X-bracing is the crossed diagonal bracing that stabilizes frame scaffolds and other structures, and it should never be used as a ladder.
The pairs of diagonal braces that cross in an "X" pattern between the frames of a scaffold or other structure, holding the frames plumb, square, and rigid. On tubular welded frame scaffolds, cross braces are essential to stability, and OSHA's scaffold standard (29 CFR 1926 Subpart L) prohibits using them as a means of access or egress.
During a pre-shift inspection, a competent person notices a cross brace that was removed to pass material through the scaffold and has it reinstalled before anyone is allowed back onto the platform.
Cross braces aren't designed to support a worker's weight as a ladder, can be dislodged or bent by climbing, and provide unsafe footing; OSHA requires proper access such as attached ladders, stair towers, or ramps instead.
Bracing should only be removed with approval from a competent person and when the scaffold's stability is maintained by other means, and it must be reinstalled before the scaffold is used normally again.
Cross bracing can serve as a toprail or midrail only when the crossing point falls within the heights OSHA specifies for those rails; otherwise, separate guardrails are required.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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