The Scaffold Industry Association has issued a statement on the industry consensus and appropriate testing procedures of permanently installed building maintenance and façade maintenance system components.

“To ensure user safety on this equipment, testing must be no more than two times the rated load, or refer to the manufacturers’ recommendations,” said Laurie Weber, SIA executive director. “Load testing in excess of these recommended standards causes safety and risk concerns. Building owners must recognize that testing above the recommended loads creates additional structural impact which may not be observed by the inspector. The safety and financial implications of this damage, the replacement of the equipment and repair to structures are very serious.”

The statement was developed by the SIA’s Permanent Installation Council. The council’s mission is to improve the knowledge of all those involved with the design, construction, use, inspection, maintenance and service of permanently installed suspended scaffolding.

To read the statement, visitwww.scaffold.org/userfiles/file/Website%20statement.pdf.