Common sense and the laws of physics mean that scaffolding assemblies cannot climb to extreme heights. The recommended safety guidelines in Australia account for this fact, and all erection teams must abide by these rules. However, there are a range of different types of scaffolding, and you can’t get away with a “one size fits all” approach.
How High Can Scaffolding Be Built?
The load bearing abilities of a scaffolding framework depend very much on the materials they are constructed from. Even if you had the best scaffolding team in the world working their hardest to follow correct erection procedures, an assembly made from materials like light gauge alloys or soft gauge steel would still be crushed under its own weight. Complete Scaffold Solutions design our own proprietary brand of aluminium scaffolding from Australian materials, so you can put your trust in our products.
Even though some of this may sound worrying, the good news is that some factors that relate to scaffolding are constant and predictable, like gravity. When assessing the height at which scaffolding can be erected at, make a note of the width of the framework. Generally, you can apply a four to one base-to-height ratio,and doing this will also help your scaffolding expert find tie off points during the erection process.
Stable Scaffolding Height Ratios
Any scaffolding expert should hold a strong amount of common sense. When working with mobile scaffolding towers, any competent person would recommend that you avoid heights of more than twelve metres. In some cases, you may be able to slightly increase this by using outriggers or height jacks, but this equipment must be used carefully and sparingly. When working with staging assets above eighteen metres that have been properly erected, using the four-to-one ratio is encouraged. Once again, this rule will only work in cases where tie-offs have been made to a fully stable structure. After everything else has been considered, the guidelines of the manufacturer will impact this – Complete Scaffold Solutions can give you the correct information about cross-member diameters, steel gauges and much more.
A very tall system of properly coupled staging can work perfectly up until a certain point, but eventually it will reach a height where it is no longer safe for workers. To deal with this problem, there are actions that you and the scaffolding team can take to keep the structure stable like using ties, outriggers and braces. Its important to remember that even if there are no workers on the scaffolding, it can still topple as a result of imbalances if it has been constructed too high.
Contact the Best Scaffolding Manufacturers in Australia
There is no reason to use foreign, unsuitable scaffolding products that are unstable when they are used at heights. Instead, be sure to choose the Australian experts at Complete Scaffold Solutions. We design and fabricate our own proprietary brand of aluminium scaffolding and swing stages. Contact us today by calling 1300 266 777.