During the lockdown period, many household tasks, such as cleaning gutters or fixing roofs, may come to mind. While some of these jobs can be done without professional help, using scaffolding is necessary for certain tasks. Having the experience of operating large scaffolding towers is important, and that’s where professionals come in.
Do I need Scaffolding for Guttering Replacement?
For small domestic roof repair tasks, it is often deemed appropriate to use a securely anchored ladder, rather than scaffolding, which may seem unnecessary. However, official health and safety guidelines indicate that scaffolding is required for any kind of domestic roof repair work. Before you attempt to clean the guttering, it is essential that you fully consider your ability to do the job safely. Whilst relatively simple, many guttering and roofing jobs are crucial to ensuring your entire building remains in good and stable condition.
If not handled professionally, water can seep in and cause damage to internal ceilings and walls or produce unpleasant odors. If you have any doubts or questions, reach out to Scaffolding Direct London in Solihull, London for assistance.
What are the Rules for a Big Job?
It is commonly advised by health and safety regulations that a proper risk assessment should be conducted if there are more than four workers performing tasks at a height. The assessment often concludes that using scaffolding is the safest method, especially on construction sites in London.
Scaffolding Direct London’s workers who perform roof work will require scaffolding for their safety as well as for the safety of those below. The edge protection around the platform is a crucial aspect of the scaffolding if there is a possibility of tools or materials falling from the roof.
This type of scaffolding can be hired easily from many local scaffolding suppliers. If materials are being passed from the roof to the ground a chute can be fitted to the edge of the scaffolding to allow for safe transportation.
How long will it take?
Scaffolding is often recommended for projects that are expected to last more than a few days or in unpredictable weather conditions. This is because scaffolding can provide protection for an unfinished roof or aid in tasks such as gutter cleaning.
If your repairs involve working on a chimney you should always consider scaffolding to allow you a safe platform to work from. There are other alternatives, but none are as safe as scaffolding and your safety is well worth paying that little bit extra for.
Inspect the Harness
It is crucial to ensure the safety of workers when working at heights. This requires regular inspections of harnesses, including pre-use checks, detailed periodic inspections, and interim inspections, with a frequency of at least once a year.
These must be carried out before each use and should include the following visual and tactile inspections such as:
Webbing – Check the signs of damage like bobbing/strained or badly pulled webbing, cracks, cuts and fraying, as well as loose stitching or fading which may affect the strength.
Buckles – Make sure all rivets are tight and the buckles aren’t bent, chipped or have sharp edges that could damage the rest of the harness.
D-Rings: Check for any signs of distortion, fatigue or rust and make sure the ring pivots freely.
The Straps – You must carefully check the straps and also the rope for signs of fraying or broken fibres, also check for loose stitching.
Most importantly, is the label, serial number and inspection all date? This could be missed if not checked.
Wearing a Harness incorrectly could be dangerous and risk your life if not wearing correctly, so, it is important and essential that you follow these simple instructions and report any damages immediately.