Scaffold Tower Safety Guide
Before you start
Read the manufacturer's instructions supplied with the tower. Every model has a specific assembly sequence and a stated maximum free-standing height. Those instructions take precedence over anything on this page.
Check the ground. Firm and level. On soft ground, spread the load with sole boards. On a slope, use the adjustable legs to level the base — do not pack under the castors with timber offcuts.
Check the components. Bent, cracked or damaged parts do not go in the tower. If something arrives damaged, stop and call +44 7366 166 658 — we will replace it.
Building the tower
- Build to the manufacturer's sequence, in order
- Deploy the stabilisers as the instructions specify, before the tower reaches
the height where they are required
- Fit guardrails and toeboards to every working platform
- On an AGR tower, the guardrail is fitted from the level below — that is the
point of it, so use it that way
- Lock all castors before anyone climbs
Competence
Anyone building, altering, moving or dismantling a tower should be PASMA trained, or working under the direct supervision of someone who is. This is the recognised competence standard in the UK. See our PASMA guide.
Loading
Every tower has a safe working load stamped on the manufacturer's plate and stated in the assembly guide supplied with it. Check it before you load the platform — it is the total, covering the people as well as the tools and materials.
Two people plus a heavy unit gets close to the limit on most towers. Lift heavy items separately with a rope and a bucket rather than carrying them up the tower. If you need the figure for a specific tower before you book, call us and we will read it off the model.
Wind
Free-standing towers are vulnerable to wind, especially with sheeting or boards attached.
- Around 17mph — stop work and come off the tower
- Around 25mph — dismantle the tower or tie it to the structure
- Never leave a free-standing tower up overnight in exposed conditions without
securing it
Manufacturer guidance supplied with the tower takes precedence over these figures. There is more on reading a forecast and what turns a tower into a sail in how windy is too windy, and on what the tower stands on in grass, gravel or a slope.
Moving the tower
- Nobody on the platform. Ever.
- No materials or tools left on the platform
- Retract or lift the stabilisers only as far as the instructions allow
- Push at the base, not the top
- Check for overhead obstructions — especially overhead power lines. Aluminium
conducts.
- Re-deploy stabilisers and lock castors before anyone climbs again
Inspection
Inspect the tower:
- Before first use
- After assembly or any alteration
- After anything that could affect stability — an impact, high wind, a move
- At intervals your risk assessment requires
Electrical work: aluminium conducts
Our towers are aluminium. Near live conductors or overhead lines that is a hazard, not a detail. Where your risk assessment calls for non-conductive access you need a GRP (fibreglass) tower — we do not hire those, and we would rather tell you that than send the wrong tower.
Outdoors, treat overhead lines as live and keep the tower well clear, including while moving it.
What a tower is not
A tower gets you to the work. It is not edge protection for working on a roof slope, and it is not a substitute for a full scaffold on a long elevation.
The manufacturer's limits in full
Every tower we hire is supplied with the manufacturer's assembly and use manual, and these are the figures it sets. They are not our interpretation — where our advice and the manual differ, the manual wins, and where a specific model's manual gives a different number, that number wins over this page.
| Limit | |
|---|---|
| Wind — stop work | 38 km/h (about 24 mph, Beaufort 6) |
| Wind — moving the tower | Never move it in wind. Tie it to the structure and wait |
| Ground | Level, flat and firm only. Base plates or U-profiles under castors on soft ground |
| Out of plumb | 1% maximum — 4cm at 4m |
| People assembling | Two minimum, both trained on that type of tower |
| Stabilisers | Required above 2.5m, recommended below it wherever there are sideways forces |
| Rest platform | One at least every 4m |
| Height when moving | Drop to 6m maximum first |
| Stabilisers when moving | Raise no more than 10cm |
| Inspection | Before every use, after any storm, and by a specialist annually for professional use |
What the tower must never be used for
- Lifting by crane, or being suspended
- Reaching or transferring to another structure
- Mixing components from another manufacturer — the strength and stability calculations do not
cover mixed systems
- Standing on braces, stabilisers or horizontals
- Raising the platform height with a ladder, box or anything else
- Widening the platform with boards that are not part of the system
Sheeting, netting and banners
The standard configuration calculations do not include them. Anything attached to the tower that catches wind changes how it behaves completely, and the thresholds above no longer apply. If you need sheeting, tell us before the hire rather than deciding on site.
Each tower page lists the limits that apply at that specific height, and the exact parts that come with that configuration.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is the single most common tower accident?
Falling during assembly or dismantling, before the guardrails are in place. That is precisely what the advanced guardrail method removes — the guardrail is fitted from the level below so nobody stands on an unprotected platform. It is also why the build sequence in the assembly guide matters more than any other instruction we give you.
When is it too windy to use a tower?
Stop work in strong winds and reduce the height or tie the tower in before conditions get there — the manufacturer's guide for your model gives the limits. A tower is a sail; the taller it is and the more sheeting on it, the sooner wind becomes the deciding factor.