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October 3, 1985

Mr. John Rectenwald
General Electric Corporation
1100 West Avenue, Building 16464
Lynn, Massachusetts 01910

Dear Mr. Rectenwald:

Mr. Richard B. Starrak, President George McQueston Company, Inc., located in Iron Horse Park, North Billerica, Massachusetts, requested that this office write to you concerning the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) requirements for scaffold plank.

29 CFR 1926.451(a)(10) of our Construction Industry standards requires all planking to be Scaffold Grades, or equivalent, as recognized by approved grading rules for the species of wood used. The maximum permissible spans for 2x10 inch or wider planks shall be as shown in the following table.

_________________________________________________________________
                     Full thickness           Nominal thickness 
                     undressed lumber         lumber(1)
_________________________________________________________________

Working load (p.s.f.)    25   50   75             25   50 
Permissible span (ft.)   10    8    6              8    6
_________________________________________________________________

It appears, based on a copy of a West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau inspection certificate included with Mr. Starrak's letter to us that 2"x10" selected structural scaffold plank used in conformance with the spans allowed in Table L-3 would satisfy our planking standards.

If we can be of further assistance, please let us know.

Sincerely,



John B. Miles, Jr., Director
Directorate of Field Operations