Scaffolding towers are imperative equipment for outdoor work whether cleaning building windows, constructing or adding to a building, or even doing some tree and other high-rise garden, yard, or field work. There is always danger when height is involved in such construction or contracting work, and safe use of a scaffolding tower minimizes the danger.
Perhaps the first and most important safety rule for a scaffolding tower is that the tower must be built safely in the first place, and the ground on which you build the tower is itself safe ground-level and thus affording little to no chance of the scaffold being toppled by either human error or unforeseen condition. The ground should be dry and clear of dirt or debris; the wall, if you plan to use a wall-supported scaffolding tower, should be scouted for tie-in locations to ensure the scaffold's maximum securing. However, if you must work on softer ground, be sure you include footing pads or boards beneath the scaffold to give you a solid base to build and work on it.
Wheels Casters
To build your scaffolding tower safely you should use at least one other person beside yourself (especially if you are building a small-access tower) or a team of people-some of whom will do the building, others of whom will inspect and make sure the right tools are ready to use at the precise moment they will be needed. All your team should wear safety harnesses. No rusty components should be used to build the tower. Any locking parts of the scaffold assembly must be inspected and checked for possible straining or malfunction before they are added to the structure. In addition, casters must be inspected and checked for undamaged wheels and tires and properly functioning lever brakes.
For a smaller tower you can use a simple ladder safely, but for a larger tower you should consider building a stairway that can be secured safely yet moved as needed without difficulty when it is time to move the scaffold to the next building or work location. You and your crew will need a safe way to get to the scaffold's upper levels and to move the stairway with the scaffold when you shift work spots.
You will also need extra bracings on all levels of the tower if there will be a great deal of weight on the structure or you will be working with heavy equipment on any upper level of the tower.
And, perhaps most important of all next to the strength and condition of your scaffold tower material, you and your partners or team must be registered as competent to build, inspect, and use tower scaffolds. Normally, this involves a recognized and thorough training course on building and using these towers having been completed and passed within three-year periods. In addition, those who will build the tower with you must have the instruction manual provided by the tower materials' manufacturers at all times while the structure is under assembly.