Save Time On Your Site By Using Scaffolding!

To guarantee the safety of workers on a site, it is wise to opt for the installation of scaffolding as soon as the work is carried out at height. In fact, there are numerous accidents linked to workers who carry out balanced tasks on unsuitable supports. To reduce the risk of accidents or falling objects, we advise you to secure your site by installing a solid and stable scaffolding, which meets the standards in force.

Why use scaffolding?
The answer seems quite obvious and yet we still see that some craftsmen prefer to do without it, so as not to waste time with the installation. Pretending that the price is too high is a very unconvincing argument, because you can easily find a cheap scaffolding like those of IFD-tooling, which can suit all your work projects. The scaffolding is a very practical installation which makes it possible to secure a work site for professionals by preventing people and objects from falling, and which also facilitates the handling of tools as well as access to hard to reach places.

Scaffold for House Work
By installing scaffolding, you will appreciate being able to work efficiently by moving more freely and without fear of falling . In order to be sure that your installation is not a source of accidents at work, it is advisable to check its structure regularly and to check each element. If you find that the scaffolding is in poor condition or that it could be damaged by a failure, it is better to replace it or make sure that it can be repaired immediately.


The different types of scaffolding
Depending on your needs, you will be able to choose from a very varied range of scaffolding.

Scaffolding with fixed or foot structure
It is the scaffolding that is most often installed for work on the facades of buildings. They are firmly fixed to the ground to guarantee high stability and allow work on several levels thanks to the installation of rigid platforms. Reinforced by railings, they ensure the safety of workers.

The mobile scaffolding
You will be able to find mobile rolling and folding scaffolding. The great advantage of this type of scaffolding is the mobility and the ease of moving it thanks to the wheels. However, it remains very stable and offers great versatility. Mobile scaffolding is commonly used by building professionals, but also by window cleaning companies or for building maintenance.

Scaffolding on console
This type of suspended scaffolding is installed in cantilever on a slope or a vertical wall. It is very appreciated by professionals who work on frames or roofs for the latitude of movement it allows. The metal consoles are fitted with floors and side protections for maximum security.

Make sure that the people who will have to assemble and dismantle the scaffolding are trained for this maneuver. The platforms and escape routes must not be laid carelessly, most accidents are moreover linked to an improper installation of the scaffolding. Remember to check the conformity of the equipment before each site for always safe work!

Why some scaffolding systems are painted and other types are galvanized

Painted scaffolding: what is the point?

Kwikstage - Painted

Painted scaffolding of the Kwikstage system: manufactured and supplied by the St Helens plant

Scaffolding is painted for many reasons, the first and most important; Painted scaffolding reduces rust and corrosion. Regardless of the type of scaffolding used for the task in question, scaffolds of all types must be structurally sound and stable.

Over time, environmental factors and general wear, scaffolding decreases. When the scaffolding is painted, it provides a "shell" finish that prohibits the consequences of water contact on metal, eliminating oxidation of the metal underneath.

customized scaffold 

Scaffolding, although sometimes they are customized to be indicative of a company's brand or corporate colors. It is painted for durability, safety and reliability.

Painted scaffolding systems tend to be types of scaffolding systems such as; Cuplock and Kwikstage. Tube and accessory systems are generally kept galvanized.

Galvanized scaffolding: is it cheaper?

Galvanized scaffolding, popular although not as common as painted systems, mainly due to large cost differences.

The average Joe would assume that surely the system that has no paint is cheaper to buy or hire than the system that is painted.

Cuplock

Fully galvanized scaffolding with Cuplock system: supplied and manufactured by the St Helens plant

That is not the case, because scaffolds that are manufactured as fully galvanized systems undergo an additional process in order to completely galvanize and essentially seal the metal from all oxidation and corrosion. The galvanization process is more timely and, therefore, more expensive for the manufacturer and the customer.

So why bother buying galvanized scaffolding?

Galvanized system scaffolding is sought, at the right price.

The reason is that galvanized systems have a much longer lifespan than painted systems, in addition to requiring much less maintenance and repair.

Many maritime, oil and gas and marine industries opt for a fully galvanized system scaffolding, commonly opting for a fully galvanized Cuplock.

Painted V galvanized scaffolding

Painted and galvanized scaffolding systems have their own pros and cons, along with variable costs and benefits.

More often, painted systems are used within sectors and environments that do not experience adverse environmental conditions. Mainly due to the fact that when painted systems are used, the paint splinters and wears through the installation, use and removal of scaffolding. When that happens, the component or part can oxidize, resulting in an eventual oxide and a defective component that requires reconditioning, repainting and structural strength testing.

Galvanized systems, on the other hand, have a much higher lifespan, with the ability to be installed in hostile marine environments, without the risk of paint chips to allow oxidation and oxidation. Fully galvanized scaffolding requires much less maintenance compared to painted systems.

Safe up and down with the construction elevator

The range of construction lifts is large: It ranges from a simple ladder lift, in which an (electro) motor drive drives something up in a transport frame, to compact rope lifts for tradesmen and transport platforms, to people and material lifts with a load capacity of several tons and possible delivery heights up to 400 m. Whether new construction or renovation, scaffolding or facade work: all materials and / or people find their way up safely and effortlessly with the help of a construction elevator. The quick assembly makes the construction hoist profitable even at low heights. A wide variety of designs, variants and load suspension devices such as universal or wooden platforms, tipping buckets or rubble troughs are available to safely move building materials onto the roof. Construction lifts for the pure material transport cover load capacities up to 500 kg depending on the provider and are the ideal partner for scaffolding and general roof work. If you want to transport people as well as materials, transport platforms are the first choice.

