If you use towers regularly you know just how important safety is to avoid disaster, but thankfully the BS EN1139-6 regulation for towers guarantee safety. The regulation outlines requirements for structural design and positional stability, requirements for design verification, requirements for marking and for the information to be supplied and much more to help keep you safe. In this article we will go through what the standard is, why it’s important, and some of the best options for BS EN1139-6 approved towers to keep you safe regardless of the job.
What Is BS EN1139-6?
The full name of the standard is actually “BS 1139-6 Metal Scaffolding, Part 6 of this standard falls outside the scope of BS EN 1004. BS 1139-6 is the BSI standard for scaffold towers which use prefabricated parts in advanced, complex configurations. Towers which conform to this standard must meet minimum safety requirements.
What Has Changed / What Does The Standard Cover
The BS EN1139-6 Standard was fully revised in 2015 in which several changes were made to the previous version. The most notable changes are: Clarification of the scope, updated terms and definitions, new requirements for structural design and positional stability, new requirements for design verification, and new requirements for marking and for information to be supplied. The standard covers prefabricated scaffold towers that fall outside the scope of BS EN 1004-1 such as non-standard configurations, high-level towers(8m outdoors/12m indoors), cantilever towers, large deck towers, linked towers, towers on base plates, tied towers, stepped towers, and towers made for specific sites.
Why Is It Important?
Anyone who uses a tower that doesn’t fit the scope of BS EN 1004-1, such as cantilever towers, high-level towers, linked towers, etc, complex ways must ensure that they use the correct equipment and meet the required standards. To ensure that the towers you are having built you should ensure that you are familiar with the standard or that you hire a professional who is trained to meet these standards.
Products EN1139-6 Covers
Cantilever Towers:
Cantilever units are most useful when accessing items that have a restriction at the base, allowing users to gain safe access over obstructions such as porches, walls, roofs, and pipework etc. One of the best cantilever units we have for offer is the Euro Tower Cantilever System which uses a buttress system and counter balancing weights for added security. As long as the correct safety measures are taken, (these measures can be seen on the Description section of the product page) then cantilever towers are perfect for working safely over ground level blockages.
The next Cantilever Tower we can recommend is the Boss Compact End Cantilever which comes in a variety of sizes for whatever your needs. It also offers a lightweight design to allow easier handling and features a step-through frame that provides a multi-level walk through structure for easy access. In terms of safety features, this tower has sturdy stabilisers with interlocking clips to improve stability, a link brace system to prevent frame separation and an integrated ladder with anti-slip rungs. which comes in a variety of sizes for whatever your needs. It also offers a lightweight design to allow easier handling and features a step-through frame that provides a multi-level walk through structure for easy access. In terms of safety features, this tower has sturdy stabilisers with interlocking clips to improve stability, a link brace system to prevent frame separation and an integrated ladder with anti-slip rungs.
Linked Towers:
Linked towers are great due to their size, stretching over obstacles such as large machinery. The size of their decks allows for a much bigger continuous large working area which allows numerous people to work at once. Our first suggestion for this type of tower is the Boss Linked Tower, which comes with the same safety benefits as the Boss Cantilever Tower but also other features that make it wonderfully unique. Such as, the 3.2m fixed deck which provides the bigger working platform with minimum components, as well as a plan brace that ensures a rigid structure for improved performance. Such as, the 3.2m fixed deck which provides the bigger working platform with minimum components, as well as a plan brace that ensures a rigid structure for improved performance.
Staircase Towers:
Staircase Tower Systems are similar to a standard tower design but thanks to the inbuilt staircase they are perfect for frequent ascent and descent. For this style of tower, we recommend the Boss Staircase, with its lightweight model and minimal additional components it provides a quick streamlined assembly which makes any job easier. The tower has extra rigidity, an advanced guardrail (that folds down for ease of storage), and self-closing fully hinged trapdoor for safety whilst ascending and descending to the working area.
Conclusion:
The BS 1139-6 standard is an essential part of working with towers and you should ensure that any products that are used (that fall under this standard) have the BS 1139-6 label. It is also important to note that the standard should be used in conjunction with the EN1004 Standard, which you can read about in our previous blog post “EN1004 -1:2020 Changes - What You Need To Know”. If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned In this post, feel free to contact our expert team on 01204 590 232 or via email. The towers showcased in this article are simply recommendations, and there are plenty of other options for you to choose from. You can find the entire range on our product page