About scaffolds

A scaffold is a temporary structure to support the original structure, as well as workmen, use it as a platform to carry on construction work.

There are different types of scaffolding

1. Tubes and fittings(steel scaffolding)
2.Walkthrough frames
3. Kwik stage system
4. Ringlock


Tubes and fittings.

Traditional tubes and fitting system scaffolding, consist of steel scaffolding pipes of 48.3mm diameter x 3mm thickness and couplers of BS/EN74 that are used to join them together to form a superstructure that can either support slab, construct a scaffolding tower, scaffolding rack, facade scaffolding, stand-alone scaffolding, cantilever scaffolding, bridge scaffolding and many other more. all these designs comply to TG20:13/ BS/EN 12811 and work at height regulations.

Liberty events and contracts scaffolding offers you with traditional tubes and fittings scaffolding systems
Can also provide labor to assemble and dismantle depending on the scope of the project.




Walkthrough frames

Frame scaffolding is very commonly used in Kenya, This type of scaffolding is used for light-duty jobs such as; painting, renovations, repair work, installations, cleaning, plastering, and general maintenance, etc. This frames scaffolding can either buy or hire for local scaffolding companies in Kenya.

SCAFFOLD SAFETY TIPS

 Preventing accidents in the workplace

Workplace safety is a vital part of any working environment. Construction sites are accident prone areas but the only way to reduce the chances of the occurrence of one whether major or minor is to use preventive measures.
Some of these are:




                                                     1.Use of Personal Protective Equipment. (PPE)

PPE plays a vital role in reducing accidents/injuries or deaths when working in a construction site thus any person working in a construction site should wear proper PPE. Helmets, gloves, Safety boots, reflective clothing should be worn at all times for those working at places without the risk of falling. Scaffolders should wear harnesses, helmets, gloves safety boots and reflective clothing when working at a height above 6 feet from the ground.


                                                      2. Use of Safety signs.

Construction sites have many people from the site managers, workers to visitors. Therefore people should be notified of the risks, hazards when working on the site. This is achieved by the use of proper signs in the site. These signs help people to avoid accidents in the workplace.

3. Toolbox Talk
Every site manager/supervisor should have a toolbox talk with the workers before they start any work. These talks help them to discuss on possible risks on the workplace, where they might occur and how to prevent them from happening and in case one happens, what procedures workers may take.

Scaffolders Training at LECS

Scaffolder  Training Guide.

Build your career and improve your skills, we offer the following courses.

a) Scaffolder Basic – 1

  4 day course designed for employees with little or no knowledge of   scaffolding.

Course Content

Ø  Industry  Induction

Ø  Use and application of materials tools & PPE

Ø  Handling loading & offloading of materials

Ø  Identification & marking of defective materials & quarantine

Ø  Preparing scaffold foundations.

Ø  Erect and dismantle scaffold tower.

Pre-requisites

-          Little or no knowledge of Scaffolding.

      (Max 12 persons per class)

b) Scaffolder Basic – 2

    4 day course designed for employees with scaffolding knowledge wishing

    to improve their experience.

Course Content

Ø  Erect and dismantle mobile & static tower.

Ø  Erect and dismantle tied independent scaffold.

Ø  Erect and dismantle birdcage scaffold.

Ø  Erect and dismantle ladder access.

     Pre-requisites

-          Scaffolder Basic 1 Qualification or

-          12 – 18 months Practical site experience   

      (Max 12 persons per class)

C) Advanced Scaffolder

4 day course designed for employees with good scaffolding knowledge who wish to progress to more technical works.

Course Content

Ø  Erect and dismantle stage & seating stand.

Ø  Erect and dismantle cantilever & truss out scaffold.

Ø  Erect and dismantle birdcage scaffold.

Ø  Erect and dismantle hanging scaffold.

Ø  Interpret & work from scaffold drawing.

Pre-requisites

-          Scaffolder Basic 2 qualification

-          30 – 36 months Practical Site experience

     (Max. 12 person per class)

d) Supervisor Level - 1

   4 day course designed for scaffolders with 3 years site experience and good all round

   scaffolding knowledge.

Course Content

Ø  Basic supervisory skills.

Ø  Team leadership skills.

Ø  Communication skills (with subordinate and supervisor)

Ø  Disciplinary methods and procedures.

Ø  Organisations of work for optimise productivity.

Ø  Sufficient knowledge of company HSE program to ensure safety of scaffold crews.

Ø  Final checking of work before submitting for inspection

            Pre-requisites

-          Advanced Scaffolder qualification plus 3 year min. Site experience

        (Max. 10 person per class)

e) Scaffolding Inspector

 

  5 day course designed for employees with excellent knowledge of scaffolding

    erection, dismantling & HSE requirements.

