Working at Height: Is a Scaffold Tower or an Extension Ladder the Way to Go?

Did you know that there’s a legal definition of ‘work at height’? According to the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, it’s any work that might result in a person falling a considerable distance and suffering personal injury if precautions aren’t taken.

So, in practice, this means specific precautions are an employer’s responsibility even if workers are carrying out their duties just two or three feet from the ground.

A simple ladder bought at a major DIY store just won’t cut the mustard! If you’re responsible for the safety of others when they’re working at height, there are two main access equipment choices available: a scaffold ladder and an extension ladder. Which one you should choose depends on various factors. Let’s take a look at them.

Why Do People Need Scaffolding Towers and Extension Ladders?

If you’re working at height – even if it’s just a few feet from the ground – the chances are you’ll need either an extension ladder or a scaffold tower. But what kind of tasks would necessitate these essential items of access equipment?

Here are just a few examples of how scaffold towers and extension ladders bought from Lewis Access are used every day.

Ceiling Decoration

Particularly in older and public buildings, ceilings can be several feet from the ground. Whether you’re painting, cleaning light fixtures, or adding decorative features, the right extension ladder or scaffold tower is a must.

Gutter Cleaning

By their very nature, gutters are several feet from the ground. And in order to secure safe access to them, only a firmly rooted extension ladder or scaffold tower will suffice.

Window Cleaning

This may be an example of extension ladders in action you see every week. However, commercial window cleaners often need to work at much greater heights than the average residential expert – making extension ladders and scaffolding towers essential items of kit.

Roof Repair

Whether you’re fixing broken shingles, investigating leaks, or performing routine maintenance, you always need safe and secure access maintenance equipment to perform these tasks safely and efficiently.

Rendering and Plastering

Rendering and plastering require a steady hand and the confidence to move around at will. If you lack either, you’re putting yourself and others at risk – and you won’t be able to do your best work.

Tree Trimming

A lot of tree surgeons turn to extension ladders and scaffolding towers when they’re performing extension maintenance on much-loved trees.

The Benefits of Using a Scaffold Tower

If you decide to buy a scaffold tower, you can look forward to some seriously impressive benefits.

Increased Safety

It’s as simple as this: Scaffold towers are, generally speaking, a safer option than extension ladders. Why? They’re more stable, thanks to their width and rigidity. They also feature guard rails, which is something you won’t find on any type of ladder

Ease of Movement

You might not immediately associate scaffolding towers with mobility, but that’s exactly what you can expect from the UK’s top products. Fitted with multi-directional wheels, high-quality scaffold towers can be repositioned quickly, safely, and with minimal effort – perfect for making small adjustments to access.

Versatility

If you have an industrial scaffold tower in your inventory, working at height safely and efficiently is a breeze – regardless of the job at hand. Whether you’re inspecting buildings, painting, roofing, or cleaning, you can adapt this versatile piece of access equipment with ease.

Durability and Transportability

Lightweight, compact, and exceptionally easy to assemble and dismantle, scaffolding towers can be transported with ease in large vans and open-back trucks.

The Benefits of Using an Extension Ladder

So, you’ve now seen what tower scaffolding can do, let’s take a close look at the main alternative – the extension ladder.

Simplicity and Speed

If you run a business that requires quick and simple setups, the speed and simplicity offered by a triple extension ladder will become invaluable.

Imagine you’re maintaining a large public building. You’ll probably need to move your way around the structure in small increments – inspecting and repairing as you go. Using an extension ladder instead of a tower scaffold allows for frequent repositioning for safe and efficient work at height.

Affordability

Particularly for small, family-run businesses, the choice of access equipment comes down to one thing – the cost. In most cases, extension ladders are considerably more affordable than scaffold towers.

Compact and Portable

While modern tower scaffolding is exceptionally mobile and compact, it can never compete with the extension ladder in these areas. If your work requires frequent repositioning or if you use a relatively small commercial vehicle, opting for a ladder makes perfect sense.

Perfect for Small Spaces

This is perhaps the only time when choosing an extension ladder over a scaffold tower becomes a necessity. As sturdy and rigid as scaffolding is, it requires a significant amount of ground space – which isn’t always available when working in narrow or confined areas.

Scaffolding Towers vs Extension Ladders: The Great Debate

So, it’s time to make a decision. Will you buy a tower scaffold or will you opt for an extension ladder? Unless space is a significant issue, it may be the case that both options are attractive. If this is the case, there are a few practical issues to consider before parting with any cash.

Working at Heights Safely

Think about where and how you work. Do you operate in particularly busy or hectic environments? Do you need maximum mobility at great heights? If so, it’s probably best to go down the scaffolding route. Yes, extension ladders are designed and built to deliver maximum stability, but they can never be as secure as scaffolding towers.

Performing Certain Tasks Effectively

Before you take the plunge, spend some time assessing the tasks you need to perform while working at height. Do you need to carry heavy items of equipment? Do you typically spend long periods of time in the same place, or do you move around frequently?

Generally speaking, extension ladders are best suited to quick tasks that require maximum mobility. If you spend longer periods in one spot – for roof repair, for example – opting for tower scaffolding may make your operation safer and more efficient. And speaking of efficiency…

Creating an Efficient Working Environment

Climbing to the required height and maintaining a safe working position is only the beginning. You also need to think about what you do once you’re at the desired height. If your work requires several heavy or bulky items of equipment, you can position them on tower scaffolding for quick, safe, and easy access. This will reduce the time you spend climbing and descending to fetch or return your tools and equipment. And that’s a recipe for a more efficient business!

