Proper use and care of scaffold planking is important to get the most out of your investment. Planking begins to degrade from the moment it is put into use. Improper care and storage can cause planking to become unsafe to use quickly, while properly storing and using planking can allow it to be used for years without concern. Here are a few tips on how to properly care for your scaffold planking.

Buy Quality:

The first step in protecting your investment is to buy a quality product from a reputable dealer. Scaffold planking is not just lumber. Scaffold planking has been specifically selected, inspected, designed and tested to be safe when it leaves the factory. Untested or uncertified planking can have hidden flaws which make it unsafe.

Storage:

Planking should be stored in a dry environment with good air circulation to allow moisture to evaporate. Water and moisture are a major reason that scaffold planking needs to be replaced.

Water damages planking in two ways. First, wet planking is weaker than dry planking. Water soaks into the wood fibers and causes them to swell and weaken. A plank that has absorbed water will not support the same load that the same plank will when dry.

Second, long-term contact with water allows mold, bacteria, fungus, and other organisms to invade and begin breaking down wood planking. Planking stored under damp conditions will rot and lose strength.

For these reasons, planking should be stored in a covered area and stacked in such a way that air can circulate on all sides of the individual planks. This will allow moisture to dry and stop rot.

Proper Use:

Planking should be used as intended. Planks used as backstops for sawing, mud sills, ramps or other unintended usage can be damaged internally and may be unsafe to use on a scaffold. Concrete, mud, and other material on the plank can hide the damage so that a visual inspection will not reveal the danger.

Planking used for other than its intended purpose should be removed from service and, at a minimum, should be load tested before being used as a scaffold plank again.