Course Content

Ø  Knowledge of applications and limitations of different types of scaffold.

Ø  Knowledge and application of safe working loads of scaffold components.

Ø  Knowledge of the requirement for stability against overturning of free standing platforms and the purpose of scaffold ties and the various conditions that affect the tie spacing requirement.

Ø  Knowledge of ISO - 18001 requirements including the application to scaffolding operation and the responsibility of the person inspecting the scaffold.

Ø  Documentation relevant to the inspector role, including the scaff-tag, scaffold inspectors register and hand over certificate.

Pre-requisites

-          Advanced Scaffolder qualification with 3 year min. Site experience.

-          Basic understanding of HSE requirements.

     (Max. 10 person per class)

Why Steel scaffolding is the best

STEEL SCAFFOLD IS THE BEST COMPARED TO WOODEN SCAFFOLD

The use of wooden scaffold has been in use since ancient times. It was used by the Egyptian to build the pyramids.
Many small scale contractors in Kenya opt to use wooden scaffold because it's easily available and cheap.

There are factors that support that steel scaffold is more superior than the wooden scaffold. These are;

1. SAFE TO WORK ON

The steel scaffold is safer than the wood scaffold as it is stable and strong to bear heavy loads. It can also resist strong winds which would weaken a wooden scaffold. The wooden scaffold has a better advantage over the steel scaffold as it acts as an insulator. As long as you have done the insulating measures like using the lightning rod, it will ensure staff safety from getting struck by lightning. It is advisable not work on a scaffold in stormy conditions.

2.LONGER LIFE

When subjected to various conditions like water, heat, insects, the wooden scaffold lifetime will be shortened as these conditions weaken the scaffold.

For the steel scaffold, only rust pose a big danger for its durability. But, when anti-rust measures are used, the scaffold will last longer than the wooden scaffold.

3. ECO-FRIENDLY

The use of steel scaffold plays a big role in the efforts to conserve the environment as it reduces the number of trees cut to be used as a wooden scaffold. Steel can be recycled and used again as a raw material for the manufacture of steel scaffold.

4. STEEL SCAFFOLD IS IN FORM OF VARIOUS STRUCTURES
Since the steel scaffold was put into use, it has been designed into several kinds of types. Theses are cuplock scaffolding, Kwikstage scaffolding, Tubes, and fitting scaffold, Ringlock scaffold. The structure of wooden scaffold is simpler thus the steel scaffold can satisfy the market demand.

For the above facts, we can conclude that the steel scaffold is more superior than the wooden scaffold.

Types of scaffolding systems

TYPES OF SCAFFOLDS & THEIR USES

There is a surprising range of scaffolding types that can be used in construction and for other purposes. The general principle of a scaffolding construction, whether it is a static, rolling, or any other type of construction, remains the same – to provide a platform for workers and materials while work takes place.

Most often seen in construction projects, scaffolding structures and other constructs can be used for a variety of purposes. It is common to see scaffolding being used for repair work, to access high objects, for window cleaning tall buildings, and more. Choosing the most appropriate form of scaffold structure is an important stage in the project that you are undertaking.

1. Supported Scaffolding

This is the most commonly used form of scaffolding and is the type that you will see being used in construction work and on most other forms of work where elevation is required. Extra support may be required if the scaffolding will be long or required to take a lot of weight.

Supported scaffolding is built from the base upwards, and will normally be used wherever possible. It is considered the easiest, most convenient, safest, and most cost effective form of scaffolding construct. Different forms of supported scaffolding are available, and each will serve a very specific purpose and used in specific circumstances.

2. Suspended Scaffolding

Suspended scaffolding is typically suspended from a roof or other tall construct. It is most commonly used when it is not possible to construct a base, or where access to upper levels may be required, and the building of scaffolding from floor to the required level would be impractical.

This type of scaffolding is commonly used by window cleaners on tall buildings, but may also be seen where repairs are needed to the exterior of upper levels of similarly tall buildings. Supported scaffolding is usually preferred where possible.

3. Rolling Scaffolding

Rolling scaffolding is a similar type of construct to supported scaffolding, but rather than offering a stable base, it uses castor style wheels that enable the base to be moved. This is a useful form of scaffolding when you need to complete work over a longer distance than a single scaffolding construction would permit.

The wheels should be locked when workers or materials are on the scaffolding, in order to ensure the safety of those using it, and those around it.

4. Aerial Lifts

Aerial lifts should be used where workers need to be able to access a number of levels in order to be able to complete a construction. For example, if building work is being completed on the outside of a multi-storey property and both workers and materials will be needed to work outside two or more floors, at different times, then an aerial lift will make it easier and safer to lift even large amounts of material, and multiple workers to the levels required.

