Joints are required in ledgers or guard rails of scaffolds where the length of a single tube needs to be extended where a single tube’s length is not long enough to form the ledger or guard rail to an elevation. Joints in ledgers and guard rails within TG20 compliant scaffolds should be made using sleeve or tube lock connections.
Expanding joint pins are not recommended for use in TG20 compliant scaffolding and should not be used in a position where tension could occur unless spliced with a short length of scaffold tube fixed either side with swivel couplers (A scaffold designer may be consulted for advice).
Joints made in ledgers at the same lift and adjacent lifts should not normally occur in the same bay and should be set out so that the joints are staggered. The absence of joints within the guard rails is accepted as giving sufficient continuity to the scaffold to permit joints in ledgers above and below in that bay.
Joints in ledgers of TG20 complaint scaffolds may occur anywhere within a bay if the joint is made using sleeve or tube lock connections. However, joints in ledgers of a lift which incorporates a TG20 compliant single lift cantilevered platform must be made within 300mm of a standard a per TG20 compliance for internal cantilevered platforms.
Ledger joints in the top lifts of TG20 compliant birdcages should be avoided in the end and penultimate spans if this is unavoidable the joints must be made within 300mm of a standard.
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