Masonry Limited Access Zone and Bracing (OSHA 1926.706)
The zone people mark with a few feet of tape is a COMPUTED dimension: the height of the wall TO BE CONSTRUCTED plus 4 ft, running the ENTIRE length, on the side that will be UNSCAFFOLDED, established BEFORE the wall starts. A 12 ft wall means a 16 ft zone from the first course -- when there is nothing there yet to fall on anyone, which is exactly why it gets set narrow and grown later, and exactly why that is wrong. The unscaffolded side is the point: the scaffolded side has people who are supposed to be there. And a wall over 8 ft must be braced until the PERMANENT supporting elements are in place -- not until the mortar cures or the crew leaves, but long after the masons have gone, which is when someone removes the brace with no idea what it was holding.
Formula and source
required limited access zone width = height of the wall to be constructed + 4 ft; the zone runs the entire length of the wall and sits on the side that will be unscaffolded; ground occupied = required width x wall length; bracing is required where the wall height exceeds 8 ft.
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.706, Subpart Q - Concrete and Masonry Construction. A US federal regulation in the public domain, quoted directly.
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