Page 276 - IGC BOOK

Guardrails and Toe Boards

Guardrails – prevents people falling from height

Guardrails to be provided at locations where there is an unprotected edge which is liable to

cause people or materials falling.

• The guardrails must be strong enough to withstand a person falling against it.

• It must be securely fixed
• It must be Sufficiently high to prevent people topple from height.

• It must not have large gaps in between.

Toe boards – prevent falling of materials

Toe board are fixed at the edges of working platform, acts as a

barrier to prevent equipment or materials from falling to lower
level. For example, preventing a screwdriver dropped on the

platform of a scaffolding from rolling offside to fall on a worker
below.

Work Platform

The working platform on access equipment (e.g. Scaffold) should be:

• wide enough to allow safe access (usually 600 mm wide)
• strong enough to support any loads likely to be place on it.

• constructed to prevent falling of materials that may be used on the platform from
falling through gaps or opening causing injury to people working below.

• Platform must be kept clean and tidy, also free from trip and slip hazards.

ENSIGN | General Workplace Issues 9