Why Scaffolding Should be Designed and Erected by Professionals

scaffolding

Scaffolding is a dangerous place to be when it is high up and you are using power tools, but there is one way to make it a lot safer and that is to have it made by a professional scaffold hire company. There is a great deal involved in making scaffold. It has to be strong enough to withstand the weight of workers, their tools and often the building materials as well. If it is not, accidents are likely to occur that can cause serious injury or worse.

It is not only strength that is important; it has to be stable as well. If it is not properly supported both at the base and as it rises high into the sky, it will not be able to stand erect. Once it starts to topple over, nothing can stop it and again, the workers will suffer.

Builders are not experienced scaffolders

While building companies may hire the most experienced, well-trained and professional builders, that doesn’t mean to say they know anything about building or erecting scaffold. This is quite different from building any high-rise. Even though it may seem just like bolting lengths of steel together, there are many more elements that must be considered to ensure safety.

The type of scaffold needed, whether it will be supported by the surface it stands on or by the building itself – or both – and what load it must carry are all important considerations. In fact, the design of the scaffold should be done by an engineer to ensure it is strong enough to do the job safely. It’s only as the scaffold goes up safely that the building company can go ahead with their work.

Supervision is essential

Some scaffold can be put together by labourers under the supervision of a scaffold supervisor. However, they should never be left to do it by themselves, especially where they have had no experience. Leaving just one component out, or forgetting to tighten one bolt can compromise the safety of the whole thing. Scaffold is rather like a chain, in that it is only as strong as its weakest part.

If that weak part is down towards the bottom, the whole structure is in danger of collapsing. Even if it just tilts, those who are many storeys high a likely to slip off and fall at worst, or if they are in the middle of using their power tools they could easily be injured by a sudden shift in the floor level. Neither scenario is good; not for the workers or for the company who hired them.

Litigation can result in such accidents, not to mention the stress of court hearings and the delay in the work going ahead. In some cases the company never recovers due to the financial loss. That is why having scaffolding erected by professionals is so essential.