A Guide To Scaffolding Towers
Scaffolding towers are a vital tool used by the construction industry for gaining access to high or hard-to-reach areas in a safe and secure manner. Engineered out of steel or aluminium tubing that is held together by a network of braces, cross-bars and couplers, scaffolding towers are considered to be much safer than the standard ladder. When a scaffold tower is compiled properly and meets the necessary British Standards for safety and manufacturing it can be expected to be wobble-free and should not topple or collapse. This allows for jobs such as painting, handiwork, cleaning, plumbing and electrical work, gardening and repairs to be undertaken without fear of falling.
Basic Design
Though scaffolding towers come in a variety of configurations, they all follow the same basic design: a tower constructed from scaffolding with one or more platforms allowing work to be carried out securely, high up on trees and buildings and in other similar precarious locations. Anyone using them does not have to worry about balance as with a ladder; they are free to concentrate fully on the job they have to do. This makes them considerably safer to sue than ladders when any work has to be done at height.
Construction
There are several key types of scaffolding towers, sorted by their method of construction and the materials they are made out of. Generally speaking scaffolds should be constructed out of either galvanized reinforced steel or aluminium, though in some Asian countries bamboo is a popular alternative. In the United Kingdom steel and aluminium are required, with aluminium being preferred for lighter, transportable frames and steel being used for heavy-duty work. Scaffolding towers may come as self-erecting (usually flat-packed) structures or may need to be constructed piece by piece every time the tower is used.
Different Models
In addition to the large models used by construction professionals, scaffold towers can also come in the form of a builder’s trestle (a shorter scaffold model with a low platform) or even a universal folding ladder (a ladder that can be folded to form a platform: indeed, models are available to suit the occasional DIY enthusiast as well as the regular user. It is important, though, that attention is paid to quality of construction with smaller models as much as with larger models: there can be no compromise on safety as accidents on smaller models can still be fatal.