Scaffold Safety Program Responsibilities
Environmental Health & Safety
Environmental Health & Safety is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering the Scaffold Safety Program. This involves:
- Training all users in the associated hazards and general safe work practices.
- Maintaining centralized records of training and certification records.
- Providing technical assistance to university personnel.
- Evaluating the overall effectiveness of the program on a periodic basis.
Departments
Departments are expected to maintain a safe and healthy living, learning, and working environment for faculty, staff, students, and visitors to our campus. Departments must ensure equipment provided is of a safe design and in good condition and should designate responsible persons to coordinate the requirements of this program with employees. Designated persons must attend Environmental Health & Safety Scaffold Competent Person training.
Departments must ensure that a competent person is designated to provide oversight for all activities involving scaffolding, and that personnel using the scaffolding have been properly trained and are following established safety requirements. This competent person directly supervises employees erecting, moving, dismantling, or altering a scaffold, and conducts inspections. Scaffold Competent Person level training through Environmental Health & Safety is required.
Employees
Personnel accessing scaffolding are expected to attend Environmental Health & Safety Scaffold Awareness Training and to use the equipment in a safe and responsible manner. Where employees will be accessing scaffolding this has not been erected and inspected by the department (i.e. it belongs to another department or was erected by a contractor), the designated departmental scaffold competent person must inspect it and approve its use prior to employees accessing the scaffold.
Contractors
Contractors must comply with all local, state, and federal safety requirements, and assure that all of their employees performing work on Virginia Tech properties have been suitably trained. Contractors must also comply with the requirements outlined in Virginia Tech's Contractor Safety Program.