When you think of working at height around the house, your mind probably naturally gravitates towards the idea of a ladder. And there is no doubt that a ladder is an essential tool to have around the house to get up to areas out of the reach for quick jobs – but that doesn’t mean that it is always the right piece of equipment to use. In fact, many people are guilty of using ladders incorrectly which can, quite simply, put them in danger.
For many DIY tasks and other things you need to get done around the house, it can actually be a much better idea to work with a scaffold tower. It is common to see scaffold towers on construction sites, but they can be just as useful around the house. Equipment providers recommend scaffold towers for home use due to the fact they are ‘nearly always more stable than ladders, help speed up work and do not need to be constantly repositioned’, Precipitous.
1. Home improvements
There are a huge number of home improvement tasks that call for work at height. From painting and decorating to fixing lighting or re-plastering, there’s always something that needs doing. And unless you are happy to invest a lot of your money in hiring professional tradespeople then you’re going to have to put in some of the time and effort yourself.
While you might be happy to do it yourself, you might be surprised to learn that more 200,000 people are injured every year carrying out DIY. Working from a scaffold tower will make you much safer compared to trying to do the same job from a ladder. This is especially true if the work that you are carrying out will mean that you need to be at height for significant periods of time.
2. Cleaning the exterior
One of the major jobs that you need to do to your home is carrying out cleaning to the exterior. This includes everything from windows on the top floors that may not get a real thorough cleaning, to washing down the walls and scraping out the gutters. These jobs may not need to be done on a hugely regular basis, but when they do need attending to, it makes sense to do it all at the same time.
Getting up on a ladder to carry out some of these tasks isn’t really an option – they are two-handed jobs that require dexterity. So, it is a much better idea to work from a platform such as a scaffold tower when you need to get them done.
3. Work in the garden
It’s not just the actual home itself that needs work done – if you have a garden then there are plenty of tasks that need to be carried out regularly and require some form of access equipment. If you have trees or tall hedges that require pruning, then you need a way to get up their safely unless you are happy to shell out on a professional gardener.
Don’t take the risk of awkwardly propping a ladder up against a tree and hoping that it doesn’t fall while you quickly carry out the work – this can be very dangerous. Take the time to setup a scaffold tower and do your gardening work safely and properly.
4. Cat rescues
Having a scaffold tower to hand can be extremely useful if you have an adventurous cat that enjoys climbing trees but can’t always safely navigate down again. It can leave you feeling a little silly having to call out the fire service to reach a stuck cat, and you don’t want to be trying to reach it from a ladder.
5. Christmas decorations
Finally, there is the task of setting up and getting down your Christmas decorations. This can be time consuming and needlessly dangerous if you are working from a ladder. It’s a job that many homeowners dread (despite loving the festive results). It can be much safer to work from a scaffold tower, as well as saving you a lot of time having to constantly go up and down, as well as repositioning your ladder.
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