The Benefits of Scaffold Maintenance

Scaffolding provides access for hard-to-reach areas allowing builders to complete work in a safe manner. For Scaffolds to be secure, parties involved (either employment-related or otherwise) must continually assess their equipment and realise the benefits of regular scaffold maintenance and when to upgrade completely.

Quick and effective maintenance includes:

• Removal of mud and other materials when disassembling
• Ensuring all components are secured and stored in the correct manner
• Replacing worn parts immediately

Benefits

Regular maintenance is minimal its importance is monumental.

Risk of incident

Without the regular maintenance of scaffolding equipment, individuals increase their risk of serious injury. Most scaffolding is erected outside and exposed to elements for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, our current laws and regulations in Australia dictate any scaffolds must undergo a rigorous inspection by manufacturers and qualified parties. Certain designs such as Kwikstage Scaffolding use a galvanisation process with each component capable of withstanding weathering from rain, wind, and sunshine. However, everything has a limit with time. Flooding or extreme winds can easily damage or destabilise elevated platforms, and mud & concrete will build up over the course of a project. If inspections are turning up an increasing amount of faulty or worn components, a severe incident may occur sooner rather than later.

Monetary cost

As components become worn and faults become more common, the monetary cost of replacing scaffolding earlier can be the better alternative. Despite the conduction of weekly inspections, the length of use incrementally compounds the risk involved. Sometimes despite appropriate actions taken, things can be missed and create accidents. It is better to recognise the age of equipment and be proactive than to incur an even heavier cost, both monetary and non-monetary.

Time

Regular scaffold maintenance and proper storage procedures reduce the number of faults noted during an inspection. If you’re not treating your equipment well, it will only prolong the time spent fixing issues found before work is allowed to commence. Such delays can result in hours lost during the working day.

Cleaning your scaffold, proper storage, and replacing parts affect work on a construction site. It is worth the extra minutes to minimise the risk of accident, cost, and time lost.