The last 15 years have seen significant changes to workplace health and safety legislation, which has resulted in penalties to contractors and building owners for any breaches. Along with the substantial increase in high-rise developments, organising quotes for building maintenance has become a much more complex and detailed process to ensure the onsite safety of maintenance tradespeople.
A major consideration property owners currently face is whether it is better to access the high areas of a building by rope (abseil), or scaffold. In this feature article highlighting the importance of onsite safety,we will review the advantages and disadvantages of each access methodology and shine some light on this question.
Scaffolding
Scaffold has long been considered the safest form of accessing high areas.There are numerous types of these platforms to fulfil particular needs, but as this article is mostly concerned with high-level access, we will look at the pros and cons of fixed, swing stage and mast climber scaffolding.
Fixed (Static)
There are two types of fixed scaffolding: steel and aluminium. Both can be expensive and invasive, but are usually a very safe form of access. The steel scaffold is generally used for building projects that are over 10 metres in height, where the scaffold needs to encapsulate the building, and when it is required for a long period of time. While the hire cost of fixed steel scaffold is lower than aluminium, the costs for installation and dismantle are far more expensive.
Aluminium scaffold is designed for building repaints and maintenance up to a height of 9 metres where small sections of the building are scaffolded and the scaffold is dismantled and moved around the building as needed. It is a very stable and accessible method for low to medium height areas, which also gives clients the opportunity to inspect work as it is being carried out.
Swing Stage
The swing stage is a suspended working platform swung from roof areas and operated by two workers inside using motorised cables to gain safe access to the adjacent work area. It is a time saving and cost effective alternative to a fixed scaffold system, as it is quick and easy to transport, install, relocate and dismantle, plus it can be used at unlimited working height.
While it is statistically very safe, the risk of swing stage is much higher than all other forms of scaffolding, so legislation surrounding its use is heavily regulated and can be invasive to building owners. There are limits on weight, how many people can work from the stage platform and what training and experience they need. Work can also be slower overall than on static scaffold due to the down time associated with moving the stage into position each time. While technically a client can inspect work from a swing stage, this isn’t always achievable as specific licenses
are required and most people aren’t comfortable being in a swing stage 20m off the ground.
Mast Climber
Mast climbers are a relatively new, but very safe and increasingly popular method of accessing high areas. They are best used on very high, broad wall areas, when swing stages aren’t appropriate and can range from 5m to 30m in width and span up to 100m high when tied into the building.
Clients can also safely and easily inspect works from a mast climber, but the downside is that they are significantly more expensive than swing stage scaffolds to set up and dismantle.
Rope Access (Abseiling)
Accessing high areas from ropes sometimes has a distinct advantage by being cheaper and less invasive, but there are certain disadvantages that building owners should be made aware of. Also, access by rope isn’t always achievable due to large overhangs, unsuitable roof types or the kind of work required (such as concrete repairs, removal of loose render or gutter replacement).
So some things to consider are as follows. Anchor points usually need to be installed, which can sometimes cause damage to roof membranes and create areas for water penetration. Also, production rates when abseiling are often half that of appropriate scaffolding options, so what you might save in access costs can be eroded by higher labour costs.
Tradesman trained as abseilers provide the best option for quality of work, but will be slower than experienced abseilers until they have been doing it for many years, which can therefore affect labour costs. Clients do not have the chance to inspect work being completed, so they must rely on the word of the contractor that the job has been completed correctly.
The perception is that abseiling saves costs, and for a small job that may well be the case. However, when you consider higher labour costs, completion timelines, quality, inspection and warranty compliance on larger projects, standard access methods are sometimes a better, and in some cases, cost neutral alternative.
There is no hard and fast rule about which methodology is better, rather each system needs to be considered with regards to onsite safety, project timeframe and cost effectiveness for each job. Therefore, when considering major building maintenance, it is of huge benefit for building owners to seek the opinion of companies that have experience and detailed knowledge in the use of all forms of scaffolds and rope access, as they are in a position to recommend the best form of access for your building.
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