03.06.2009

How not to use towers

A couple of weeks ago, somewhere in the UK, a couple of men turned up to carry out some work at a National Health Service ambulance depot. As the work involved working at height they had brought an alloy scaffold tower with them.

Right opposite the headquarters of an access specialist, imagine their shock when they looked out of the window and to see how the towers were being used – this is definitely a Death Wish candidate – number 70 in fact.
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Using a tower but.....he might as well have used a ladder

On the four metre platform high tower -no guardrails on the platform, no toe boards, no stabilisers and instead of climbing up the inside of the tower as in tended, they climb up the outside which could result in a tip-over.

Our contributor faced the dilemma that many of our readers who have spotted dangerous work at height practices. Do you go over and say something? Do you try and stop them if they will not listen or get abusive? Do you report them?

In this case he says: “Actually it was toe-curlingly painful to watch these two, realising the potential consequences should a fall have occurred. You’ll notice if you look closely that the operative at least managed to safely answer his mobile phone before climbing down the outside of the tower.”
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"Whoops the mobiles ringing, better take it"

“They then proceeded to push the system across the car park to inspect the light you see in the second image. Yep, you’re right. They used the tower in exactly the same way, climbing and descending on the outside of the unit. Needless to say we got their number and have been in touch.”
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The tower is moved by the modus operandi remains the same

One thing was for certain, if they had fallen they ambulance crew would not have had to travel too far!