Precautions For Scaffolding – by

Precautions For Scaffolding

Precautions For Scaffolding Business Articles | December 11, 2008 All about scaffold tower hire, including tower ladders hire, domestic tower hire, commercial tower hire, scaffold tower sizes, scaffold tower costs and more Construction work for buildings can be pretty hazardous and scaffolding is used as a temporary framework to give support to the workers and the building materials. It is almost like a rolling ladder and is immensely useful especially for very tall buildings as the height can be adjusted and it can hold many people and materials at one go. It is also comparatively safer than other means used in construction because of its lockable wheels. Nevertheless, it is always better to err on the side of precaution and proper maintenance and usage is imperative to ensure the safety of the construction workers. This will help prevent any types of accidents and related injuries. Staircase towers are also commonly used as scaffolds.Scaffolding comprises of three main parts, namely, tubes, boards and couplers. Tubes can be of steel or aluminum though aluminum is preferred as it is both light and durable and is also flexible. Couplers are used to join the tubes and the boards provide a support for human access. Boards are made of wood which is seasoned and the standard size is usually 50mm – 63mm. Scaffolding are usually attached to buildings with ties and are more stable than independent scaffolding. A type of independent scaffold is the mobile type which is mounted on wheels or castors which swivel and can be wheeled around from location to location.Scaffolding safety is crucial for workers and the setting up and pulling down of the scaffold should always be done under the correct guidance and the supervision of a competent supervisor. It is best to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines as each one may have some small differences in its set-up which may be crucial to properly and safely putting up and dismantling the scaffold. The guidelines specifying the usage of the scaffold should also be strictly followed. Even though the management team is directly responsible for the proper workings and safe usage of the scaffolding, the workers should also be vigilant and inspect the scaffolding before and after every use. Any fault or deficiency, however minor, should be immediately reported to the concerned authorities. Even if you are simply in the scaffolding rental business it makes sense to provide for insurance for your company.For further precautions, safety harnesses and guard rails for construction workers are highly recommended as they will buffer the fall, if any. Anyone working at a height of more than six feet above the ground should wear safety harnesses. Many an unfortunate accident on construction sites could have been avoided, if only proper precautionary measures had been taken and stringent inspection rules followed. Both management and the workers have to work in cohesion and joint responsibility to ensure the smooth and safe usage of scaffolding.

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Many Uses of Scaffolding – by

Many Uses of Scaffolding

Scaffolding hire in Cape Town is no longer sought after as a construction aid only. With new technology available as well as a greater demand for scaffolding for temporary structures used at public events and short projects, the uses for scaffolding have become increasingly varied. With the influx of international music artists, film productions and an increasing number of building restorations, scaffolding is in high demand. Added to this are the many CBD revamps and the massive building projects being undertaken in preparation for the Football World Cup in 2010, making scaffolding a service in high demand. Film Sets Cape Town is now world renowned as a preferred film production spot. There is a massive diversity of scenery, culture and landscape and a very willing workforce. Cape Town is also a top destination for international film shoots due to the favourable exchange rate. With a pleasant Mediterranean climate, beautiful beaches, mountains, forests, historic and modern buildings and a variety of other scenery, the production process can be made far easier. The scaffolding being used on set, needs to be safe and extremely reliable as the scaffolding is likely to be on uneven terrain and will need to support heavy and expensive equipment, not to mention the crew! When multiple locations are used, the contracting crew will need to assemble and dismantle the scaffolding quickly and efficiently and without compromising safety. This is where new technologies are helpful because they allow for quick assembly and dismantling without danger. Public Events Cape Town plays host to many large-scale public events such as marathons, rock concerts and expos. Most of the events require temporary structures such as scaffold towers and stages for performances and prize-givings as well as for advertising canvasses for the sponsors of the events. These events are paramount in building Cape Town’s reputation as a world-class city as they are broadcast across the globe and form a basis upon which many foreigners place their opinion of Cape Town. Since these events are filled with people, the safety of the scaffolding needs to be of the highest standards. If there is a flaw in the set up and an accident occurs, many people could be injured. Access Another aspect of these massive public events is the management of traffic flow in terms of pedestrians and vehicles. When staging an event where large crowds are expected, it is sometimes necessary to use scaffolding to construct a safe passage for pedestrians across major roads and intersections. Most attendees will have parked their cars in an allotted car park and walked the rest of the way to the event. Scaffolding aids this process by allowing pedestrians to cross these obstacles and dangerous terrains via temporary footbridges, ramps and walkways. Scaffolding is also a great help in allowing disabled persons to enter an event where there are steps or difficult terrain. Access scaffolding can also be used as a safety precaution on construction sites, helping labourers to avoid uneven terrain which can be dangerous and time consuming to navigate. Making the Show Go On It’s not longer just the construction sector that is looking to hire scaffolding contractors. In the vibrant city of Cape Town as in other cities around the world, numerous public events are creating a need for scaffolding for many different purposes. The main concern for event organisers is public safety and efficiency of work to produce world-class events. Scaffolding and proper scaffold use by trained contractors reduces the risks and increases efficiency at large-scale public events.

