Scaffolding is a working platform constructed to ensure the smooth progress of various construction processes. It is categorized by its placement as either outer or inner scaffolding; by material as wooden, bamboo, or steel pipe scaffolding; and by construction type as upright, bridge, door, suspended, hanging, cantilever, and climbing scaffolding.

Different types of construction projects require different types of scaffolding. Most bridge support structures use bowl clamp scaffolding, with some using gate scaffolding. For the main structure construction, most use clamp scaffolding for ground-level scaffolding; the longitudinal spacing of the scaffolding uprights is generally 1.2~1.8m; the transverse spacing is generally 0.9~1.5m.

Scaffolding, compared to general structures, has the following characteristics in working conditions:

1. Significant variability in the load bearing capacity.

2. The connecting nodes of the fasteners are semi-rigid, and the rigidity of the nodes is related to the quality of the fasteners and the installation, with significant variation in node performance.

3. The scaffolding structure and components have initial defects, such as initial bending of rods, rust, significant installation size errors, and loading eccentricity.

4. The connection points with the wall exhibit significant variation in their restrictive nature to scaffolding. Research on the aforementioned issues lacks systematic accumulation and statistical data, and does not meet the conditions for conducting independent probability analysis. Therefore, the value of the adjustment coefficient, which is multiplied by the structural resistance and is less than 1, is determined by calibrating with coefficients used in the past. Consequently, the design method adopted in this specification is essentially a semi-probabilistic and semi-empirical approach. Compliance with the structural requirements specified in this specification is a fundamental condition for design calculations.