Ladder Jack Safety
Using ladder jacks as a form of scaffolding can be very helpful and a good time-saver compared to setting up standard scaffolding. It is, however, still important to take all the right safety precautions when using ladder jacks because you will be working high above the ground, and subject to a citation from OSHA if your setup is unsafe. Does this Spark an idea?
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Overlapping Planks
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In some situations your scaffolding planks will have to overlap each other, and in this case OSHA recommends that, "each scaffold platform shall extend over its end support at least 6 inches." Meaning, that if you have three ladders leaned up against a building, and all of the ladders have ladder jacks supporting your scaffolding planks, the middle ladder jack will have two plank ends overlapping each other. To comply with OSHA standards each plank needs to run past the ladder jack at least six inches.
Footing
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A common mistake contractors make when setting up scaffolding is that they don't use a proper footing. If scaffolding or a ladder is placed in soil or on slick ground, the scaffold could potentially move or fail which can cause a worker to fall. OSHA says, "a footing shall be sound, rigid, and capable of supporting the loaded scaffold without settling or displacement."
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Safe Access
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Sometimes a scaffolding that's high above the ground can be difficult to access safely and construction workers will do whatever if takes to get themselves up on the platform. For example, if someone leans a ladder against the platform that's supported by ladder jacks, the platform can come dislodged, making it unsafe when the work finally steps foot onto it. OSHA says, "safe access shall be provided to scaffolds."
Guardrails
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You should always use guardrails on scaffolding because if you do slip they could be the one thing that saves you from a fall. Also, working on high scaffolding can be intimidating, and having a guardrail can give you confidence which raises the efficiency level of a worker. And having guardrails on all open sides and ends of scaffolding is a mandatory procedure, according to OSHA.
Distance From Structure
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One situation that can really make a ladder jack scaffolding unsafe is if the platform resting on the ladder jacks is sitting too far away from the building. This can force a worker to have to reach out unsafely in order to work. Not only is it unsafe, but to a worker this is a really uncomfortable position. It feels much like working without any real support under your feet because you are leaning into the open air. To cure this scenario, OSHA states that a "scaffold platform must be within 14 inches to the structure."
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References
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