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Construction: From experience

 

Working at height - Scaffold towers

How NOT to use a Scaffold tower!

This man was risking his life to finish off a window installation.

What’s wrong?

The scaffold tower is totally inadequate:

  • It has nothing to stop him falling off from any side of the platform.
  • there is nothing around the platform to stop things falling off it and hitting people below.
  • there is no proper ladder for access.
  • It isn’t vertical.
This man was risking his life to finish off a window installation.

How could you do this work safely?

Think first! - about the risks and how to avoid them.

Use the proper tools – properly.

This scaffold tower should:

Where can I learn more about scaffold towers?

Working at height - ladders

This appeared to be a long ladder behind a van.

This appeared to be a long ladder behind a van.

It wasn’t.

The ladder was on the van where it could easily have slipped off.

The ladder was on the van where it could easily have slipped off.

Just to make it even worse, the van was tilting away, making the ladder more likely to slip.

Just to make it even worse, the van was tilting away, making the ladder more likely to slip.

What’s wrong?

Not only was the ladder totally inappropriate for this work, it was used in an extremely dangerous manner. The worker would probably have died if he had fallen off.

How could you do this work safely?

Think first! - about the risks and how to avoid them.

It is always tempting to use a ladder but you should always consider using a working platform first, for example, a properly erected scaffold tower or a mobile elevating working platform (MEWP).

Ladders are best used for getting up or down, rather than as a place of work.

If you do need to use a ladder make sure: