TCS Scaffolding shall be erected on a surface capable of supporting the intended loads or suspended from a structure that is capable of supporting the intended loads.
All vertical and horizontal scaffolding members must be erected and fixed to be plumb, level and squared with base plates placed to ensure adequate load bearing capacity. The scaffold must be set and maintained plumb to the full height of the scaffold.
Standards and ledgers shall be joined with joint pins or end to end sleeve couplers such that only one vertical joint is present in any one lift standard row and only one horizontal joint is present in a bay ledger line. End to end couplers (sleeve couplers) must be used when standards will be subject to upward loads or ledgers subject to tension (pull apart axial) loads.
Joints shall be located as close as possible to standards but not more than 300 mm (12") from the standard. If this is not possible, a 600 mm (24") parallel tube shall be coupled across the joint with at least two equally spaced right angle couplers on each side of the joint.
Ledgers and bay end transoms shall be placed on the inside of the vertical standards at the same elevation to ensure a level platform supported by intermediate transoms at the same elevation.
The scaffold shall have ledgers installed along the entire length of the inside and outside standards of the bay at each lift level. Ledgers shall be joined with joint pins or end to end sleeve couplers on straight runs to create continuous lengths and be connected to each standard.
Transoms shall be installed transversely between standards with couplers fastened to the standards immediately below the ledger. Boarding transoms shall be coupled above the ledgers and spaced as required for planking. Transoms must be 150 mm (6") to 300 mm (12") longer than the width. Transom extensions can be cantilevered to the maximum length required to support 2 planks. Planks on cantilevered transoms shall be secured and provide full contact with the transom to prevent movement or tilting.
A base (foot) ledger and transom shall be attached to the vertical standards no higher than 450 mm (18") from the bottom of the base plates along with a plan diagonal brace between the standards of the end bay to ensure the bay is rectangular and to provide bottom stability
Only right angle coupling shall be used for ledger to standard connections.
Couplings shall be installed to ensure the load forces are on the fixed side of the coupler never on the bolt side.
Check (safety) couplers shall be installed below or above load bearing couplers as necessary to prevent coupler slippage. This is especially important for underslung scaffolds and directly under trapeze tubes.
Scaffold couplers shall be tightened with scaffold wrenches only to the torque as indicated by the manufacturer. "Cheater bars" shall not be used.
All coupling connections of a scaffold lift shall be made secure and fully tightened before assembly of the next lift.