Scaffolding components and their function

Scaffolding is made up of various components assembled at the construction site. An exception are mobile mobile scaffolds that are used as ready-made scaffolding. In addition to the supporting structure itself, which consists of a sturdy frame and is fastened to the façade via anchors , scaffoldings contain various safety components for fall protection. Before building a scaffold, all components are checked visually for damage.

The scaffolding frame

The support frame of a scaffold consists of vertical frame, which are assembled with longitudinal bars to the scaffolding field in the required width. The stiffening is done on the one hand by diagonal braces on the outside of the scaffold, on the other hand by the paving slabs or boards, which form the standing and walking surfaces of the scaffold. The support frame stands on a load-distributing substructure made of planks, on which the foot plates or foot spindles are placed. The load capacity of the floor is checked in advance. The first framework field is aligned vertically and horizontally and serves as orientation. The other scaffolding fields are set up one after the other and connected to each other and to the façade; a longitudinal strut is required after every five scaffolding areas.

Lanyards and fasteners

Depending on the scaffold construction, various fasteners are used in scaffolding . The connections are made of durable aluminum. The following scaffolding connectors are common:

·        Couplings in various designs are used in steel pipe and coupling stands up to a height of approx. 30 m. The steel tubes are connected to each other at the coupling points with a screw cap or via wedging. To ensure safety, the requirements of DIN EN 74 "Couplings, centering bolts and base plates for scaffolds and shoring" must be observed when producing couplings. The standardized couplings in scaffolding include normal couplings, rotary joints or couplings.

·        Mobile high-speed scaffolding is often assembled with plug-in connections. In this case, two tapered tubes are simply plugged into each other. The use of tilting pins creates self-locking connectors. The tilting pin serves to lock the connection.

·        Screw connections are possible, but are hardly used due to the complex work when screwing together in scaffolding. An exception is shoring, which often have to absorb very high loads.

·        Claw connections transmit tensile and compressive forces to the connected bars and are used for the attachment of railings, diagonals or covering parts used.

Anchoring the building

For the stability of a scaffold, it must be attached to the facade. The anchorages absorb wind and deformation forces and require a corresponding approval notice. In addition, special anchorages are used. The anchors are screwed as eyebolts in previously mounted in the facade dowels, the dowels are usually made of polyamide. The framework holders are then connected to the eyelets. In practice, the length between dowel and eye is limited to about 7 cm, longer eye bolts lose their carrying capacity. With increasing shaft length, they can absorb the forces acting parallel to the façade less and less.

Access to the scaffolding

Before the work can begin on the first scaffolding level, an access is built in, for example in the form of a scaffold interior ladder or a scaffold staircase . For elevated scaffolding levels, elevators, transport platforms, stairs or internal ladders may be used to minimize the risk of falling. Scaffolding stairs are assigned to two classes depending on their size, and a clear width of at least 50 cm is required. Furthermore, a sufficiently high load capacity is required and must be proven. Unlike the internal scaffolding ladders, the stairs are integrated into the façade scaffolding with an additional scaffolding equipment. This has several advantages:

•         The stairs are easy to reach and commit.
•         The dimensions allow materials and tools to be easily transported upwards.
•         The area of ​​the scaffolding fields is not restricted.

Fall Protection

In the case of a risk assessment by the scaffolder, it is determined which safety precautions are required on the scaffold. Possible measures may be the use of a mounting safety railing or personal fall protection equipment. No safety precautions are necessary if the working and access areas of the scaffolding are not more than 30 cm above the load-bearing and large areas.

The following fall protection devices are required in scaffolding:

·        Indispensable is a side protection, it consists of railing spar, intermediate spar and toe board. For attachment, the top edge of the side guard must be at least 1 m from the top edge of the stand, the distance between the components must not exceed 47 cm.

·        For work on roofs with a slope of 20 to 60 degrees and a fall height of more than 3.0 m roof scaffoldings serve as fall protection. The roof scaffolding is designed in the form of planks, protective nets or protective grids with a maximum mesh size of 10 cm.

·        The personal protective equipment against falling (PPE) serves as a fall protection always, if the security can not be guaranteed by other measures. This is the case, for example, when working near gable edges, working on crashing edges or in connection with climbing protection devices. The fuse consists of a belt system which is attached to a load-bearing component.