What Is a SAIA Accredited Training Institute?
Definition: A SAIA Accredited Training Institute (ATI) is a Scaffold & Access Industry Association member company that has been approved to deliver SAIA University (SAIAU) training courses. ATIs use course materials developed by experts within the scaffold and access industry, taught by authorized instructors, to train scaffold users, erectors, competent persons, and operators of suspended and powered access equipment.
The Scaffold & Access Industry Association is the leading trade association for the scaffold and access industry in North America, and SAIA University is its training program. Rather than teaching every class directly, SAIA approves qualified member companies — scaffold contractors, rental companies, and training providers — as Accredited Training Institutes through its ATI Committee. Those companies then deliver standardized SAIAU courses at their training centers or at customer job sites.
For employers, choosing an ATI means crews receive consistent, industry-developed training that supports OSHA's scaffold training requirements, along with a credential recognized across the industry. Courses range from hazard awareness for scaffold users to competent person training for supported and suspended scaffolds, suspended scaffold operator training, and the Journeyperson Scaffold program. Through Scaffold Exchange, you can find SAIA Accredited Training Institutes across the U.S. and compare their course offerings, locations, and schedules.
Courses Offered by SAIA Accredited Training Institutes
Course availability varies by ATI. Common SAIA University courses include the following.
Supported Scaffold Hazard Awareness
Training for workers who use scaffolds, helping them recognize hazards on various types of supported scaffolding.
Supported Scaffold Competent Person
Training for erectors and supervisors on foundations, components, guardrails, fall protection, stabilization, and erection and dismantling.
Suspended Scaffold Hazard Awareness & Operator
Training for workers on suspended scaffolds, covering basic fall arrest, safe operation, and an introduction to support systems.
Suspended Scaffold Competent Person
Training for those responsible for rigging, setting up, operating, and inspecting suspended work platforms.
Journeyperson Scaffold Program
A multi-level program that combines training with documented work hours at each level of proficiency.
Who Trains with SAIA Accredited Training Institutes
SAIA ATI courses are taken by workers and supervisors across construction, industrial, and maintenance work throughout the United States.
Scaffold erectors and dismantlers
Foremen, superintendents, and safety managers
Trades who work from scaffolds daily
Swing stage and suspended platform operators
Industrial plant maintenance and turnaround crews
General contractors and subcontractors
Rental company and yard personnel
Companies needing on-site team training
How SAIA ATI Training Relates to Other Services
SAIA training supports safe work across many scaffold-related services. Here is how it connects to related offerings.
Coating inspector certification
- Three levels from Basic to Senior Certified
- Focused on coatings inspection
- Inspectors often work from scaffolds
- Best for inspectors and coatings QA/QC
Engineered, sealed scaffold designs
- Calculations and drawings sealed by a PE
- Required for tall and non-standard scaffolds
- Competent persons build to the design
- Best when codes, owners, or permits require it
SAIA University scaffold training
- Industry-developed SAIAU courses
- Hazard awareness and competent person training
- Supported and suspended scaffolds
- Best for training crews, supervisors, and users
Round-the-clock scaffold service
- Requires a competent person on every shift
- Trained erectors for continuous work
- Shutdowns, turnarounds, and night work
- Best for planned off-hours scaffold work
Powered access installation and service
- Swing stages, mast climbers, and hoists
- Requires trained operators and riggers
- Installation, rigging, and maintenance
- Best for facade and high-rise access
Find SAIA Accredited Training Institutes Near You
Use the Scaffold Exchange map to search by location, filter by training type, and connect directly with SAIA Accredited Training Institutes offering scaffold and access courses at their facilities or your site.
OSHA Compliance & Safety Standards
OSHA standard 29 CFR 1926.454 sets scaffold training requirements on U.S. construction sites. Employees who perform work while on a scaffold must be trained by a qualified person to recognize scaffold hazards and understand procedures to control them, and employees who erect, disassemble, move, operate, repair, maintain, or inspect scaffolds must be trained by a competent person. Retraining is required when there are changes at the worksite or in the scaffold, or when a worker's actions show the training was not retained.
- Scaffold users trained by a qualified person in hazards and controls
- Erectors and inspectors trained by a competent person
- Training covers fall protection, falling objects, and load limits
- Training specific to the type of scaffold being used
- Retraining when conditions change or training is not retained
- Training records and credentials kept current
1926.454
Scaffolds — Training Requirements — U.S. Construction Regulations
OSHA Interpretations & Rulings →
