Defects of Commonly Found in Falsework Systems

Defects of Commonly Found in Falsework Systems are

Foundation Level:

1. Sole plates not levelled in or eccentrically placed.
2. Inadequate load carrying capacity of the ground and uneven hedding.
3. Deterioration of ground, due to weather conditions, erosion or other effects.
4. Crushing of sole plates due to inadequate load distribution.
5. Unsatisfactory sole plate members or their omission.
6. Insufficient lateral restraint to bedding where standards are founded on sloping ground.

Horizontal Supports

1. Folding wedges cut to too coarse a taper, not properly secured, too small, or of poor material.
2. Adequate lateral and torsional bracing, e.g. between telescopic essences, between centres carrying heavy loads over long spans, between  steel props supporting heavy loads at, or near, maximum extension and between towers supporting independent spans.
3. Horizontal members not Central in forkheads or properly packed in position.
4. Inadequate supports to cantilevers, e.g. struts supporting deep beam sides on the outer face of the structure.
5. Inadequate bearing areas to vertical supports and underside or principal members, causing crushing.
6. Inadequate support to prevent overturning of deep principal members.
7. Bolted timber connection not staggered, creating tendency to split out.
8. A need for bracing when forkheads are excessively extended.
9. Omission of compression flange restraints.
10. Centres loo far apart.
11. Inadequate sizes of section.
12. Unsatisfactory quality of material, especially when materials are reused.
13. Bracing installed in wrong positions.
14. Bolted connections not properly tightened.
15. Sections of members lapping for continuity varying in depth.

Vertical Supports

1. Inadequate bracing during erection or in use and need for extra lacing.
2. Supports not plumb enough.
3. No lacing between standards at point of loading (most important where telescopic centres are being supported).
4. Incorrect provision of props from floor to floor.
5. Lack of rigidity of screw connections due to over-extension or lack bracing.
6. Adjustable steel props with nails, mild steel bolts and reinforcing bars used in place of correct pins.
7. Timber standards of more than one piece with inadequate splice plates.
8. Heads of standards not firmly secured to underside of horizontal support members.
9. Omission of scaffold forkheads or supports other side eccentrically loaded .without allowance having been made for this condition.
10. Bearing plates (e.g. top and bottom plates of steel props) distorted.
11. Inadequate or discontinuous bracing.
12. Centres too far apart.
13. Inadequate sections.
14. Insufficient fixings.
15. Unsatisfactory quality of material, especially when second hand materials are used (e.g. corroded or damaged scaffold tube).
16. Eccentricity of solid plates.

General:

1. Errors due to difficulties in identifying properties of members being used.
2. Members being erected with their axes at right angles to the correct position so that the weaker axis is subjected to the critical loading.
3. Over tensioning of guy ropes or tension restraints.
4. Deposition of stored materials or spoil against the side of falsework.
5. Excessive loading from stored materials placed on the falsework
6. Reliance on high tensile members or bolts without safeguards to ensure they are not replaced by mild steel.
7. Excessive tolerances used in construction.
8. Failure to check tightness of bolts and wedges immediately prior to loading.
9. Inadequate allowance for loads of access provisions.
10. Insufficient stiffening to prevent web buckling poor quality welding.
11. Inadequate provision of guard rails, height control guides to prevent traffic impacts
12. Failure to examine threads to ensure that bolts can be correctly tightened.
13. Inadequate lateral stability with a need for bracing, tying hack etc.
14. Provision of means of access to operatives.