Scaffolding Towers

Scaffolding Towers are used as a means to gain access to work which is transported out at height, and are employed broadly throughout the UK. When using scaffolding towers as part of a home improvement construction project, it is important to be aware of the health and safety regulations and recommendations, and it is a good idea to treat the home as a workplace when using them.

There are important work regulations that should be adhered to and these are The Work at Height regulations 2005, and an assessment should be carried out in accordance with them to make sure there is no alternative to working at height, and that the most capable equipment has been selected for the job. This should also apply to any home construction undertaking.

When used correctly scaffold towers are a safe means of gaining access to any work that is being carried out at height. When accidents and other related incidents do happen it has been through inappropriate misuse and incorrect inspection of the scaffold towers, and numerous accidents do occur because of these reasons. However with the correct health and safety practices, many accidents can be avoided.

Many scaffolding towers are made from aluminum and thin walled steel and are relatively light so it is important that all the parts are in the correct place to ensure the required core strength. This is because they are lightweight and may topple over with incorrect use. Also if some sections are left out the scaffold tower may collapse.

There are quite a few different types of scaffolding towers available for many different types of construction work and some of these include:

o Classic towers (light duty / steel)
o Minor Towers (heavy duty / steel)
o DIY Aluminum and Trade light duty towers
o Stairspan Tower & Stairdeck Stairway Tower
o Centerfold tower (Low level work platform)
o Razor Deck (self erecting tower / manual operation)
o Roof & chimney scaffolds
o Heavy duty Glassfibre towers for demanding environments

Other items of equipment will include scaffolding tool belts, scaffold spanners, spirit levels and tool safety lanyards. Lanyards are used for securing any hand tools at height.

When the scaffold towers have been identified an inspection should be carried out before they are used to ensure that they are in a safe working condition, and anyone who is using them must be in a fit enough condition to do so.