Scaffold Mudsill Bearing Pressure and Sill Length
The soil pressure a scaffold leg presses through its mudsill (leg load / plank area), whether it clears the allowable soil bearing, and the sill length needed if it does not. OSHA 1926.451(c)(2) requires base plates on sound, rigid mudsills. A first-check estimator, not the engineered design.
Formula and source
mudsill_area_ft2 = plank_width_in x plank_length_in / 144; bearing_psf = leg_load_lb / mudsill_area_ft2; required_area_ft2 = leg_load_lb / allowable_psf; required_length_in = required_area_ft2 x 144 / plank_width_in; pass = bearing_psf <= allowable_psf.
Bearing-pressure identity by name (load / area vs allowable); OSHA 1926.451(c)(2) base-plate and mudsill foundation requirement.
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