Safety is one of the most important parts of what we do as builders. It is our responsibility to ensure the safety, of ourselves, our subcontractors, our clients and the public. Scaffolding, is used predominately to protect ourselves and our subcontractors.

There are two different height requirements for scaffold, one for residential work and one for commercial work.

Residentially, once the fall height reaches 3 meters, scaffolding must be installed.

Commercially, once the fall height reaches 2 meters, scaffolding must be installed.

There are two different styles of scaffolding, one is to provided a safe work platform, and the other is to provide protection from a fall. Protection from a fall would typically include situations like edge protection being installed when working on a roof, and a safe work platform would be required when working at a height.

This is an example of stage scaffolding to provide a safe work platform and for edge protection.

Scaffolding can be as simple as trestles and planks, or as complex as stage scaffolding, which is custom built by a licensed scaffolder to provide greater protection over large spaces or where a bigger platform is required. When stage scaffolding is installed, it is required to have a certificate attached outlining the details of the scaffolding, any changes to this must also be performed by a licensed scaffolder and the certificate updated by them to reflect the change.

Have you had an experience with scaffolding? Did you know there were two different height requirements?

Nicole xxx