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Hiring Scaffolding – For Safetys Sake! – by

Hiring Scaffolding – For Safetys Sake!

When you need scaffolding to do a job don’t think of it as a DIY job. If you need scaffolding you’ll need to contact a scaffolding hire company. If you do it yourself, you may find that you will become liable for any problems or issues that arise. A good place to start looking for a hire company is your Local Council or authority. They may have a list of approved hire companies and you will need to contact them to find out. Remember ? your Local Authority will not be able to recommend a particular company as such, but you should be able to make sure that it is am approved company. In this way you can help to make sure that you employ a qualified builder or scaffolding company to carry out the erection of scaffolding. Again, as working off scaffolding can be a hazardous occupation, leave any building work to the professionals and a qualified builder to do any related building work. Scaffolding licences Your scaffolding may need a license. It is the responsibility of the builder or scaffolding Hire Company to get a licence for any scaffolding that is put up on the highway (this includes the pavement). However, you need to be clear that it is your responsibility to check they have this and that it does not run out before the building work is finished. You can always contact your local authority to apply for more information as to if you need a license and what to do about this. Safety Safety is of prime importance when erecting or using scaffolding. Employing qualified people to erect your scaffolding and carry out building work should help to make sure your building site is a safe place. However you should discuss safety issues with the person or company you employ. In particular, you will need to be aware of the following points: – Scaffolding should always be erected on a firm, level foundation. – If there is any risk to the public, schedule scaffolding work for quiet times or get a highway closure your local council. – It is dangerous to erect scaffolding too near power lines. Your local power company can temporally move or protect cables but you will need to organise this well in advance. – All scaffold boards used should be British Standard BS2482. – There must be suitably strong barriers in place if someone could fall more than two metres. – in order to avoid building waste falling on passers-by, keep scaffold boards clear and provide protective catch netting if necessary. – Ladders should be strong, secure and in good condition, domestic ladders are generally not suitable. Make sure that they are long enough and securely fixed for safety’s sake! Heavy or bulky loads shouldn’t be carried up and down ladders. Make sure a hoist is available for heavy or large awkward loads. Make sure that scaffolding structures are checked weekly, and inspected after alterations, damage and extreme weather conditions. Make sure that it is recorded that you have an appointed person responsible for doing this ? even if it is you. Components should never be removed out of position for any reason whatsoever. Even on a temporary basis. Building regulations it is always wise to contact your local council for details of any building regulations you may need to consider, like the ‘materials and workmanship’ regulation or the ‘access to and use of building’ regulation. Copies of the current building regulations are available from Building Regulations Publications HMSO. You also need to make sure you have any necessary planning permission for the building project your scaffolding relates to. Again your local council will be able to advise you on this. Remember ? when it comes to scaffolding ? safety first, last and always! Article by Philip Ray (c) Whilst this article endeavours to contain up to date and accurate information, the article can only be considered as a guide. The author would always recommend that you take local independent professional advice.

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Hiring Scaffolding – by

Hiring Scaffolding

Hiring scaffolding When you need scaffolding to do a job donâ

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Gutter Cleaning ??” Rope Access as a Solution to Gutter Cleaning on Tenement Buildings. – by

Gutter Cleaning ??” Rope Access as a Solution to Gutter Cleaning on Tenement Buildings.

An ever increasing amount of people living in tenement buildings in cities like Edinburgh, are having serious problem with their gutters and downpipes. For the most part the problems are caused by a simple blockage / vegetation growing in the gutters or minor maintenance problems such as seam lining, that have been allowed to go on untended for too long without gutter cleaning or gutter maintenance. The reason that these guttering problems have not been simply taken care of long ago is obvious; there arenâ

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Guidelines for the use of Scaffolding – by

