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When purchasing or hiring a mobile access tower, you want to ensure that you are getting a safe product that is appropriate for your job. PASMA suggests that you think about five things when making this decision:
Choose towers made by PASMA members who prioritise safety above all else. Membership requires that their towers meet the most recent standards and are independently certified by a recognised certification body. If you're looking to hire, a PASMA hire centre can give you the same peace of mind. If you need someone to assemble something, contact a PASMA hire and assembly member.
Check that your tower is certified to the EN 1004 design standard. This means it has been checked and certified independently by a recognised certification body. To be certain, request a copy of the certificate from your supplier. If they are unable to provide it, you should seriously consider finding another source – a reputable supplier will be able to provide it.
EN1004 Certification:
The certification to EN 1004 ensures that the tower meets the minimum safety requirements in place throughout Europe, such as:
- Purpose-built platforms with secure trapdoor entry and exit.
- Integrated access for safe ascent and descent
- Supplied with the proper size and number of stabilisers to prevent overturning
- Have the proper number and quantity of guardrails with the proper gaps and dimensions to prevent a fall.
All certified mobile towers should be certified to EN 1004, if you are using metal scaffolding instead of a mobile tower you should work to the standard set on these products which is BS 1139 Part6. EN 1004 access towers cover straight up and down, single-bay structures with four legs and wheels.
EN 1004 allows for different capabilities for mobile access towers. When selecting a tower, pay attention to its designation code to ensure that it will meet your requirements. It will be noted on the tower and in the user guide.
Aluminium Towers – The Benefits
Scaffold towers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from towers with advanced features like bridges or cantilevers to completely bespoke structures. So, what are the benefits of using aluminium towers for your difficult access job?
- Easy to assemble and disassemble – ideal for short-term projects.
- Lightweight – necessary when the floor or ground cannot support steel or powered access.
- Low carbon footprint – it is transported in a transit van rather than a ten-tonne truck.
- Aesthetically pleasing – aluminium looks good in high-traffic areas.
- Versatile – enter awkward spaces
- Constant collective fall prevention – no harnesses required
- Reasonably priced
Duration of Task
When selecting your access tower be sure to think about how long it will be in operation. Towers certified to EN1004 allow simple access to areas for long periods of time but will need to be dismantled after use. If a longer duration task is taking place in a wider area, scaffolding may be more beneficial.
Instruction manuals
Even if the person assembling the tower has been trained, they must always adhere to the instruction manual provided by the manufacturer or hirer. This is because they contain critical safety information, manuals are considered so important for safe use that they have their own special standard.
- How to put the tower together without ever standing on an unprotected platform.
- Which stabilisers or outriggers to use depending on the height of the tower you're constructing
- Advice on the maximum allowable side loads, such as wind or the use of high-pressure jets.
- The maximum safe working load that a single platform or the entire tower can withstand.
- A list of the components and the quantities needed for each configuration.
Summary
In summary, a mobile access tower is perfect for longer duration tasks where access to single areas is required. They can be easily erected and dismantled, sometimes by a single user, depending on the model purchased.
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Should you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact our expert team.
