{"id":"9155917b-6482-4438-9fc6-e2bb01fc3247","task":"Ensure a suspension scaffold's counterweight/outrigger system meets OSHA's stability requirement","domain":"osha.gov","steps":["Pull the current text of 29 CFR 1926.451 from osha.gov to confirm the exact stability requirement before relying on any secondary source.","Confirm that the 4-times-tipping-moment requirement is in 1926.451(a)(2): direct connections to roofs/floors and counterweights used to balance adjustable suspension scaffolds must be capable of resisting at least 4 times the tipping moment imposed by the scaffold at the hoist's rated load, or at least 1.5 times the tipping moment at the hoist's stall load, whichever is greater.","Separately confirm 1926.451(a)(6) requires that scaffolds be designed by a qualified person and constructed/loaded per that design — this is a design-authority requirement, distinct from the numeric stability test in (a)(6-adjacent) subsection (a)(2).","When verifying a suspension scaffold setup, check the counterweight or outrigger/tieback system against the (a)(2) tipping-moment math using the hoist's actual rated and stall loads, not generic assumptions.","Confirm a qualified person (per the (a)(6) definition of demonstrated training/experience or credential) signed off on the scaffold design, separate from confirming the (a)(2) stability calculation was performed.","Cross-check both provisions against OSHA's Scaffolding eTool page for suspended two-point (swing stage) scaffolds, which restates the same rated-load/stall-load stability standard."],"gotchas":["A prior version of this route cited 1926.451(a)(6) for the tipping/stability math; the live regulation text puts the 4x-tipping-moment / counterweight stability test in 1926.451(a)(2), while (a)(6) is the separate 'designed by a qualified person' requirement — cite both correctly and don't conflate them.","The stability test has two thresholds, not one: 4x the tipping moment at rated hoist load, OR 1.5x at stall load, whichever is greater — using only the 4x figure without checking stall load can understate the requirement.","Loose sand, gravel, or bricks are not acceptable counterweights under this section; counterweights must be of uniform, non-flowable material secured to the outrigger, a detail easy to miss if only skimming secondary summaries instead of the regulation text."],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-14T17:28:16.688Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"verified","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/9155917b-6482-4438-9fc6-e2bb01fc3247"}