If you are in charge of a sizeable industrial operation, you know how important it is to ensure safety in the workplace. You may have strict guidelines, strategies and safeguards in place to look after your staff as they go about their daily duties, and this means you may have an admirable safety record. However, you need to carry out some repair work on one of your buildings, and this will involve a certain amount of work that needs to be performed at height. To do this, you will need to bring in a scaffolding structure so that people can do their job more efficiently, but what do you need to think about from a safety point of view?

Determining the Scope

To begin with, you should always bring in a knowledgeable scaffolding company to build this structure for you. They will have experience working in an industrial facility like this, and they will know that it is a very different environment from that of the average home. They will also ask you a variety of different questions to determine the scope and the scale of the work, as this will have a bearing on the type and design of the scaffolding needed.

Working with Guidelines

As you may know, there are guidelines laid down, and these will need to be followed as the scaffolding structure is introduced. All parties need to ensure that any work can go ahead within the guidelines and without compromise at any stage.

Safety Issues

Due to the size of the building involved, additional safeguards may need to be introduced. For example, guardrails may be stipulated, and toe boards may need to be introduced on any open sides of the structure. If heavy materials need to be lifted to a height to carry out the work, then additional uprights, supports and braces have to be added to the structure. Furthermore, the planks used for the walking surface will need to be made from stress-graded lumber and coated with a non-slip material.

Additional Measures

Many accidents happen at a construction site when workers are trying to climb or descend a scaffolding structure. It is even more important in your situation, therefore, to design enclosed stairways or ladders that are securely attached to the platform. It may also be necessary to enclose the structure using wrapping or sheeting, or to erect a debris safety fence. This will help to shield the structure from particularly heavy winds and keep those who may be working beneath as safe as possible.

You will want to keep your site safety record intact and ensure that this work goes ahead without issue. This is why it's important to bring in commercial scaffolding hire companies with experience and proven levels of expertise. Call a company like Pipeline Scaffolding Pty Ltd for more information.