When used correctly, scaffold access towers are a fantastic aid to construction projects, enabling project managers and their teams to complete projects with increased safety, efficiency and accuracy.
But, in the UK, there are a number of key regulations and legislation surrounding scaffolding access towers and their height. These are designed to ensure the safe usage of scaffold towers, minimising the associated risks for both construction teams and members of the public alike.
To help you ensure that you are using scaffold towers safely, correctly and in a legally compliant way, the team at G&R Scaffolding have shared their expert guidance below.
What is a scaffold access tower?
Scaffold access towers are used by construction and building maintenance teams to access higher areas of a building. These are temporary structures, designed to help designated staff work on these areas safely and conveniently, and thereby increasing the efficiency of the project.
Scaffold access towers are usually made of a series of metal vertical standards, horizontal tubes and working platforms. The structure also features a number of secure access ladders and stairs, as well as a number of other safety features, including barriers and gates.
Thanks to the temporary nature of these towers and the way that they are constructed, scaffold access towers are extremely versatile, and scaffold specialists regularly work with project managers to create a custom, best-fit tower to meet their specific project requirements.
Where are scaffold access towers typically used?
Scaffold access towers are used throughout the construction and building maintenance sectors.
They commonly feature in a wide range of project types, including:
- Building construction
- Bricklaying
- Concrete laying and setting
- Building repairs
- Building renovation
- Window repair and painting
- Roof repairs and maintenance
- Cleaning or repairing building facades
- Accessing areas in large warehouses or storage facilities
What is the best way to safely set up a scaffold access tower?
Scaffold access towers are designed so that they can be customised in their construction. They can readily be set up at different heights and widths, to provide a best fit solution for the specific site at hand.
While this customisability offers huge advantages, it also means that any teams using these towers have to be able to set them up safely. According to HSE, scaffold access tower manufacturers, suppliers or hirers have a duty to provide an instruction manual, detailing the correct way to set up a scaffold access tower.
Those erecting the tower must then follow this instruction, to maximise scaffold access tower safety.
Furthermore, HSE recommends that these towers should be erected by following one of two best-practice approaches:
- The advance guard rail system – this system involves fixing temporary guard rail units from the level below, before being moved up to the platform. This means that the guards are fixed before the installer accesses the platform (where they can then install the permanent guardrails).
- Through-the-trap (3T) – the installer positions themselves in the trap door of the platform. This allows them to add or remove the guardrail components from the level above, without having to stand on an unguarded platform.
When setting up a scaffold access tower, you can increase site safety standards by completing the following steps:
- Conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, to identify any hazards and implement the best mitigation strategies.
- Assigning responsibility to team members who have been sufficiently trained in scaffold assembly and usage.
- Ensuring your tower is set up on even ground, on an area that is level and stable.
- Once the scaffolding standards, tubes and platforms have all been erected, adding the appropriate safety features. These usually include safety gates, toe boards and guardrails.
- Using stabilisers or outriggers to add extra stability to the scaffolding.
- Continuously inspecting the scaffolding. This should be undertaken by a trained and experienced member of the team.
- Only granting scaffolding access to authorised personnel, who have received safety training.
- Providing PPE to everyone on site, and making its usage mandatory.
- Ensuring that your tower does not exceed the maximum height recommendations (more on this below).
What are the UK safety requirements surrounding scaffold access tower height?
The height of a scaffold access tower is a core part of safe usage. This is because the ratio between the tower’s base and height directly impact the stability of the structure. So, if the ratio goes too far out of balance, the stability is reduced to a point where it is no longer safe to use.
A scaffold access tower should not exceed the maximum height recommended by the tower’s manufacturer.
This maximum height limit varies between different types of scaffold towers.
- For standard scaffold access towers, the maximum height is usually between 10-12 metres.
- For aluminium scaffold towers, the maximum height is 14 metres.
- For a mobile scaffold access tower, the maximum height ranges between 10-12 metres (depending on the manufacturer’s specific recommendations).
Beyond these guidelines, a safe working height for a tower scaffold should enable the users to easily access the tower, easily dismantle the structure and for the tower to be safe to move around the site (if required).
If you have any further questions about the safe usage of scaffold access tower, or you are looking for a trusted, accredited supplier of high quality scaffolding, G&R Scaffolding is on hand to help.
