Many home renovation jobs will require you to work at a great height, which can be daunting to many people. Using mobile scaffolding towers can be an excellent solution for this problem, as it provides greater safety for you, and gives you a more secure standing point for you to work from.
Although many areas of a home can be accessed with a ladder, using scaffolding is a significantly safer option as it is much more stable and allows you to have a greater range of movement while working. Jobs at home such as building, plastering or painting where you are working at height and need to have close access to tools and equipment are also made much easier with the use of a secure scaffolding tower.
Because erecting scaffolding is more time consuming than using a ladder, many people opt for the latter option. However, this guide along with our instructional video has everything you need and will walk you through the necessary steps to take when setting up scaffolding at home or on your job site. When it comes time for you to get your hands on some scaffolding, come in and see the friendly team at your local Hirepool branch and get it sorted!
Why you may need to use a scaffolding tower
There’s a huge range of home reno projects that might require you to use a scaffold tower, including painting, roof repairs, gib installation, construction, water blasting, window cleaning and gutter repairs/cleaning to name a few.
When it comes to using scaffolding for home jobs, there are plenty of benefits to hiring the necessary equipment rather than buying it from scaffolding companies. Scaffolding is expensive to purchase, awkward to move and a pain to store. By hiring the equipment, you can save a substantial amount of money, especially for short term jobs where you may only require the scaffolding for a few days. By hiring from a registered outfitter, you can also rest easy, knowing that the equipment you are getting is of great quality and has passed regular scrutinous safety inspections, ensuring you will be as safe as can be when working at heights. Hiring also makes sense if you don’t have the appropriate storage space required for your scaffolding when the job is done.
Preparing to set up a scaffolding tower
It would be very helpful to read over WorkSafe’s comprehensive ‘Scaffolding in New Zealand’ guide and SiteSafe’s ‘Scaffolds’ resource before preparing for the job at hand. There is necessary safety equipment that must be used when erecting, altering, using and dismantling a scaffolding tower. Head protection (i.e. helmet), hand protection (i.e. gloves), foot protection (i.e. closed shoes) and a safety harness are all very important to use.
Choosing the right scaffolding
It’s important that you choose the right scaffolding tower, planks or ladders for the job at hand. Hirepool have a range of mobile scaffoldings available, including: 1.2 metre mobile podium step sets, mobile scaffold towers ranging in height from 1.25 to 4 metres, and also narrow mobile scaffold towers at 2, 3 or 4 metres in height. The team at hirepool can help you decide what type of scaffolding is most suitable for what your home job requires.
During the transportation process of the scaffolding to and from your home, it is critical that it is held securely in position while in a trailer or ute deck with tie downs to prevent the scaffolding from moving.
Pre-checks and safe height to width ratios
Before setting up your scaffolding, there is a list of aluminum scaffolding pre-checks that should be carried out to ensure the structure is safe for operation. In addition to having the previously mentioned safety equipment, you must ensure that the height of the scaffolding you will be working with is under 5 metres. Any scaffolding structure that is over the height of 5 metres can only be erected, altered or dismantled by a person who holds an appropriate “Certificate of Competency” issued under the scaffold regulations.
It’s important to maintain a safe height to width ratio when setting up and using scaffolding. Worksafe for scaffolds over 2m high, you must ensure that the height of the top working platform is no more than three times the minimum base dimension. For scaffolds under 2m high, you must ensure that the height of the top working platform is no more than two times the minimum base dimension.
For all narrow scaffolding, or standard scaffolding over 3 metres in height, you must make sure to use stabilisers to ensure the structure is well supported.
Site safety
Irrespective of the height of your scaffolding tower, you must have guardrails and toe boards fitted to prevent anybody working on the scaffolding from falling off as well as objects, tools and equipment being knocked off and injuring those below. Every component of the structure must be checked over to ensure it is in good working order. If you find any part of the scaffolding tower to be damaged, for your own safety and the safety of others nearby, it is very important that you do not use it. Once you’ve ensured your scaffolding is safe for operation, check the surrounding area for hazards that could affect you while working, such as overhead power lines. If you will be working near power lines, call your local electricity supplier to have the power turned off while you work. You should also only use scaffolding in safe weather conditions, and should be wary of working in high wind.
How to set up scaffolding
When setting up your scaffolding, you should read up on and follow these easy guidelines to ensure the process goes off without a hitch.
Step 1: Move relevant equipment to the work zone
The first step is to move all of your scaffolding equipment to your work zone to make sure you have all of the necessary components. This will make erecting your scaffolding easier as you will have all the scaffolding equipment within close reach and can move from step to step quicker, without having to retrieve pieces of equipment from a different location. Where possible, make sure that the area you will be assembling the scaffolding is level and firm.
Step 2: Engage the locking nut on the wheel casters
To start erecting your scaffolding, engage the locking nut on two wheel casters. This will ensure that the wheels will not move when you are setting up the scaffolding, making the process much easier and a great deal safer.
Step 3: Begin locking the pieces into position
Starting with the vertical sides of your scaffold first, you can begin to lock the pieces of equipment into position. To do this, insert the two wheel casters into your first base frame. Then engage the locking nut on two more wheel casters, and insert these into your second base frame. Depending on the height of the scaffolding you require, you may need to insert another set of base frames on top of your original base frames here. Now you have set up the vertical sides of the scaffold, you can then attach two diagonal braces to the bottom rungs of the first base frame (as close to the insides of the frame as possible) and the opposing end of the brace to the third rung (up 2 spaces) of the second base frame. Check the diagonal braces is fitted as close to the inside of both brace frames as possible, and hard up against the bottom rungs.
Step 4: Lock the pieces into position, using a plane brace, followed by a horizontal brace
Lock the pieces into position, by installing a plane brace diagonally on the vertical base frames, below the first rung. Next, attach 2 horizontal braces (with yellow ends) above the bottom rung on the inside of the first base frame and at the same position on the second base frame.
Step 5: Ensure scaffolding is level and stabilised
- i) Using a horizontal levelling tool, check that both the horizontal brace and the brace frames are level, to ensure the scaffold will be stable.
ii) Next, you can install a temporary access platform, by securing the ends to the second rung on both base frames. Install a ladder where required, making sure it is secured at both the top and bottom rung.
iii) As you assemble your scaffolding higher, be sure to attach a temporary horizontal brace as previously mentioned, to ensure that you are safe while inside the scaffolding and to avoid falling or an injury.
Step 6: Install wooden toe boards and leg adjustments are engaged
Next, you can install toe boards on the working deck (access platforms). This will prevent you or your equipment from being knocked off your scaffolding tower. Also be sure to engage the leg adjustments of the scaffolding.
Tips: Dismantle in the reverse order
When you are finished using your scaffolding, you can begin to dismantle it. This can be done by starting at the top of the scaffold, removing each piece of scaffolding equipment in the reverse order that they were erected. Make sure the caster locks are engaged when you are dismantling the scaffolding. You must also remove any materials or tools on the toe boards before hand. Be sure when you remove an item, to lower them to the ground in a controlled manner and avoid stacking any removed equipment on the existing scaffolding structure, as this can be a hazard. Make sure to remove access platforms before removing horizontal braces at the same height. Lastly, don’t remove diagonal braces until you need to remove the frames to which they are attached.
Check out our instructional video below