Time Constraints

In most cases, it’s faster to erect and move an extension ladder than it is to position a scaffolding tower. If your job requires several frequent movements – window cleaning, for instance – it’s usually best to choose an extension ladder.

But perhaps you’ve set your heart on a scaffold tower. You want the stability and storage capacity it delivers, but you want to minimise the time it takes to assemble, dismantle, and move your tower during jobs. A potential solution – which offers the best of both worlds – is a folding scaffold tower – which can be used by one person with ease.

What to Look for When You Buy an Industrial Scaffold Tower

Let’s assume you’ve gone through all the benefits and practical issues and decided to buy tower scaffolding. You now have to compare all the scaffold towers in the UK to ensure you’re getting a quality product at the right price. Here are a few issues to consider when you’re comparing products:

Fully Customisable

If you want to adapt to the specific requirements of different jobs with speed and ease, you’ll need the option to customise your scaffold tower in terms of height, width, and length – something that the UK’s best scaffolding towers offer in abundance.

Workspace Areas

How much room to manoeuvre do you need? Do you need to store tools and equipment while you’re working at height? Check that the workspace size is sufficient to meet your needs.

Multiple Working Heights

No two jobs will ever require exactly the same setup. Having a scaffold tower that allows you to make incremental changes to your working height will ensure you can take on multiple projects with the same access equipment. Some of the best products on the market offer platform heights in excess of 13 metres.

Durability

Make sure the tower scaffold you choose offers durability – both from a design that conforms to British standards and the use of premium, non-corrosive materials. Choose wisely, and there’s no reason why your scaffold tower shouldn’t deliver a lifetime of service.

Ease of Use

The faster you can set up your operations for working at height, the more profitable your operation will become. It’s that simple. That’s why choosing a scaffold tower that’s easy to erect and dismantle is essential. To make things even easier for you and your team, choose a folding scaffold tower to speed up your job preparations.

Stability

Make sure you choose a product that includes everything you need to build and maintain a safe working environment while working at height. Integrated ladders, locking frame clips, platform hooks, and stabiliser clamps are all essential. Also, make sure your preferred scaffold tower comes with solid stabiliser feet.

Mobility

Lightweight and compact are the properties you should be looking for when shopping for tower scaffolding. The ability to build, dismantle, and transport your access equipment quickly and easily will make your entire operation more efficient – and safer!

What to Look for When You Buy an Extension Ladder

Want the mobility and affordability only extension ladders can deliver? Here are a few things to look out for when you make your final purchasing decision:

Manufactured to EN131 Standards

The professional standards issued by the BSI are there to ensure products are safe and effective in various settings. When it comes to buying extension ladders, look for the EN131 standard, which includes minimum safety requirements for issues such as anti-slip rungs.

In-Built Stability

A range of features combine to make extension ladders inherently stable. Some key features to look out for when you’re shopping around include rectangular ‘box’ section sides, non-slip feet attached to a solid stabiliser bar, and twist-proof rungs.

Comfort

It’s not unusual for people working at height to spend several hours at a time standing on the rungs of an extension ladder. To minimise the tool on feet, choose a product with ergonomically angled, D-shaped rungs.

Load Capacity

If you buy a premium extension ladder from a reputable manufacturer, you can be confident that it will be strong enough to cope with a lot of weight. Look for something that has been tested on loads of at least 120kg. However, you should be able to find options that can cope with 150kg. Need more? A heavy-duty extension ladder might be the answer, as it will safely support a load of up to 175kg.

Buy a Scaffold Tower with Confidence

It’s not hyperbole to say that lives can be saved by choosing premium extension ladders and scaffold towers for working at height in commercial environments. When you choose Lewis for your access equipment, you’re guaranteed quality, reliability, and performance – for as long as you use one of our products.

Why It’s Always Best to Buy Scaffold Towers and Extension Ladders Direct from UK Manufacturers

You can pick up access equipment from dozens of online stores and brick-and-mortar shops across the UK, but with so much at stake, it’s always best to buy a scaffold tower or extension ladder directly from the manufacturer. Here’s why:

Higher Quality Control

Access equipment manufacturers in the UK adhere to the strictest quality and safety standards. But that attention to detail extends to every aspect of the supply chain – from storage to delivery. That’s something third-party suppliers can’t always guarantee.

Competitive Prices

Cut out the middleman. Buy scaffold towers and extension ladders directly from manufacturers, and avoid paying a needless premium to a third party.

Custom Solutions

If you work in a particularly complex sector that requires specific configurations and customisations, approaching manufacturers directly might help you source the custom solution your team needs to deliver its best work.

Faster Delivery

Order direct from an access equipment manufacturer, and you’ll benefit from a streamlined delivery process that ensures your products arrive quickly, safely, and in full.

Better Support and Warranty

In the highly unlikely event that something isn’t quite right with your scaffold tower or extension ladder, you’ll want to know that help and support are available quickly. Manufacturers are very protective of their reputations, which is why they offer top-notch customer support, seamless maintenance services, and the best warranties.

Buy Your Next Scaffold Tower or Extension Ladder from One of the UK’s Leading Manufacturers

When it comes to safety, quality, reliability, and customer service, we simply won’t be beaten at Lewis Access. Create a more flexible, productive, and safe working environment when working at height by reaching out today to find out more about our premium access equipment.