Long Beach ASSP Educational / Networking Event

Topic Scaffolding: Built Right or Built to Fail?

Even the most experienced construction teams make the same mistakes when it comes to scaffold, and those mistakes are costly. This session goes beyond textbook safety and dives into the real-world reasons why scaffold accidents still happen. From overlooked design elements, misjudged load paths, improperly laid out platforms, or subtle field decisions that seem harmless—until they aren’t.

Jeremy Trask brings over 25 years of industry experience and 15 years of teaching at Cal State Dominguez Hills to reveal what truly separates a compliant scaffold from a safe one.

Drawing from real experience in active construction environments, Jeremy will highlight how design, communication, and accountability all intersect to determine whether a scaffold system becomes a productivity tool or a potential hazard.

By the end of the session, participants will walk away with practical takeaways they can implement immediately, better ways to plan scaffolding work, smarter daily inspections, and stronger field conversations that reinforce safety processes without slowing down production.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the most frequent design, erection, and behavioral factors that contribute to scaffold failures and falls.
2. Analyze real-world examples to determine how planning, load management, and communication affect scaffold safety outcomes.
3. Apply targeted inspection and supervision practices that reduce the likelihood of repeat scaffold-related incidents.

Be prepared to ask and discuss your most challenging and technical scaffold topics!

Speaker Jeremy Trask

Jeremy Trask is the President of Commercial Scaffolding Companies, Inc., a Southern California-based firm specializing in scaffold, shoring, and access solutions for large commercial, industrial, and civil projects.

With over 25 years in the construction industry and more than 15 years as an instructor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Jeremy has trained thousands of safety professionals, superintendents, and field leaders on scaffolding safety, access systems, and jobsite risk management.

Jeremy’s unique approach blends technical expertise with field-tested realism, emphasizing not only how scaffolds are built, but why they sometimes fail. His experience spans major projects across California—from entertainment venues and university campuses to complex industrial facilities.

He is a passionate advocate for closing the gap between compliance and culture, helping companies turn safety principles into everyday habits that protect both workers and productivity.

Agenda

12:00 PM – In-Person Lunch (Jimmy John’s sandwiches provided)
12:30 PM – Presentation Begins