Taking stock and adapting to the new normal
With Coronavirus restrictions easing even further under Government plans for a significant return to normality by Christmas, coupled with Boris Johnson’s recent ‘Build Build Build’ announcement, there’s cause for cautious optimism that work on new and existing jobs will continue to increase at a steady rate.
To ensure you are able to work effectively and safely space with the latest Government guidelines on hygiene and social distancing, it’s essential to have access to the right products and services that will help you adapt to the safer and more stringent ways of working.
What challenges do the new guidelines present for working at height?
One of the biggest challenges you’re likely to face is ensuring social distancing guidelines are adhered to, as this often requires you to work in close proximity with other employees. For example, many of the more complex towers on the market require a number of people to work together in order to construct them. Under the new social distancing guidelines though, this now may not be possible, so it’s important to keep in mind other safe and effective solutions.
To further help you understand how to work safely on-site, PASMA, the international not-for-profit association for the mobile access tower industry, has published new guidance that provides a comprehensive overview of the steps that should be followed in order to protect everyone using access towers when working at height.
What solutions are there that enable social distancing whilst working?
The Government’s social distancing guidelines ultimately mean that single person towers are going to become an essential piece of equipment for many sites. The BoSS SOLO700 access tower for example is a one-person tower that is designed to be built and dismantled by one person, rather than two as required by most standard towers, making it ideal for social distancing in the workplace. Available with safe working heights between 3.2m and 5.2m, the solution is quick and easy to assemble, with the access tower base unit also forming a trolley to simplify transportation whilst working alone.
What should I do when single person towers aren’t suitable for the job?
In cases where products when a cantilever tower or linked end tower is required, you should consider whether it is imminently essential to carry out the job and if so, what other precautions can be taken to safeguard everyone on site. This could include limiting the number of people using an access tower to only those essential, ensuring that all tower users are utilising the correct PPE and carrying out thorough cleaning on all components that are frequently touched.
Additionally, alternative working at height solutions such as micro-scissor lifts should be considered. For instance, the BoSS X3X micro-scissor lift can be used by one person and is easy to manoeuvre around indoors by a single individual thanks to its compact design and heavy-duty castors.
To find out more about WernerCo and its comprehensive range of BoSS® one-person access towers and micro-powered access solutions, visit bossaccesstowers.com/uk.
