The Role of Qualified Persons in Scaffold Safety

OSHA defines a qualified person as someone who - by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training, and experience - has successfully demonstrated his or her ability to solve or resolve problems related to the subject matter, the work, or the project. Every employee on a work site with scaffolding should know who the designated "qualified person" is.

29 CFR 1926, Subpart L, "Scaffolds," requires a qualified person to perform the following duties:

• Design and load scaffolds in accordance with that design
• Train employees working on the scaffolds to recognize the associated hazards and understand procedures to control or minimize those hazards
• Design the rigging for single-point adjustable suspension scaffolds
• Design platforms on two-point adjustable suspension types that are less than 36 inches wide to prevent instability
• Make swaged attachments or spliced eyes on wire suspension ropes
• Design scaffold components construction in accordance with the design

To learn more about Scaffolding Safety visit our Construction Scaffolding Safety Online Training web page.