Construction scaffolding falls into three categories: free-standing, suspended, and special purpose. Self-supporting scaffolds include welded tubular structures and pipe and joint construction. Suspension scaffolds must support four times their rated load weight and have safety features. Specialty scaffolds are designed for specific building conditions, such as roof bracket, stabilizer, pump jack, ladder jack, horse, and aerial lifts.
Most construction scaffolding falls into one of three general categories: free-standing, suspended, or special purpose scaffolding. Free-standing scaffolding consists of working platforms and the various structures that support them, with pipe and joint construction being the most common method of assembly. Other self-supporting types include frame and pole fabricated and mobile scaffolds. Suspended scaffolds are suspended from above by ropes or other non-rigid methods and include many job-specific variations. Similarly, scaffolding for specialty construction takes many different forms dictated by the type and location of the work being performed.
Self-supporting scaffolding includes those with fabricated welded tubular structures composed of end frames that have integral uprights and horizontal supports, as well as intermediate members to support working platforms. Pipe and joint construction scaffolds are erected using joints that join various members together, including skids, braces, supports, and posts. Supported mobile scaffolds may or may not be motorized, are mounted on wheels or casters, and usually have a fabricated frame or tube and coupler. The single-pole scaffolding is supported on one side by a row of poles and other elements, and on the other by the building itself. The platforms on bipolar scaffolding are supported by a double row of uprights independent of the main supports.
Building codes and occupational safety standards in the United States generally require suspension scaffolds and each component used in them to be capable of supporting at least four times their rated load weight. Ropes, cables and other hardware used to adjust the height of the scaffold must be able to withstand six times the load. Supporting hardware, such as roof frames and hooks, and railing clamps, are made of high-tensile steel or similar materials. Suspension scaffolding incorporates an electric or manual hoist and brake that safely moves the work platform up and down. An automatic brake or locking pawl is designed to activate if the platform begins to descend too quickly.
Specialty construction scaffolding, as the name suggests, is designed to cope with specific building conditions. Roof bracket scaffolds are supported from the roof using triangular supports and brackets that are appropriate for the slope and construction of the roof, while stabilizer scaffolds have platforms supported by stabilizer beams that project beyond the building wall while the internal ends of the scaffolding are fixed to the building yes. Pump jack scaffolds have fixed vertical support posts with movable support brackets, while ladder jacks and horse scaffolds are supported by ladders and horses, respectively. Aerial lifts are vehicle-mounted scaffolding with powered or non-powered platform lifts and include devices such as ladder trucks and turrets, as well as knuckle and extendable boom platforms.
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