If you are new to the scaffolding game, words like ledgers, transoms, and braces may have you wondering whether trading in your trusted ladder is such a good idea. Knowing the importance of the main scaffolding components will help you get a better understanding of why scaffold towers are the safest access solutions when work needs to be carried out at heights. As the leading manufacturer of scaffolding components, we at Disc-O-Scaff offer construction companies, big and small, as well as access trade, Kwikstage and Selflock scaffold towers.
Scaffolding Components Engineered with Safety in Mind
Here is a list of scaffolding components that have been engineered with safety in mind:
- Base Jacks
Just as your ladder has legs and needs to be placed on a sturdy surface, the same can be said about scaffold towers. As major scaffolding components, base jacks are fitted to the bottom of the standards, or uprights, to bring stability and level the scaffold. They are also vital in distributing the weight evenly and can be adjusted according to your requirements.
- Standards
These vertical poles with “V” pressings at regular intervals play a role in transferring the load of the scaffold onto the ground. Available in varying lengths according to the height of the scaffold tower and the safe working loads of the platforms, these poles simply interlock into each other until the desired height is achieved.
- Ledgers
Also referred to as runners, these scaffolding components support the working platforms of the towers. The “C” pressings and wedges at each end of the ledgers securely connect them between the standards at the “V” pressings. The ledgers determine the working height of the platforms.
- Braces
To secure the rigidity of the scaffold towers, longitudinal and diagonal braces are placed between the ledgers and standards. Braces are critical in ensuring that the scaffolding remains upright and doesn’t collapse in the face of external forces, such as wind.
- Couplers
Often referred to as clamps or fittings, couplers are the connectors that hold the structural elements of the scaffold tower together. Swivel and 90-degree angled couplers are scaffolding components that allow two tubes to be connected to each other at a desired angle. Swivel couplers are normally used when the degree of connectivity is not at a right angle, which comes into play when a diagonal brace is fitted.
- Hook-On Boards
These scaffolding components are safe working platforms. Designed to securely hook onto the scaffold frame, they provide support for the workers and their tools when working at heights. As stable and rigid as a scaffold tower appears to be, if working platforms carry more than the maximum weight allowance, it could compromise the structural integrity of the scaffolding.
These, together with additional safety scaffolding elements such as toe boards and guardrails ensure the structural security and safety of all that operate the scaffold tower.
For modular scaffolding components manufactured using only SABS-approved materials and in accordance with scaffolding standards, contact the leader in scaffolding and formwork solutions, Disc-O-Scaff.