

The standard also now allows the manufacturer to have more freedom when building them meaning that if a consumer wants a tower less than 2m high they are now able to consider access from outside the tower if the strict rules on stability are followed. The standard now covers all towers from the ground up rather than just covering those towers from 2.5m onwards. This new standard will enhance mobile scaffold tower safety. What will the new standard mean for businesses?
#Building a scaffold tower manuals#
Part 2 of the standard is still yet to be published which will cover instruction manuals because at present these are covered within BS EN 1298.
#Building a scaffold tower windows#
For example, cleaning windows with a water fed extension pole, or assessing roof work with a drone. At the outset of any task, the first question you should always ask is do I need to work at height? This is the first step in the hierarchy of controls, elimination, can you redesign the job to eliminate working at height by thinking about alternative ways that activities can be done without having to work at height.You have a duty to assess the risks that could pose a risk of harm to the health, safety and welfare of employees and implement control measures to reduce the likelihood of harm occurring to so far as is reasonably practicable. This is a legal requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The employers first duty is to assess the hazard of working at height.Mobile Scaffold Tower Safety & Working at HeightĮmployers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to ensure that the employees’ health, safety and welfare is protected as so far as is reasonably practicable.

It is important that any work at height is properly assessed and controlled. Many falls from height are preventable with the correct controls in place. The number of workers killed is the lowest it has been, but evidence suggests Covid-19 may have impacted the figures and helped drive down the numbers. Falls from Heightįalls from height is one of the leading causes for workplace fatalities accounting for a quarter of all worker deaths each year and the HSE reported that in 2019/2020, there were 111 workers killed at work which equates to a rate of 0.34 deaths per 100,000 workers.

The aim of the article is to provide guidance on what a scaffold tower is, addressing the standard governing scaffold towers and the duties/checks for managing and maintaining mobile scaffold tower safety. This article is aimed at companies who use a scaffold tower but may also be beneficial to those who hire contractors who potentially may use a scaffold tower as part of their work. Mobile Scaffold Tower Safety | An Essential Guide for Employers