Guidelines for the use of Scaffolding

Scaffolding construction services in South Africa are a necessity due to the major upgrades of so much of the existing infrastructure in and around cities and the construction of new buildings. With events such as the FIFA World Cup in the near future and the progression of South Africa into becoming a first world country, the transformation of the visual and structural aspects of the country are staggering. Along with these transformations comes the need for reliable and safe scaffolding services and systems through a safety approved contractor. Hiring a Contractor Hiring a licensed scaffolding contractor is the best method of finding a reliable and safe scaffolding system to use. In South Africa, contractors must abide by governmental safety legislations and the OHS Act & SANS 10085 to ensure that optimum safety is maintained during scaffolding operations and to avoid prosecution for accidents or death. From the years 2000 to 2005, there were 3999 injuries in the United Kingdom caused by various accidents on construction sites, all of which were avoidable – with proper care and safety, accidents should be extremely minimal. Scaffolding Safety Preparation Before a scaffolding structure is erected, there is some preparation which should be carried out by the scaffolding contractor hired for the job and by the person hiring the contractor. Firstly, the area where the scaffolding is to be erected needs to be a level surface that is stable, and if it is not, the contractor will need to stabilise it and make sure that it is adequate to support the scaffolds. Safety of bystanders is incredibly important and if the scaffolding is to be erected in a public place, appropriate measures need to be taken. For example, the work can be scheduled to proceed during quiet periods, during which less people are likely to be in proximity to the structure or roads can be closed through council permission. Scaffolding should never be erected near power lines as this can be extremely dangerous and result in fatalities. If scaffolding is to be used on a freeway or highway, the contractor is required to have a license especially for this and is responsible for applying for and obtaining such a license. However, the person hiring the contractor is responsible for asking for planning permission from the local council regarding the erection of any temporary structure and possible permanent structures the scaffolding may be used for. Getting Started Workers erecting scaffolding should be properly trained in the correct methods of constructing the scaffolding and working with temporary structures. Before use, the scaffolding should be inspected, and again once it is assembled. It is also advisable that the scaffolding is checked at regular intervals for weaknesses or damage to the structure and materials. This is especially important after an addition or change has been made to the scaffolding. Equally as important, scaffolding should be checked after very dry weather, storms, strong winds and other factors which may affect the safety of the scaffold structure. Safety During Scaffolding Use When scaffolding structures are in use, workmen should not store materials on the scaffolding boards. Anything left on the boards could cause someone to trip on the scaffolding and fall or cause injury to someone on the ground. Physical barriers are recommended to prevent injuries to people walking underneath the scaffolding structure, but using tape to create barriers is not recommended as people can (and will) ignore the tape and walk through. Similarly, if the scaffolding is left unattended, the access ladder should be removed to prevent access to unauthorised individuals. Movable tower scaffolding must have the wheels locked when workers are working from the towers and they are required to be stationary. With pre-made systems such as Self-Lock and Kwik-Stage scaffolding, the risks of accidents are reduced due to the built in safety systems of the scaffolding. These systems can be constructed very easily and by fewer workmen without compromising on safety. The systems are locking systems which do not allow for any part of a scaffolding structure to become loose and due to being made from steel, the scaffolding material is virtually indestructible. Scaffold hire is a growing necessity in South Africa, especially with special events, the successful film industry and the forthcoming FIFA World cup happening in the country. Without proper safety regulations and practices, the risk of injury and fatalities is high. Proper use of scaffolding is what will keep the construction and scaffolding industries the successful and thriving services that they are.

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Expanding Your Resources through the Use of a Scaffolding Company – by

Expanding Your Resources through the Use of a Scaffolding Company

All contractors who have to handle large-scale jobs realize that it is simply not possible for them to manage every aspect of those jobs. As a matter of fact, doing this is a sure way of keeping us behind on any project that we try to do. This is not only true of everything that needs to be done on the ground, it is also true when it comes to scaffolding erectors. That is why it is important for you to hire a scaffolding company that is going to have your best interests in mind. What different things should you be looking for when it comes to hiring one of the scaffolding contractors? First of all, you need to make sure that any scaffold company that you are looking at is going to be reliable. The last thing that you want to have happen is for a crew to be down as a result of your scaffolding contractor not showing up on time. The best that I have found in this particular regard is All Task Scaffolding, simply because they guarantee that they are going to be on the job within two hours after you call them. This can really take a lot of the responsibility off of you and place it on the subcontractor, where it should be. Scaffold safety is also a major concern of anybody that is hiring one of these contractors. This is especially the case if there is going to be a lot of scaffolding that is erected on the job site. Scaffolding health and safety is a major concern of anybody that has to deal with this on the job site. That is why your scaffolding contractor should be able to design a scaffolding system that will work well and to keep safety in mind in everything that they do. This can decrease liability on your part and keep a job running smoothly. The ability to do scaffold inspections is also very important and something that should be taken into consideration when hiring a scaffolding contractor. There are different regulations that are in place and in order to make sure that everything is in compliance and your scaffolding company should have people dedicated to this particular aspect of the job. Having scaffolding that is out of compliance is going to cause unnecessary delays of the job that you are working on and is one thing that most contractors find unacceptable. Finally, you should make sure that your scaffolding contractor has your best interests in mind. Even being able to choose between the particular scaffolding design systems, such as cup lock scaffolding or layher scaffolding is going to make a large difference in how well the system goes together. Choose somebody that has experience on their side and is going to be able to make sure that your job runs smoothly from beginning to end.

