Pennsylvania Code › Title 34 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY › Part I - Department of Labor and Industry › Chapter 6 - CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIRS › SPECIFICATIONS › Section 6.24 - Horse scaffolds

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
Foundations.
When horse scaffolds are used inside a building,
				  the horses shall be set squarely upon the floor or, if no floor has been
				  erected, a substantial temporary floor shall be constructed for this purpose.
				  The practice of placing bricks, blocks, tiles or similar loose objects under
				  the legs of horses to bring their upper parts to a certain desired level is
				  prohibited. When a horse is not quite high enough to afford proper support to
				  the planking, a wood strip of the proper thickness shall be securely nailed to
				  the top of the horse. On outside work, the legs of horses shall not bear
				  directly on the ground itself, but a solid planking shall be laid upon which
				  they shall rest. The practice of supporting horses upon thrustouts is
				  prohibited. The nailing of extension pieces on the legs of horses to increase
				  the height shall be prohibited.
(b)
Construction of horses.
Horses shall be solid in construction
				  and care shall be taken that their legs are built at the proper angles,
				  avoiding a spread of either too little or too great a distance. The lumber used
				  in the construction of a horse shall be not less than 1 inch in thickness, and
				  6 inches in width, except that for the top horizontal supporting member the
				  dimensions shall be at least 2 inches by 4 inches. If the length of the horse
				  exceeds 5 feet or if designed for heavy duty, these lumber sizes shall be
				  proportionately increased. Inside bracing shall be provided by nailing two
				  boards at least one inch in thickness to the underside of the top horizontal
				  supporting member, dropping them at an angle from there and nailing one to the
				  top of the cross bracing on each pair of legs, or by other equivalent
				  bracing.
(c)
Platforms.
Platform planks shall be at least two inches in thickness and shall
				  be laid with their edges abutting. The distance between horses shall not exceed
				  5 feet for a heavy-duty scaffold and shall not exceed 7 feet, 6 inches for a
				  light-duty scaffold. Care shall be taken that the planks rest properly upon
				  each horse, thus eliminating springiness in the platform. Where any space
				  between the platform and horse is apparent it shall be overcome by following
				  out the provisions of subsection (a). Care shall be taken that the platforms
				  are not overloaded.
(d)
Horses in tiers.
In erecting horse scaffolds, the horses of
				  each tier shall be placed directly over the horses of the tier next below.
				  Where more than two tiers are built, every horse shall be nailed to the planks
				  it supports as well as to those upon which it rests. Scaffolds shall not be
				  built to a height in excess of 21 feet.
(e)
Bracing.
Where horse
				  scaffolds are more than two tiers in height, braces shall be provided between
				  all horses used.
(f)
Guardrails and toeboards.
Guardrails and toeboards shall be
				  provided for all horse scaffolds over 6 feet in height. Protection shall be
				  furnished as set forth in §
										6.32 (relating to
				  protection).
(g)
Ladders.
Where ladders are used to gain access to horse
				  scaffolds they shall conform with the requirements set forth in §
										6.30 (relating to ladders); also,
				  the plank upon which the top of the ladder rests shall be nailed to its
				  supporting horse and such supporting horse shall be nailed to the lower planks
				  upon which it rests, these planks in turn being nailed to the lower horses
				  supporting them.
This section cited in 34 Pa. Code §
												6.12 (relating to single pole
						scaffolds); 34 Pa. Code §
												6.13 (relating to independent pole
						scaffolds); and 34 Pa. Code §
												6.25 (relating to plasterers' and
						decorators' inside scaffolds).