When constructing or maintaining buildings, it is often necessary to reach up to very great heights, as determined by the height of the building. Since the workers have to do their jobs from the exterior, they make use of platforms known as scaffolds. Scaffolding towers are a type of independent scaffolding, which may be defined as scaffolding that is free-standing and not dependent on the building for structural support. Scaffolding towers have the benefit of being reasonably quick to erect and dismantle, which is a definite advantage for professionals in a variety of fields (for instance, plastering, painting and decorating, roofing, and building) that require visiting a number of clients in a working week. It is also easy for scaffold towers that are not going to be taken off-site to be moved from one place on the site to another, meaning that there is no need for large, dependent scaffolding constructions. A high-quality scaffolding tower can do just as good a job, and is often much more convenient to use.
Safety Considerations When Erecting Scaffold Towers
Scaffold towers – also known as scaffolding towers or tower scaffolds – are becoming more and more popular in all areas of the construction industry, as both employers and regulators alike are recognising the growing importance of safe working practices in order to ensure that their workers remain safe while handling even the most extreme jobs in building construction and maintenance.
Scaffolding towers are imperative equipment for outdoor work – whether cleaning building windows, constructing or adding to a building, or even doing some tree and other high-rise garden, yard, or field work. There is always a danger when height is involved in such construction or contracting work, and safe use of a scaffolding tower minimises the risk. For a company, having a very safe work environment is crucial to safeguard the lives of your workers, but also to ensure that you are staying within the limits of the protection afforded you by the insurance company. If your scaffolds are not well made, then you can be almost certain of having problems in the event that you have to make a claim of some sort.
The Importance of Erecting Scaffold Towers on Proper Ground
What is likely the first and most important safety rule for a scaffolding tower is that the tower must be built safely in the first place. The ground on which you build the tower must be safe itself at ground-level, and thus afford little to no chance of the scaffold being toppled by either human error or unforeseen conditions. The ground should be dry and clear of dirt or debris. The wall, if you plan to use a wall-supported scaffolding tower, should be scouted for tie-in locations to ensure the scaffold is secured at the maximum amount of places. However, if you must work on softer ground, be sure to include footing pads or boards beneath the scaffold to give you a solid base to build and work on it.