[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-662466-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-662466-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","safety-and-health-topic-sheet-no-30-scaffold-use-for-rigging-and-anchoring","SAFETY AND HEALTH TOPIC SHEET NO. 30 - SCAFFOLD USE FOR RIGGING AND ANCHORING","","Safety and Health Topic Sheet No. 30 explains key hazards when scaffold structures are used for rigging and anchoring in industrial rope access operations. It highlights an incident where a scaffold anchor point twisted and deformed after directional tension forces were applied, leading to roof damage. The sheet clarifies why the event occurred, what should have happened, and provides guidance on regional and legislative requirements for scaffold design, construction, alteration, and inspection by competent persons.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/safety-and-health-topic-sheet-no-30-scaffold-use-for-rigging-and-anchoring/662466/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/safety-and-health-topic-sheet-no-30-scaffold-use-for-rigging-and-anchoring/662466.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Riley","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-28",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why was the scaffold not suitable as an anchor for rope access technicians?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It was designed and installed for its intended purpose, not for use as an anchor point for rope access technicians. As a result, it was not intended to carry the applied directional forces from rope-access anchor systems.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What caused the scaffold lattice beam anchor to twist and deform?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The structure was capable of supporting the vertical loads from technicians and the skylight, but the tension lines changed the force direction dramatically. This introduced forces not aligned to the intended vertical line, causing twisting and buckling of the lattice beam.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What guidance does the sheet give for scaffold design, construction, alteration, and inspection?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"A competent person must design the scaffold for the specific intended use and include load locations and directions, while construction, alterations, and inspections must be carried out and documented by competent persons. Scaffolds should also be appropriately marked/tagged to show inspection and safe use.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},662466,1793218055,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":106,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":97,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":143},1374391975076,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/14000253ca4ec9f6853?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1783305029341752051","A topic sheet prepared by © IRATA International (2024)  \nSAFETY AND HEALTH TOPIC SHEET NO. 30:  \nSCAFFOLD USE FOR RIGGING AND ANCHORING  \nA safety and health ‘topic sheet’ aimed at raising awareness of hazards in the rope access industry. The series may be of use as a toolbox talk.  \n1 INTRODUCTION  \n1.1 With scaffold structures now more than ever forming part of rigging and anchoring for industrial rope access operations and training, it is increasingly important for those who utilise these methods to be aware of not only the potential hazards relating to this but also the various legislative and regional requirements associated with the use of scaffolding for rigging and personal anchor points.  \n1.2 Scaffold and similar constructions are extremely adaptable and useful as a method of installing rigging and anchorage points to be used for industrial rope access. Being a fixed structure, as opposed to a temporary anchor, they must meet the IRATA requirement for anchor strength of 15kN.  \n\n| Case Study |\n| --- |\n| A scaffold structure has been built over the top of a building to provide a temporary roof whilst works are carried out which would otherwise leave the building exposed to rain.\u003Cbr>The roof has been constructed of lattice beams and tube and fix scaffold to support the temporary roofing material. The scaffold has been designed by a scaffold designer and constructed by competent scaffolders to the design specification.\u003Cbr>When the roofing works are nearly completed a rope access company have been employed to install the final skylight on the roof, the method to be used is for two technicians to work in suspension over the opening to the skylight and to rig a simple hauling system and a tension line to manoeuvre the 65kg skylight into position over the opening.\u003Cbr>The technicians position themselves above the opening and rig a tension line from the bottom tube of the lattice beam above the opening, down to the main scaffold below and then begin to haul the skylight into position.\u003Cbr>Shortly after the weight of the skylight is transferred onto the tension line, the top lattice beam anchor begins to twist and deform, breaking some of the welds on the beam and deforming the roof where the technicians are anchored.\u003Cbr>The technicians immediately lower the skylight to remove the weight from the tension lines and then descend onto the roof below to remove their own weight from the roof above.\u003Cbr>This stopped the damage from worsening and prevented the roof collapsing. |\n\n2 WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?  \n2.1 Whilst the scaffold structure had been designed and competently installed it was not intended tobe used as an anchor for rope access technicians.  \n2.2 The rope access company had reviewed the designs of the structure, the competencies of those who had built it and the scaffold inspection records , but had then assumed that the load capabilities provided where above that being levied and could be imposed in any direction.  \n2.3 The roof structure was capable of supporting the loads of the two technicians and the skylight, but the forces placed on the structure were intended to be in a vertical line. By adding the tension lines and the weight to those lines the directional force changed dramatically causing the lattice beam to twist and buckle.  \n3 WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED?  \n3.1 The scaffold should have been designed for its specific intended use, purpose and operation. Had the designer known of this, the scaffold design could have been constructed with the appropriate strength and support to allow for the additional directional loadings imposed by the rope access anchor systems.  \n3.2 The scaffold must be designed and constructed by competent persons for its intended use, any change of use or alterations to scaffold must be fully reassessed to ensure the structures safety and suitability.  \n4 GUIDANCE ON THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SCAFFOLDING  \n4.1 There are different regional and legislative requirements for the design, construction, ","cbCaivlij1JVz8Fl","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivlij1JVz8Fl","pdf",199610,"English","# INTRODUCTION\n## Case Study\n# WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?\n# WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED?\n# GUIDANCE ON THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SCAFFOLDING\n## Design\n## Construction\n## Alteration\n## Inspection\n# ARE THERE BENEFITS OF USING SCAFFOLD FOR RIGGING AND ANCHORAGE?","[{\"question\":\"Why was the scaffold not suitable as an anchor for rope access technicians?\",\"answer\":\"It was designed and installed for its intended purpose, not for use as an anchor point for rope access technicians. As a result, it was not intended to carry the applied directional forces from rope-access anchor systems.\"},{\"question\":\"What caused the scaffold lattice beam anchor to twist and deform?\",\"answer\":\"The structure was capable of supporting the vertical loads from technicians and the skylight, but the tension lines changed the force direction dramatically. This introduced forces not aligned to the intended vertical line, causing twisting and buckling of the lattice beam.\"},{\"question\":\"What guidance does the sheet give for scaffold design, construction, alteration, and inspection?\",\"answer\":\"A competent person must design the scaffold for the specific intended use and include load locations and directions, while construction, alterations, and inspections must be carried out and documented by competent persons. Scaffolds should also be appropriately marked/tagged to show inspection and safe use.\"}]","SAFETY AND HEALTH TOPIC SHEET NO. 30 - SCAFFOLD USE FOR RIGGING AND ANCHORING | PDF",13]