Cert III Scaffolding flashcards
Cert III Scaffolding · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- PCBU
- Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking. Holds the primary duty under WHS law to ensure health and safety so far as reasonably practicable.
- Reasonably practicable
- Test weighing the likelihood and severity of harm against the cost and effort of control measures, plus what the duty holder knows or should know.
- Hierarchy of control
- Ranked order of risk controls from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering or isolation, administrative controls, then personal protective equipment.
- SWMS
- Safe Work Method Statement. A written document listing high-risk construction tasks, the hazards, and the controls, reviewed and signed before work starts.
- Duty loading
- The rated load a scaffold class is designed to carry per bay: light 225 kg, medium 450 kg, heavy 675 kg, special above 675 kg.
- Working platform width
- Minimum clear width of a scaffold platform: 450 mm for general duty work, reduced to 225 mm where used only for access.
- Toe board
- A vertical board at least 150 mm high fixed along the platform edge to stop tools and materials falling to the level below.
- Top guardrail height
- The upper rail must sit between 900 mm and 1100 mm above the platform surface, with a mid-rail between 450 mm and 600 mm.
- Plank overlap
- Scaffold planks must overlap their support by at least 300 mm and be fixed against movement or uplift by wind.
- Maximum lift height
- A working platform must not be erected more than 2.0 m above the supporting level or the last tied and braced level.
- Scaffold inspection interval
- Inspect before first use, after alteration or any stability-affecting event, and at intervals not exceeding 30 days; record the result.
- Tagging system
- A colour-coded tag on the access point showing the scaffold is complete, incomplete, or out of service, with the inspection date and inspector.
- Exclusion zone
- A barricaded ground area beneath scaffold erection or dismantling that keeps people clear of falling objects and dropped components.
- Base plate and sole board
- Base plates distribute load from the standard onto a sole board, which spreads it over the ground to prevent settlement or punching.
- Foundation capacity
- Ground must support the fully loaded scaffold without settlement; soft ground requires sole boards, timber packing, or a designed foundation.
- Tie and bracing
- Ties anchor the scaffold to the structure and bracing resists racking; neither may be removed until the level above is dismantled.
- Mobile tower ratio
- Tower height to base dimension must not exceed 3:1 indoors or 2:1 outdoors unless outriggers, stabilisers, or ties are fitted.
- Sling angle derating
- As the included angle between sling legs widens, capacity drops; at 60 degrees each leg carries about 87 percent of its vertical rating.
- Right-angle coupler
- A load-bearing fitting joining two tubes at 90 degrees, used where the joint transmits force into the scaffold structure.
- Swivel coupler
- A fitting that joins tubes at any angle; used for bracing and not as a primary load-bearing structural joint.
- Cantilever scaffold
- A scaffold supported from the structure by spurs or beams rather than the ground; it requires design certification and a tie-back.
- Spur
- A load-bearing member that projects from the structure to support a cantilever scaffold; its inner end must bear on a solid member.
- EWP anchor point
- The designated fixing inside an elevating work platform basket to which the operator's lanyard attaches, not the structure outside.
- Suspended scaffold
- A platform hung from overhead supports by wire ropes and hoists; total load must stay within the hoist rated capacity.
- Dismantling sequence
- Reverse of erection: remove the top level first, keep ties until the level above is gone, and lower components, never drop them.
- Gin wheel
- A single-sheave pulley used to lift light scaffold components; it must be rated, inspected, and anchored to a sound point.
- Dead load
- The permanent weight of the scaffold itself, including tubes, planks, couplers, and toe boards, before any imposed load.
- Live load
- The imposed load on a platform from workers, tools, and materials; it must not exceed the class duty loading.
- Wind loading
- Force on the scaffold from wind, increased by netting or sheeting; it governs tie spacing and may require the scaffold to be tied more densely.
- Scaffold certificate
- A competency card or licence showing the holder is trained and assessed for the scaffold class and height they erect.
- Height licensing
- Scaffold work is split by height, typically basic up to 4 m, intermediate to 8 m, and advanced above 8 m, each needing its own unit.
- Fall arrest
- A harness and lanyard system that stops a fall; used where guardrails cannot be fitted, with anchor rated for the arrest force.