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Personnel Training and Competent Persons
 Competent
persons and trained workers are critical to safety on suspended scaffolds. Therefore, assessing personnel abilities is a vital part
of scaffold design, erection, maintenance, and use, and should not be overlooked in scaffold inspections.
Note: Except where indicated, these requirements also apply to multi-level, single-point adjustable, multi-point adjustable,
interior hung, needle beam, catenary, and float (ship) scaffolds.
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Design and Erection
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Scaffolds must be designed by a qualified person, and
be constructed and loaded in accordance with that design. [1926.451(a)(6)]
- Scaffolds are to be erected, moved, dismantled, or
altered only under the supervision of a competent person qualified in such
activities. [1926.451(f)(7)]
Non-mandatory examples of criteria that will enable an
employer to comply with 1926.451(a)
are contained in 1926
Subpart L Appendix A.
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Training
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- Scaffolds are to be erected, moved, dismantled, or altered only by experienced and trained employees who have been selected for that
work by the competent person. [1926.451(f)(7)]
- Employees who are involved in activities such as erecting, dismantling, repairing, and inspecting scaffolds must be
trained by a competent person to recognize any hazards associated with those activities. Training shall include:
- The nature of scaffold hazards;
- Correct procedures for erecting, disassembling, etc. the type of scaffold in question;
- The design criteria, maximum intended load capacity, and intended use of the scaffold; and
- Any other pertinent requirements. [1926.454(b)]
- Employees who perform work while on a scaffold must be trained by a qualified person to recognize the hazards associated with the type
of scaffold being used, and to understand the procedures to control those hazards. Training shall include:
- The nature of any electrical hazards, fall hazards, and falling object hazards in the work area;
- The correct procedures for dealing with those hazards;
- The proper use of the scaffold, and the proper handling of materials on the scaffold;
- The maximum intended load and the load-carrying capacity of the scaffold; and
- Any other pertinent requirements. [1926.454(a)]
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Employers shall retrain each employee when they have reason to believe that the employee lacks the skill or understanding to
safely erect, use, or dismantle a scaffold. Such retraining is required in at least the following situations:
- Where changes at the worksite present a hazard for which an employee has not previously been trained;
- Where changes in the types of scaffolds, fall protection, falling object protection, or other equipment present a hazard
for which an employee has not previously been trained; and
- Where inadequacies in an affected employee's work indicate that the employee has not retained the necessary proficiency.
[1926.454(c)]
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