All kinds of scaffolds, elevators, hoists, platforms, or ladders, or any other mechanical appliance, whether portable or fixed, placed, or constructed by any person, firm, or corporation in this Commonwealth for the purpose of building, repairing, altering, destroying, or painting any house, building, bridge, viaduct, or any other kind of construction whatever, shall be constructed in a secure, suitable, and convenient manner, and so placed when in operation as to offer proper and adequate protection to the life and limbs of the person or persons working thereon or passing thereunder, and in such manner as to prevent the falling to the ground of any materials or [implements] placed thereon. Every scaffold, platform, or other similar appliance shall be, if possible, at least two feet wide and shall have a safety partition and railing, forming a closed rectangle, which shall be thirty-six (36) inches in height from the floor or surface of said scaffold or platform and shall extend the full length thereof, be solidly constructed and be firm and secure enough to prevent its giving way from the building or construction. The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources or his representatives are hereby authorized to stop any work where the above provisions are being violated, and to require such changes and modifications as he may consider necessary for the protection of the life or limbs of the persons employed in said places, before the work may continue.
History —May 6, 1936, No. 61, p. 314, § 1, eff. 90 days after May 6, 1936.