The procedure for building scaffold towers used to be a complicated affair and for the ordinary DIY painter or self-employed tradesman, setting up a scaffolding structure was avoided at all costs.
Scaffold of yesteryear was substantial and required a large lorry in order to move it from one site into the next. It required an additional helper (or even a number of people depending on the scale of the project) which were skilled in tower construction. These professional scaffolding workers didn’t come cheap, and the expense of setting up a scaffolding structure would often inflate the initial builder’s quotation to such a degree that it would often discourage clients from having the work done. To get over this problem many builders, anxious not to pass-up business would likely conjure up some ramshackle method to completely avoid the requirement for scaffold. This as you can imagine resulted in countless serious injuries involving falls and therefore prompted new regulations to be implemented.
The advance in access tower design combined with revised rules and guidelines has contributed significantly to scaffolding safety. Today’s modern alloy folding scaffold systems are extremely light and also less of a challenge to assemble. Thus aluminium tower systems are now extensively used by both amateurs and professionals alike and offer a good substitute for professional scaffolding installation.
Prior to utilizing an access tower as part of a do-it-yourself renovation or perhaps repair job, it’s important to be familiar with the safety recommendations.
The Work at Height regulations 2005 advises that an assessment of the methods to be used has to be completed to make sure there is not any alternative to working at height or more appropriate apparatus. This simple evaluation should be executed for any job needing an elevated operating platform.
When the evaluation is completed and if a tower is considered to be the best apparatus to do the job, one must learn the best way to erect the scaffold system properly.
1) You should if at all possible use one other person in addition to yourself (particularly for everybody who is putting together a big tower) or possibly a team of people depending on the magnitude of the installation.
2) One or two person’s must be designated to carry out the construction.
3) Another who will check and make certain the right tools will be ready to use when needed.
4) Your entire crew must work with safety harnesses.
5) Positively no corroded parts ought to be used to build the scaffold system.
6) Any locking parts of the tower system will need to be looked at and tested for possible failure before they are added to the construction.
7) Casters ought to be scrutinized and examined for deterioration and brakes tested for efficacy.
There are 2 main licensed methods that are approved by the prefabricated aluminium scaffolding manufacturers association (PASM) however, one of the most trusted is the 3T (through the trapdoor) method. This entails positioning of a trapdoor platforms at intervals of two metres using 2, three or four rung frames in the base depending upon completed height. This means that it is possible to clamber through the trapdoor as well as sit on the working platform to complete guard railing at each and every stage of construction. Using this method insures that you will be constantly guarded against any mishaps whilst the tower system building is in progress.
For those who have hired or bought you’re their own apparatus, make sure you read the manufacturers instruction. The majority of manufacturers have a obligation to provide guidance manuals, these should clearly show the tower erection routine. When producer’s instructions are followed diligently, a high quality modern day access system or combo ladder is by far the most secure option for working at heights.