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Can Scaffolding Be Permanent?

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When it comes to construction or repair work be it commercial, industrial or residential, on thing that is common across the board is scaffolding work. Scaffolding is the easiest way to provide support to workers and a strong base to work upon. 

Scaffolding systems are predominantly designed to ensure a safe working arrangement at heights however, in some cases, it is also used as a means to support or stabilize buildings and structures. Commonly, a scaffolding will be incorporated with nets and sheeting to prevent items falling from them on the ground or on someone causing damage. The net and sheeting also provide protection to workers from the weather. 

What are some permanent uses of scaffolding?

Scaffolding work is very agile and does provide an opportunity to reshape and restructure the entire setup easily. This means that for businesses and especially industrial establishments, scaffoldings are a cost effective way to reach places at awkward heights. Having said that, many people do install a scaffolding permanently. Here are a few examples where scaffoldings can be used permanently.

    • Chemical plants or industrial setups where it is not easy to build staircases for every point above ground.
    • Old structures that need support and are lined up for demolition in the near future not more than 5 years.
    • A construction site where years of development is warranted or the development has been halted due to some or the other issue.
    • When access to advertising banners is needed on a regular basis and customized staircases are not an option.

Of course these are only some of the use cases and there are hundreds of other situations where permanent scaffoldings can be of benefit. Having said that, it is of utmost important to note and follow the following steps if you are thinking of installing a permanent scaffolding

  • Use the highest quality materials available like steel and aluminium alloys for both the pipes and fixtures
  • Get the scaffolding inspected once in every 6 months and keep the reports handy to produce in case you are audited by the regulatory bodies
  • Keep the scaffolding covered to avoid damage due to weather
  • It should be noted that scaffolding in Cambridge do get damaged due to corrosion and hence regular replacement of parts and accessories should be carried out to maintain the strength.
  • Lastly, you must have a permission for the local authorities to build and maintain a permanent scaffolding to avoid any penalties from the public works departments.

While scaffoldings are taken off once the construction is complete or the repairs are done, situation which warrant regular inspection or repairs at height do need permanent scaffolding for hire in Sydney. When the access is too complex for a staircase to be built or a custom staircase structure is too expensive for the area, scaffoldings provide an efficient and cheaper way to reach the heights you wish to reach. If you take care of the structure, scaffoldings can last to up to 20 years with minimal costs of repair.