Aluminium scaffold towers are very popular for DIY users for carrying out a multitude of outdoor and indoor tasks, but as they increase in popularity we are sure to hear about more and more accidents. It is therefore imperative that you use your scaffold tower safely and within the guidelines set out in the manufacturers’ instructions. Using your tower outdoor carries far more risks that it does using it indoors so you’ll need to be extra careful. When working indoors your are in a controlled environment but take your tower outdoors and you have to take in to account the ‘elements’

Regardless of who made your aluminium scaffold tower here are some safety tips that can be applied to any freestanding scaffold tower:

1. Insure that your tower is set up on safe firm ground – if the tower you have has adjustable legs then you can get away with working on uneven ground. If your tower has fixed legs though – with no room for adjustment at all – you will need to shim it up so that the tower is horizontal.
2. You probably opted for an aluminium tower over a steel tower because of its lightness, but in certain situations working outside with a lighter tower can prove to be detrimental. Wind is a major factor that needs to be taken in to account when working up a scaffold tower outside. You need to be aware that there are certain positions where wind can be more of an issue; one of the worst places to use a scaffold tower can be between two buildings – the gap between them appears to actually suck wind in and so the actual strength of the wind can be magnified.
3. For similar reasons you should never attach a tarpaulin to the tower you are working on – you might think that you could do this to afford you some protection from the elements, but actually what you are doing is creating a massive sail that is just waiting to catch a bit of wind. When this happens you’re going to be in bother so don’t do this under any circumstances.
4. You can use you aluminium scaffold tower outside in the rain – it will not cause it any harm – but do be conscious of the fact that it will become slippery so you’ll need to be careful ascending a descending your tower.
5. Working that the top of a scaffold tower does not give you much protection from any of nature’s elements but in particular the sun. If you’re not used to working outside make sure that you slap on some good sun cream before going outside on a summer’s day.

If you take in to account and are aware of all of the points mentioned here you should be safe using your aluminium scaffold tower outdoors.