10.10.2011

Wooden death trap

You don’t have to go back too far in many countries to find examples of wood scaffolding. In fact it is still possible occasionally to see a decent wood scaffold erected in the more rural parts of Germany, the world capital of steel system scaffold.

However those old but well preserved examples of purpose built wood scaffolds have nothing in common with the scaffold tower a Vertikal Reader spotted in Northern Ireland. The structure has been assembled with a good deal of consideration and uses timber of varying degrees of decay, lashings, nails, nuts and bolts and concrete wall toppings for ballast.
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A great deal of work has gone into this death trap scaffold

As far as the dangers it is hard to know where to start, the worst is probably the cantilever on the platform plank – always a high risk area.. No point in getting into the lack of toe boards, the way the ladder is attached etc.. Our reader sums it up best:

“I work for a local plant hire company in Northern Ireland, we also specialise in powered access equipment, I have seen many things in my travels since 2002 when I started in the rental game, but I have to say the attached image takes the biscuit........”
Definitely a Death Wish