817 Steel Erection Safety

Site Preparation

Proper communication between the controlling contractor and the steel erector prior to the beginning of the steel erection operation is essential to employee safety. Many accidents involving collapse can be averted if adequate pre-erection communication and planning occurs.

Site preparation, including site layout, pre-planning of overhead hoisting operations, and (in some cases) site-specific erection plans help to ensure safety during the initial stages of steel erection.

Approval and Commencement

The controlling contractor must provide written notification to the steel erector ensuring that:

• Concrete in footings, piers, and walls has been cured to a level that will provide adequate strength, as required by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), to support any forces imposed during steel erection.
• Anchor bolt repairs, replacements and modifications were done with the approval of the project Structural Engineer of Record (SER).

A steel erection contractor should not erect steel unless he or she has received written notification that the concrete in the footings, piers and walls, or the mortar in the masonry piers and walls has attained, either:

• 75% of the intended minimum compressive design strength, or
• sufficient strength to support the loads imposed during steel erection.

This determination should be based on an appropriate ASTM standard test method of field-cured samples.

The controlling contractor should keep a copy of the written notification(s) required by this section on the site for review until completion of the project.

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