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It goes without saying that health and safety is extremely important when working as a scaffolder. Thankfully, years of working at height have taught us the best ways to ensure we remain safe in our working environments. Here, we’ve put together a list of the most important considerations from a safety point of view.

Necessary training

The most important aspect of scaffolding health and safety is arguably the training that the workers in question have had. Without the necessary experience and knowledge, workers should never attempt to assemble or use scaffolds of any kind; it is absolutely essential that only qualified people attempt to put together scaffolding. The structural integrity of these constructions is the difference between remaining safe and not. If you’re in any doubt as to whether a scaffolder is qualified or not, see whether they’re accredited by organisations such as CHAS and NASC. If they are, you can be more confident they’ll do things properly.

Safety equipment

There are a number of PPE items that every scaffolder needs to ensure they wear while working on any job:

An approved hard hat

Hand protection, such as thick gloves

Protective, steel-toe-capped boots. Must also be anti-slip

Safety harness (necessary for any workers functioning 6 feet above the ground)

Code of practice

For a full overview of everything health and safety-related, you can read the Health and Safety Authority’s code of practice. That document provides a full overview of the appropriate (and safe) conduct on a scaffolding site.

Obviously if you’re a scaffolder yourself, these are all basic points that you should already know. If, however, you’re keen to know more about the industry then we hope we’ve given you an overview of what’s required.

 

We offer bespoke scaffolding as one of our core services here at Safeway Scaffolding Limited, but why? In our latest blog post, we explain why bespoke scaffolding is so important, and why it’s necessary.

One size does not fit all

Scaffolding is tailored. It has to be. Every project is unique and, therefore, requires a unique scaffold to be assembled alongside it. Rather than trying to apply a formulaic approach to different scaffolding projects, a more tailored, considered assembly is often required.

Sure, you can use standard scaffolds for a number of residential and commercial properties, but often the shape, size, and circumstances of scaffolding projects mean that you need to adapt. Doing so can often be difficult, too. In one of our previous blog posts, we discussed the challenges of bespoke scaffolding, which really helps to underline just how different every project is.

What can go wrong

Having established that different projects require different scaffolds, it’s also important to point out what can go wrong if bespoke scaffolding isn’t used. It’s pretty obvious, but using a scaffold that isn’t right for any given structure or property will compromise its structural integrity. Doing so causes serious health and safety risks to anyone working on the site, but also threatens to damage the building itself immeasurably.

Our bespoke solutions

We pride ourselves on our bespoke scaffolding solutions here at Safeway Scaffolding Limited. We’re adept at tailoring our work to suit the unique requirements of all our customers, while our experience over many years on a great number of projects means we’re perfectly placed to deliver what’s needed.

Give us a call on 01675 465593 or fill out one of our online contact forms to find out more about our services.

Scaffolding is, as you’ll know by now if you’ve read many of our blogs, a very useful process. It’s got an interesting history, and it can be used in a number of ways for a variety of different projects.

How, though, does scaffolding actually work? How do all of those metal poles and wooden boards stay together, and not simple collapse? To answer that, we’ve put together a basic guide to some of the principles of scaffolding. Hopefully, we can go some way to explaining the process in our latest blog.

As a quick disclaimer, this is not a blog intended to inspire any old person to go home and erect a scaffold. You’ve got to be trained if you’re actually going to apply these principles; we’re only intending to shed some light on the matter purely for your interest!

The physics

Surprise, surprise. It isn’t really possible to explain how scaffolding works without talking about physics (well, not if you’re going to do it properly, anyway).

Pretty much the whole concept is tied up intrinsically with science, so for those of you who didn’t pay much attention in your physics GCSE classes, we’ll try and keep it pretty basic and explain everything as thoroughly as possible.

Euler

Leonhard Euler is the first notable theorist we need to mention when it comes to the principles of scaffolding. Effectively, he worked out that there was a “critical load”, under which the scaffold would begin to buckle. Keep the load, or weight being supported, lower than that amount, and you’d be absolutely fine.

To work out the critical load, a number of factors need to be considered:

• The material of the supports
• Shape of the supports
• The length of the supports
• Distance between the supports

Variation

It is important to remember that the critical load will vary, depending on the type of scaffold in question. Depending on the type of scaffolding you’re assembling, different support points will be required.

For example, a traditional tube scaffold will require support points to be assembled 6’ 6” apart, while system scaffold take support points at intervals of 6’ 6” – 7’ 0”.

Safeway Scaffolding

We’ve tried to give you a brief introduction into the world of scaffolding physics here. As we’ve said already, though, when it comes to your own scaffolding you need to use a professional.

To enquire about our services, get in touch via our online contact form or give us a call on 01675 465 593.

Scaffolding is a staple part of architectural construction and renovation. Despite being one of the most common aspects of development, the methods of scaffolding often vary depending on the size and shape of a building. As specialists of both commercial scaffolding and domestic scaffolding, Safeway Scaffolding Limited outline the most notable differences between these two different types of scaffolding in their latest blog post.

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A simple trip through any developing, urban landscape will put the importance of scaffolding into perspective. As one of the most fundamental practices in construction and expansion, scaffolding holds an important place in the development and advancement of any growing country. Although this pivotal practice spans back to ancient times, the colloquial term for this profession is much more recent. In their latest blog post, Safeway Scaffolding explore the etymology of ‘scaffolding’ to see where this feature of construction truly originated from.
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