Scaffolding has long been the go-to solution for working at height in the building trade. But while there are many circumstances when erecting a scaffold remains arguably the only viable option, there are times when it is worth pausing to think whether there might be a better alternative.
Powered access platforms, such as boom lifts, scissor lifts and spider lifts, have grown in popularity among contractors in recent years, especially for repair and maintenance work. Here, access rental specialists JPS outline some of the main reasons why you might choose a platform lift in certain circumstances.
Along with access platforms, JPS hires out and erects scaffolding too, as well as supplying a wide range of plant machinery and site equipment. For full details of what we offer, view other services here.
Speed and flexibility
Scaffolding is time-consuming, not to mention expensive, to set up. When you plan works at height that need a scaffold to be erected, you are usually looking at adding a day either side for putting it up and taking it down. If you’ve got a maintenance job that will probably only take one or two days or less, having to put up a scaffold, therefore, becomes very inefficient.
Hiring an access platform offers a much more straightforward solution – you simply drive the plant up to where you need access, and away you go. Powered lifts are also ideal if you need to spot fix in several different places around a building, as you can move it easily to wherever you need to do.
Access hard-to-reach places
Scaffolding becomes even more complex if you need to access out-of-the-way places high up on a building, for example in the middle of a fragile roof or around chimney stacks. Boom and spider lifts provide an ideal solution as they offer considerable horizontal as well as vertical reach.
On a similar note, powered access lifts can solve the problem of having a limited external footprint to work with around the outside of a building, such as if you cannot get access to an adjacent property to erect a scaffold.
Health and safety
One of the reasons scaffolding presents a considerable logistical challenge to set up is because every scaffold has to comply with TG20:13 structural design and safety regulations. Powered access platforms are similarly subject to rigorous health and safety regulations, but the difference is they come ready set up to comply with them and the responsibility lies with the supplier. What you do have to ensure, however, is that whoever you have operating the machinery is fully trained in how to use it, otherwise you could be in breach of health and safety laws.
Cost
Finally, linked to the fact that access platforms are much easier to deploy than scaffolding, they are also generally a lot more cost-effective. As a direct comparison, without the lengthy setup and the need to pay for the time of suitably qualified personnel to do it, hiring an access platform works out considerably cheaper than renting scaffolding, particularly for short-term jobs.
Of course, all of the above is subject to whether it is feasible to do the work you are looking to do from a mobile platform. For most construction work, for long term maintenance projects and for jobs that require a lot of contractors working on-site at once, the extra size, capacity and longevity that scaffolding provides still wins out.