the work surface (the wall for example), before a guard rail is required, is 14 inches, unless you are a stucco guy. ![]() Not sure who you have to show it to but it’s reasonable to assume it’s the safety guy questioning your platform unit installation. The maximum gap between platform units is 1 inch unless you can show you have to have a bigger gap.When 2x10s and plywood are used to make a platform, the 2x10s are joists, not planks or platform units.A 2x10 isn’t a thick board but everyone calls it a plank when it’s used for a scaffold platform.Here are a few more useful pieces of information regarding the use of 2x10 boards as scaffold platforms: What is required is that the platform has a 4-to-1 safety factor. Nowhere in the OSHA regulations is this required. This brings up the next misconception, where it is assumed that all platforms must support at least a light duty load. What if the 2x10 is set on edge, that is, vertically rather than on the flat. So, what is the difference between a 4x4 and a 2x10 other than that one is bigger than the other. If 4x4s were used instead of 2x10s, no one would bother to raise any questions. Complicating the situation is the insistence by compliance officers and other safety-oriented folks to insist that the 2x10s must be scaffold grade. The platform has half the plank as a fully planked platform. They think that since the plank spans ten feet, the platform can be rated as a light duty platform, a platform that can support 25 pounds per square foot. Experience indicates that too many erectors, and self-appointed qualified designers, refuse to educate themselves as to the strength of the platform they are constructing. And here is where the problem for many erectors and users begins. To avoid lapping the plank, one half-inch thick plywood is laid on top of 2x10 planks that are spaced 10 inches apart, so the finished platform is flat. One platform design utilizes plywood on top of wood plank. Other strange things occur with plank platforms. If the scaffold has 10 levels of plank, the scaffold will be overloaded. While this may be accurate for one plank, it may not be accurate for the entire scaffold. For example, a plank spanning 10 feet is normally recognized to support what is referred to as a light duty load rating, a load of 25 pounds per square foot. Unfortunately, it is much too common for scaffold erectors and users to equate the plank span to capacity without considering other factors. It is up to the user to make sure that the plank is not overloaded. Scaffold erectors determine the load carrying capacity of the plank when they determine the span of the plank. It is up to the scaffold erectors and the users to make sure the planks are not overloaded. Additionally, the load that a scaffold grade 2x10 plank can support is based on the grade. This piece of wood is commonly called a plank in the scaffold industry. One of these grades is the scaffold grade, which is the grade commonly used in scaffolding. grades the piece of wood to determine its classification. The term nominal means that the piece of wood is not really 2 inches by 10 inches, but it’s a lot easier to say 2 by 10 than 1 5/8 by 9-1/4, isn’t it? The resulting piece of wood is evaluated by a skilled inspector who, based on the type of tree, the number of rings, knots, and other factors. The most common size is a chunk of wood cut to the dimensions of 1-1/2 inches by 9-1/4 inches and is called a nominal 2x10. The most common wood product used for scaffold platforms is solid sawn wood, that is a piece of a tree cut with a saw to certain dimensions.
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