While ladders are an incredibly practical and easy-to-use piece of equipment, they are not always the best method of working at height. When working with heavy materials, cumbersome tools, or requiring more hands than one man has, a more semi-permanent solution is required.
Commonly, scaffolding is employed for these jobs. It is far more practical than an extension ladder when hefty pieces of equipment I needed. Platforms can be created where more than one person can work on and tools and material can be kept on.
The only downside with scaffolding is that it is semi-permanent. Once up, it has to be stripped down and rebuilt if you need it moved. It can also be unsightly, especially of the work takes some time and the entire building ends up surrounded by the steel piping of the scaffold.
There is, however, another solution that is not only just as practical as scaffolding it doesn’t require technicians to erect it and it can be moved at will to where needed – the work platform.
Work platforms and access towers are like ready erected scaffolding. They are often on castors, which can be securely braked, or used to move the platform around.
Many work platforms can be folded or collapsed too so they can be easily stored and taken out just when needed. This means there doesn’t need to be unsightly scaffolding left around the building, and when doing jobs around an entire building, the access tower or work platform can simply be moved.
Useful for all sorts of jobs, both indoors and out, work platforms are a very safe method of working at height too as most accidents usually involve ladders which are easier to use incorrectly and can easily slip and topple.
Small work platforms can even be used around the home. As collapsible as a step-ladder they can be stored away and far safer and more comfortable to use for all those DIY jobs around the house.