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Adequate scaffolding for safe construction processes – by

Adequate scaffolding for safe construction processes

If you have a business in the scaffolding field or one that involves building a new architectural structure, or if you want to improve the exterior aspect of your house, but you want to do it all by yourself, you should read these lines and find out some interesting things that will help you better understand scaffolding. You should keep in mind that it is essential to be able to put up and position correctly and safely a scaffolding system. Nevertheless, what does scaffolding mean? Scaffolding stands for a temporary framework used in order to support material as well as people in the construction or in the repair of buildings and other big architectural structures. Generally, it is a modular structure of pipes made of very resistant metal (termed tubes in the Great Britain), but it can also include other different materials, such as for example bamboo still used nowadays ??” quite frequently actually ??” on the Asian continent. Unbelievably or not, bamboo scaffolding can reach impressive heights. If you are interested in scaffolding, you should also know that there is a European Standard ??” used in conjunction with the Eurocodes for structural design ??” that specifies methods of general and structural design for access and working scaffolds, as well as the performance requirements. All of the requirements specified in this European Standard are for scaffold structures based on the adjoining structure for stability. Even though they are created for the â

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A Guide to Purchasing a New Ladder – by

A Guide to Purchasing a New Ladder

There might be situations that you come across many a time where you canâ

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A Cost Effective, Efficient Alternative To Scaffolding | Industrial Rope Access – by

A Cost Effective, Efficient Alternative To Scaffolding | Industrial Rope Access

Surprisingly still relatively unknown in the onshore and domestic sectors, industrial rope access techniques have been used for decades to provide work at height solutions, and are now being used to cater for domestic building maintenance problems, cleaning painting and maintenance at height, and industrial and construction work. We’ll be focusing on the domestic / building maintenance side of industrial rope access (or industrial abseiling) in this article. Rope access provides a safe and efficient mode of working at height. It is less obtrusive and in most instances quicker and cheaper than other work at height solutions and traditional height access methods such as scaffolding or a cherry picker. Rope access teams can be in and out with the minimum of disruption, generally for a fraction of the cost. Rope access enables work to be carried out effectively in awkward situations and allows access to difficult areas such as rooftops, building facades, gutters and downspouts. This makes it ideal for work at height on old tenement blocks and other multistory buildings, from cleaning to maintenance. Examples of the type of work that can be carried out on ropes as an alternative to scaffolding are: Gutter & Downpipe cleaning, repair & maintenance. Vegetation removal from building facades, rooftops and gutters. Stonework: pointing, cleaning and repair at height. Roof repairs and rooftop maintenance. Cleaning and Painting at height. High level Electrics & Wiring. Bird and Pest control solutions such as prevention netting. High level Glazing Solutions. Inspection and Testing services. In fact rope access can be used in just about any situation where work at height is required. Leaking gutters and the consequent vegetation growth on building facades (to name one of the areas that can be tackled by industrial rope access techniques), can cause huge amounts of damage to a building and its stonework. The longer the problem is left untended, the worse the water damage and the damage caused by roots will be, and the more repair work and maintenance will be required in the long run, including stonework and pointing. The cost and logistics of using of most fa?ade access solutions however, including scaffolding and cherry pickers, often makes it impossible to deal with these fairly minor issues before they become a major problem. They are therefore more often than not, left to continue to damage the building fa?ade until it becomes a problem that can’t be ignored, at which point even huger expenses and difficult lengths have to be gone through to fix it. With rope access however, a team can get to the problem area easily and with minimal disturbance to the building or the public, fixing the maintenance issue cost effectively and efficiently. As we have seen, an extremely useful and cost effective alternative to scaffolding and other height access methods, industrial rope access can be used in a wide variety of scenarios in domestic settings, from cleaning and maintenance to repairs, allowing work to be carried out where other solutions would simply be too expensive or logistically difficult to achieve.

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