10 Tips for Smooth Scaffold Hire

Hiring fixed scaffold is easy but follow these simple steps to ensure that your scaffold hire goes smoothly.

Finding a scaffold hire company

As you’re reading this, you’ve probably started to notice fixed scaffold around your neighbourhood because your project is fast approaching, and the scaffold is very visible from the street. Keep an eye out for fixed scaffold that looks neat and carefully erected with safety signs and a company logo and phone number displayed. Ideally, the house will be just like yours, and so you’ll be able to see pretty much what that scaffold company would provide you with for your project.

Personal recommendations from friends in the trade might be a good source, and of course cross check by looking them up online to see if they’ve got good reviews.

Documentation and insurance

When you get in touch with a scaffold company ask if they will be able to provide you with an insurance certificate and a contract. There are plenty of well-organised companies that will be able to provide these without any problem. Their contract will be a largely generic document for them, but it will put you on correct legal footing should anything go wrong, and it will indicate to them that you expect a professional service.

If this question is brushed off or greeted with silence, just think about what happens if there’s an accident on site, such as a tool falling of the scaffold because there was no toe-board installed, or during erection, a steel scaffold fixing falls into the neighbours garden and breaks a ground floor window. The Health and Safety Executive could come to investigate in the case of an accident. The scaffolder said it was OK, but you will be in court as the project owner.

Know what you need the scaffold to do

The scaffold contractor can only fulfill your project needs if you know what your needs are! For example, if you are installing external wall insulation you need to specify the clear distance that the scaffolders need to leave between the scaffold and the existing wall- giving you enough room to fit the new material, and operate the required tools, such as passing the trowels over new render.

Another example, if you’re installing solar panels or working on the roof, you need a working platform at eaves level.

In many cases it’ll be straightforward for the scaffolder to provide appropriate scaffold once they know what works you are planning to do, but remember that the specification and detailing of works and materials is slightly different on every project, so your scaffolder might reasonably assume dimensions or processes from their experience, but that don’t apply to your project. Ideally, you supply technical documentation for your works to the scaffolder, which then forms part of the contract. If you find that your specialist lime plasterers or other contractors lose a day or two on-site because the scaffold is unsuitable and needs to be amended, the setback could cost the project thousands, even on a domestic scale project.

Do you want your scaffold shrink-wrapped? This may seem like an additional expense but think about your proximity to the public highway, neighbouring gardens, or potential impact on your own garden. If it’s dusty or messy work such as stripping off old render, shrink-wrapping is recommended to reduce bits of masonry bouncing and falling off the scaffold.

Site Visit

Before agreeing to, or signing, anything have a site visit with your scaffolder. We’re all busy, but if they’re not willing to visit site then move on and hire someone who is. As always, it’s good to have that personal interaction, and the opportunity to discuss any potential complications, such as how much you really value your flower bed.

When you meet your scaffolder for the site assessment ask about whether scaffold will encroach into the neighbours garden, in which case you would need to ask their permission before the scaffolders arrive to erect it. It’s good to discuss where scaffold feet will be placed, in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises such as a door being unopenable, or brittle tiles getting broken under the weight of scaffold.

Scaffold design

Most domestic fixed scaffold will be assembled to a standard configuration as described in National Access and Scaffolding Confederation Technical Guidance TG20. However, it’s still worth discussing any specific requests, for example maintaining operation of openable windows, and being present on the day of scaffold erection, to spot and query any potential issues as it is going up. Once the scaff lorry has gone, they quite reasonably will not want to return until it’s time for pre-agree amendments or to strip the scaffold down.

Schedule and fees

Written in your contract you should have the term for erection and stripping of the scaffold. Common sense will tell you to order the scaffold up in good time, but like any contractor, scaffolders are busy and they manage changing circumstances and priorities on a daily basis. Give them as much warning as you can to have your scaffold up on time. Preferably, written into contract, which of course means you then have the responsibility to them, to have site ready to receive the scaffold on the agreed date.

Scaffold stripping is a hotter topic, and the industry has a bad reputation for delayed scaffold removal, or even stories about scaffolders who wait until the scaffolder is required elsewhere to avoid storage. These are extreme and rare cases, but a more likely risk is that your scaffolder is super busy, and that you have to wait a few days more than you would like, so allow time in your schedule to avoid project delays or frustrations as a result.

More likely still, is that scaffold stripping date approaches, and you’re not ready for it to go. At this point you realise you have no contract, and that you didn’t consider this possibility, and then you feel betrayed when the scaffold company tell you that you need to pay for each week beyond the initial hire period. Avoid this, by ensuring that you understand, and have written in contract, the terms under which you will extend scaffold hire if need be.

Scaffolding amendment

You should not amend the scaffold yourself, ever, at all. In the event of an accident, the HSE would not look favourably on anyone other than the scaffolders amending the scaffold. Most scaffolders are willing to visit site to make minor amendments to manage unforeseeable circumstances, but it would be reasonable for them to charge for their time, if it’s just because you remembered a major detail, or you didn’t seek the permission of your neighbour to put a scaffold foot in their garden, and they’re now jumping up and down.

Scaffold amendment is common as the more complex projects progress, such as a full house build which may require an amendment once the walls are in place. These amendments should be scheduled in advance to ensure that they happen on time, reducing delays and costs to your project, but also helping your scaffolder to schedule their teams effectively.

Scaffold inspection

The scaffold user or hirer has legal responsibility to inspect the scaffold every seven days, and after any extreme weather event to ensure that it remains unchanged, safe and fit for use. Some scaffold companies offer an additional inspection service, which gives you peace of mind and a robust paper trail. Some scaffolders are glad to do this as it gives them an opportunity to check that their scaffold equipment is being well looked after, and to keep an eye on job progress for their scheduling.

What if a tile, a window, a plant pot, a neighbours car gets broken?

This is laid out in your contract. You got the message about the contract didn’t you?! A generic statement will explain that the scaffolder takes responsibility for any breakages whilst they are working. Once scaffold is erected it will be left in a robust and stable state in line with NASC requirements, so if a piece of scaffolding falls down and damages or injures someone, the HSE and the scaffold company will be asking who amended the scaffold without permission.

You vetted your scaffold at the beginning of this process for professionalism and good reputation, so you should know that they will act in good faith to reduce any breakages. The nature of working at height and scaffold is that drops can happen, leading to breakages such as damage to a freshly painted wall. Scaffolders will usually be able to resolve the issue swiftly, either replacing the broken item, discounting your final bill to give compensation or using their insurance to cover any larger value breakages.

Settling up

You should not complete full payment to your scaffolder until the scaffold has been taken away and any issues resolved. Be present when the scaffold is stripped, or ask someone to be present to represent you and make sure that it all goes smoothly, that all items of scaffold are removed from site, and that the scaffolding staff make reasonable efforts to reduce damage.

Conclusion

Scaffold erection and stripping is hard physical work, especially on hot days, cold days or rainy days, and scaffolders often work under a watchful glare, or even open suspicion. It’s a tough and skilful job and it’s impossible to avoid any accidents.

Make it easy for your scaffolders to do their job well from start to finish, supplying them with all the relevant information from the beginning, communicating timescales clearly in writing, ensuring that all correct paperwork and insurance is in place so that they and you are legally protected, and appreciating their skilled contribution to your project.

Looking for a professional and affordable scaffolding company, visit our scaffolding services page.