Certifying That Existing Suspended Scaffold Structural Support Elements and Lifeline Anchorages Comply with Federal OSHA Requirements

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) maintains standards (Standards) that define structural requirements for elements that support suspended scaffolds and fall arrest lanyards when this equipment is used to access facades and other elevated portions of buildings. The Standards are available online at www.osha.gov. Ensuring that applicable requirements are met is the responsibility of a qualified person—typically a professional engineer. However, navigating and applying the OSHA structural provisions can be difficult primarily because relevant requirements are not located in a single document, structural requirements vary for different uses, and structural requirements are not always written in a manner consistent with typical structural engineering practice. The rational application of key OSHA structural provisions when designing suspended scaffold support elements and lifeline anchorages is the subject of a companion paper, “Designing Suspended Scaffold Structural Support Elements and Lifeline Anchorages in Conformance with Federal OSHA Requirements,” which is included in this publication. The objective of this paper is to promote the rational application of sound engineering principles when certifying the adequacy of existing elements and their compliance with OSHA Standards. Unfortunately, certain trends and recent developments in the facade access equipment industry have made proper certification more difficult than it needs to be; irrational approaches and conclusions are, at times, actually encouraged by industry groups.