Hoist

Material Hoists
The smallest variant of a construction hoist and, to a certain extent, the forefather of this species is the ladder lift: a standard ladder based on the building is used - first by hand, later with motor support - to pull material up with a rope or chain. The latest solution, recently introduced by Geda, is the battery ladder lift - an elevator for transporting a wide variety of materials that works wirelessly thanks to battery technology. Here, a winch transports material up to 10 kg up to 10 m above a ladder system. Set up by just one person in less than five minutes, this model with a 24 V / 10 Ah Li-Ion battery drive transports from 0 to 15 m / min at the push of a button - controlled by a radio remote control; WLAN control via mobile phone app is also possible.

epending on the provider, there are also conveyor baskets, bucket carriers, cable pots, swivel arm brackets, special load platforms and the like. The lifts are available in different sizes, the lightest can be attached to almost any car as trailer versions. Take the Toplight21 inclined elevator model from Klaas, for example, which only weighs 750 kg and has a head of 21 m. Buckles ensure optimal adjustments to the roof pitch. Inclined lifts, which are mainly used for roof work, are usually equipped with supports made of solid steel, which ensure good stability. Other manufacturers such as Geda also have inclined lift variants (Geda Lift) that are especially suitable for roof work.

If you want to transport people as well as material, the so-called transport platforms are recommended. They can be flexibly adapted to the conditions on site thanks to a variety of different platform variants, load capacities and delivery heights and, thanks to separate controls, can be used either as a construction hoist for the pure material transport or just as a transport platform for people and material. If construction site use requires a closed cabin, there are also suitable solutions - for example models from the Geda Multilift or PH series. The versatile all-rounders, which are no longer based on a simple ladder or rope principle, but are anchored to the scaffolding or facade with stable masts and driven by a rack,

They are available with various safety devices such as speed-dependent safety gear, safety stop and overload cut-off. These powerful rack and pinion lifts also impress with their small footprint and great stability. According to the manufacturer Böcker, the compact Super-Lift rack series with minimum installation dimensions (1.40 x 0.85 m) is particularly suitable for cramped construction site situations; it takes up little space and can also be swiveled by 90 degrees.

Scaffolding and individual platforms

In the absence of a permanent work plan that is secure or that can be equipped with temporary collective protections, non-mechanized temporary equipment (individual platforms, rolling scaffolding and foot scaffolding) provide collective protection for access and work. in height.

Scaffolding

In many cases, scaffolding can meet a safety objective when it comes to working at height. However, depending on the design and / or use of the equipment itself, there may be a risk during assembly and disassembly. Obligations and rules for safe use must be observed.


Temporary Stairways
A scaffold is "work equipment, composed of elements temporarily mounted in order to constitute work stations at height and allowing access to these stations as well as the delivery of products and materials necessary for the performance of the work »(Definition given in the decree of December 21, 2004 / article 1) .These equipments are subject to certain design rules (stability, admissible load, railings, floors, means of access…) or use (training users in particular).

A distinction is usually made between (fixed) foot scaffolding, rolling scaffolding and console scaffolding.

Choice of material
The choice of equipment must result from an analysis of needs (nature and duration of the work, staggered working heights to be served on the structure, etc.) and constraints (linked to the environment in general and to the building on which one must intervene in particular, with the roadway, with the nature of the ground…).

The conformity of the selected material with the minimum requirements of solidity, stability and security is evaluated with reference to the standards which relate to it. We preferentially retain equipment whose manufacture benefits from the right to use the NF mark "Site equipment", when it applies to the family concerned. The NF mark not only attests to compliance with standards, but takes into account, in the additional specifications of the standard, the requirements of the regulations and the recommendations of prevention organizations.

Foot scaffolding (fixed)
The foot scaffolding are systems prefabricated components that can respond to requests for use for large-scale projects and long-term, requiring workstations at height and allowing access to these positions and routing equipment necessary for carrying out the work.


They can be of 2 types:

frame systems, especially suitable for the construction of facade scaffolding,
multidirectional / multilevel systems, which can lend themselves to the production of more complex structures, particularly in an industrial environment.

The compliance of foot scaffolding systems with the minimum requirements of solidity, stability and security is assessed by reference to several standards (NF EN 12810-1, NF EN 12810-2, NF EN 12811-1, NF EN 12811 -2, NF EN 12811-3). Foot scaffolding falls within the scope of the NF Site Equipment mark. The additional requirements of the standard include the requirement that the certified models have at least one configuration for safe mounting and dismounting (MDS).


So-called tube and fitting scaffolding is no longer likely to meet current regulatory requirements.


Different types of individual rolling platforms

Individual light rolling platforms (PIRL): weighing less than 50 kg, they offer a working platform whose height can go up to 1.50 m and dimensions up to 0.80 m × 1.00 m. Compact in the folded position, they pass through openings and stairs which makes them particularly suitable for small interior works.
Individual rolling platforms (PIR): they offer a working platform whose height can reach 2.50 m and the dimensions 0.80 m × 1.50 m. Their stability is higher than that of PIRLs. They said "portable" when their mass does not exceed 50 kg, which is the case with the vast majority of equipment offered on the market. In addition, their use requires lifting means for their handling which reserves them for structural work, outdoors.