What is Ladder Access Tower Scaffold and Its Most Common Uses?

January 13, 2016

Ladders have long been used as versatile climbing aids, but they have limitations. Prone to stability issues and unpredictable midpoint bowing problems, their single span form represents an untenable solution when weighed against today's work practices. In short, in order to reach work that's high off the ground, employees must be able to safely and comfortably navigate a well-anchored climbing aid, one that wraps around the tried-and-tested ladder configuration, and this is why the ladder access tower scaffold erection is so favoured on work sites around the globe.

Anatomy of a Conventional Scaffold Frame

There's a handful of ways of looking at the temporary work site frames known as scaffolds. Firstly, they're the elevated work platforms that safely hold workers and work materials so that work can be conducted at a great height. These towers are temporary erections made of metal cross members and special fasteners, anchoring components that lock each section of the frame in place. Alternatively, a ladder access tower scaffold frame is perceived by many as an enhanced laddering format, although the ladders are interspersed with platforms and several tiers. Using this point of view, scaffolding is actually a series of ladders wrapped in a rigid frame of supporting tubular stanchions, metal braces that are assigned vertical and horizontal duties.

Configured for Safe Scaling

Regardless of how we interpret the framework, ladder positioning is seen as a particularly tricky part of the erection process. The bottom and top of each ladder must be angled to assure convenient ascension, which leaves little leeway when aligning the top and bottom of each skinny climbing frame. In other words, the ladders must satisfy instinctual human scaling techniques while rigidly attaching to the access portals on each platform. The ascending frame of the scaffolding then seems to form a stable grid when observed from the ground, but a series of thin wedges forms on each tier, which is due to the ladders showing off an obvious means of negotiating the gap between each level.

Strongly supported by handrails and other approved safety aids, the typical angle created by a ladder within the ladder access tower scaffold setup is approximately 70°, and this angle must not pass the 80° mark. Additionally, being that tower scaffold erections rise so high, each ladder must be evaluated for defects as this is a critical link in the climbing chain, especially if the worker is handling the rungs of the ladder while bogged down by a tool belt.

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