Scaffolding Reduces Mishaps On Construction Sites

Scaffolding has been used in the construction industry for thousands of years. Therefore, scaffolding is as common a sight in a modern city as it was in ancient cities. The main reason scaffolding is still used in the building trade is because of its safety record. Scaffolding is not only stable and supportive, but it also features four primary anchor points at the ground level. As a result, a scaffold provides a firm platform for trade workers to sit, stand, or work.

Scaffolds are typically made of lightweight and strong materials – materials like aluminium, which enable the platform to remain steady and secure. Because a scaffold is a flat platform, accidents are kept to a minimum. Scaffolding is usually designed with a handrail around the top platform as well, keeping workers from falling or becoming injured on a job site.

An Extended Reach

The type of positioning offered by a scaffold enables workers to work at higher heights without the worry of losing their balance and falling off the platform. Ladders are angled and, as a result, do not provide a worker with a solid and steady base from which to work. Scaffolding, though, places a worker right in front of where he is working. Because the scaffold platform’s surface is wider as well, two workers can stand side-by-side without any undue difficulty.

Scaffolding is sold according to the price, manufacturer, material, and type of scaffolding that is needed. The materials used for scaffolding are usually aluminium or steel. TopTower scaffold towers – the safest alternative to a ladder – are an example of a brand that keeps workers safe when working at high elevations. Any scaffold that is chosen must be designed for the kind of work that is being performed. The scaffolding should also be erected and dismantled by workers with dismantling and set-up experience who have been specially trained in this area.

Keep Aware of the Dangers

Anyone who uses any kind of scaffold should be instructed, as well, in the precautions they should take during scaffold use. When using scaffolds at a job site, project managers must concern themselves with the erection and dismantling of the platforms, the stability of the scaffolds, inspection of the structures and the use and transport of the scaffolding parts on the job site.

Even though scaffolds are considered safer than ladders, that does not mean workers should not follow the necessary safety precautions when using these kinds of platforms. Workers are injured every year from tower falls and overturns of platforms.

That is why it is important that scaffolds be erected by people who know what they are doing or who have been well-trained in the process. A number of organisations can offer the needed training.

Therefore, any incidents or mishaps that do occur on a scaffold are usually caused by the following issues:

• Dangerous techniques used in dismantling or erecting a scaffold.
• Defects in the scaffold that has been erected – either the tower assembly is incorrectly set up, or a guardrail for the platform has not been installed.
• Misuse of the scaffold tower – either a worker falls when a tower is being transported, or a ladder is used on a scaffold and causes it to overturn.

The above issues should be regarded and recognised when assembling and working on a tower.