Scaffolding Contractors in Maidenhead | The Hazards Faced When Working at Height
Are you planning a property maintenance or construction project in the Maidenhead area? If yes, it’s highly likely it will involve working at height. You must hire reputable scaffolding erectors to design and assemble a safe, secure structure for your contractors to work on. Put simply, working at height is an incredibly dangerous environment for any professional. As one of the foremost scaffolding companies in the region, PTG Scaffolding can help to create a safe working site.
From access towers to temporary roofs, our scaffolding contractors use more than 20 years of industry experience to minimise work-from-height hazards. As time-served scaffolding erectors, we understand the risks posed to any tradesperson working on or around a scaffold. You can rest assured, our risk assessment of your Maidenhead site identifies – and resolves – all safety concerns.
For an insight into the safety-critical nature of our services, we have listed below some of the most common hazards faced by scaffolding companies and individual trades when working off the ground.
To discuss any of the services we provide as scaffolding contractors, be it temporary roofs, birdcage structures or edge protection, call us on 07557 911 160 or 01189 811 418.
The Most Dangerous Hazards of Working at Height
Distance of Potential Falls
One of the most important aspects of scaffold design is assessing the height objects or people could fall from while working on a raised platform. From these calculations, our scaffolding erectors find ways to limit injuries in the event of such an accident.
This allows us to integrate features into your structure that optimise safety and, by extension, functionality. For example, temporary roofs create an encapsulated, weatherproof environment that reduces the likelihood of slip-related injuries.
Like all reputable scaffolding companies, we use this information as a foundation to make further safety recommendations for your Maidenhead site. These include specialist PPE like fall arrest systems, both for our scaffolding contractors and your own tradespeople.
Falling Objects
While anyone on the scaffold itself faces significant risks, the builders, trades and scaffolding erectors on the ground are exposed to their own dangers. The largest of these comes in the form of objects falling from height.
If tools, building materials or equipment fall from around the upper levels, or from temporary roofs, they pose a huge threat to the safety, and even life, of anyone they strike below.
Ongoing training and good working practices are key to preventing these kinds of accidents. Experienced scaffolding companies like ours issue guidance and advice on safe scaffold use.
Some of the most common safety solutions include:
- Storing items at height so they are hard to topple over
- Use guard rails and toe boards to stop objects falling over the edge
- Set up ground-level access restrictions so people don’t enter dangerous areas
The Weather
In our role as scaffolding contractors, we control every aspect of your scaffold’s safety. Sadly, our scaffolding erectors can’t do the same with the weather in Maidenhead. Conditions can turn without much warning, so it’s important you’re prepared for all eventualities. Be it rain, hail, snow or a heatwave, every kind of weather presents a unique challenge.
Temporary roofs are a great solution in most cases. They prevent rain from creating slippery surfaces. They limit ice, snow and leaf build-ups. On sunny days, they also provide valuable shade.
Strong winds are also a concern for scaffolding companies. They can loosen and even dislodge vital components of your structure. However, for your peace of mind, our scaffolding contractors inspect your framework following adverse weather.