SCAFFOLDING

Scaffolding also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man made structures.

workers on a scaffold doing maintenance work 

#Scaffolding is also used in adapted forms for formwork and shoring, grandstand seating, concert stages, access/viewing towers, exhibition stands, ski ramps, half pipes and art projects.

There are four main types of #scaffolding used worldwide today. These are Tube and Coupler (fitting) components, prefabricated modular system scaffold components, H-frame / facade modular system scaffolds, and timber scaffolds.The timber scaffold is mainly used in Kenya for its availabilty.

Each type is made from several components which often include:

• A base jack or plate which is a load bearing base for the scaffold.
• The standard which is the upright component with connector joins.
• The ledger (horizontal brace).
• The transom which is a horizontal cross section load bearing component which holds the batten, board or decking unit.
• Brace diagonal and/or cross section bracing component.
• Batten or board decking component used to make the working platform.
• Coupler a fitting used to join components together.
• Scaffold tie used to tie in the scaffold to structures.
• Brackets used to extend the width of working platforms.

BASIC SCAFFOLDING

The key elements of the scaffolding are the standard, ledger and transoms. The standards, also called uprights, are the vertical tubes that transfer the entire mass of the structure to the ground where they rest on a square base plate to spread the load. The base plate has a shank in its centre to hold the tube and is sometimes pinned to a sole board. Ledgers are horizontal tubes which connect between the standards. Transoms rest upon the ledgers at right angles. Main transoms are placed next to the standards, they hold the standards in place and provide support for boards; intermediate transoms are those placed between the main transoms to provide extra support for boards. In Canada this style is referred to as "English". "American" has the transoms attached to the standards and is used less but has certain advantages in some situations. Since scaffolding is a physical structure, it is possible to go in and come out of scaffolding.

Tubes & Fittings Scaffold

As well as the tubes at right angles there are cross braces to increase rigidity, these are placed diagonally from ledger to ledger, next to the standards to which they are fitted. If the braces are fitted to the ledgers they are called ledger braces. To limit sway a facade brace is fitted to the face of the scaffold every 30 metres or so at an angle of 35°-55° running right from the base to the top of the scaffold and fixed at every level.

Of the couplers previously mentioned, right-angle couplers join ledgers or transoms to standards, putlog or single couplers join board bearing transoms to ledgers - Non-board bearing transoms should be fixed using a right-angle coupler. Swivel couplers are to connect tubes at any other angle. The actual joints are staggered to avoid occurring at the same level in neighbouring standards.

The spacings of the basic elements in the scaffold are fairly standard. For a general purpose scaffold the maximum bay length is 2.1 m, for heavier work the bay size is reduced to 2 or even 1.8 m while for inspection a bay width of up to 2.7 m is allowed.

FOUNDATION

Good foundations are essential. Often scaffold frameworks will require more than simple base plates to safely carry and spread the load. Scaffolding can be used without base plates on concrete or similar hard surfaces, although base plates are always recommended. For surfaces like pavements or tarmac base plates are necessary. For softer or more doubtful surfaces sole boards must be used, beneath a single standard a sole board should be at least 1,000 cm² with no dimension less than 220 mm, the thickness must be at least 35 mm. For heavier duty scaffold much more substantial baulks set in concrete can be required. On uneven ground steps must be cut for the base plates, a minimum step size of around 450 mm is recommended. A working platform requires certain other elements to be safe. They must be close-boarded, have double guard rails and toe and stop boards. Safe and secure access must also be provided.

Walk-through Frame Scaffold

SCAFFOLDING

Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging,is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man made structures. Scaffolding is also used in adapted forms for formwork and shoring, grandstand seating, concert stages, access/viewing towers, exhibition stands, ski ramps, half pipes and art projects.

There are four main types of scaffolding used worldwide today. These are Tube and Coupler (fitting) components, prefabricated modular system scaffold components, H-frame / facade modular system scaffolds, and timber scaffolds. Each type is made from several components which often include:

• A base jack or plate which is a load bearing base for the scaffold.
• The standard which is the upright component with connector joins.
• The ledger (horizontal brace).
• The transom which is a horizontal cross section load bearing component which holds the batten, board or decking unit.
• Brace diagonal and/or cross section bracing component.
• Batten or board decking component used to make the working platform.
• Coupler a fitting used to join components together.
• Scaffold tie used to tie in the scaffold to structures.
• Brackets used to extend the width of working platforms.

Specialized components used to aid in their use as a temporary structure often include heavy duty load bearing transoms, ladders or stairway units for the ingress and egress of the scaffold, beams ladder/unit types used to span obstacles and rubbish chutes used to remove unwanted materials from the scaffold or construction project.