There are many situations when an access tower / scaffold tower could be a more appropriate solution than a ladder, both for safety reasons and for ease of use during a lengthy task. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines suggest that ladders should be used when it is a low-risk situation, the task will take no more than 30 minutes and the ladder will be level and stable while in use.

Scaffold towers however, offer the opportunity to have lots of tools to hand at once, which can be difficult when on a ladder, and also allow multiple people to easily work together in safety. Adjustable legs can also provide stability when the ground is uneven and a ladder would be unsafe.

A big advantage of a scaffold tower is that it provides a large stable platform to work on. It can easily accommodate workers and their tools and leaves both hands free. A ladder might need to be repositioned many times to cover the same working area.

Although a scaffold tower may take a little longer to assemble (please see our help section), it can greatly reduce your chance of falling from height compared to a ladder and would be more suitable when a ladder cannot safely be used.

When to use a scaffold tower:

• If you are unable to safely use or secure a ladder
• If you need both hands free or need to use heavy tools
• If you will be working at height for a longer period of time
• If you need to be able to move more freely whilst working or get into an awkward position

To find out more about any of our steel scaffold towers or to ask which ones would best suit your task or working environment, please do contact us. We are happy to help in any way we can.

We have over 40 years experience in steel manufacture and we have sold our steel scaffold towers to everyone – both domestic users and trade.

We manufacture every scaffold tower we sell at our Shipley based factory and deal directly with customers so the entire process is in-house. You are dealing directly with a reputable UK manufacturer and not a middleman, which enables us to keep our prices competitive and offer a top-quality service – our friendly and experienced team will help you with anything you need.

We pride ourselves on our fast turnaround. As all tower parts and components are usually in stock, we can dispatch the same day (depending on the time of your order!). If you need something a little unusual, give us a call – if you need it, we can build it.

If you are unsure about what size tower you might need or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

A scaffold tower is also known as an access tower. It generally has four legs and is a structure made up of a framework of bars, platforms, trapdoors and ladders with extra support and crossbars to enable users to safely work at height. It has a number of advantages over a ladder and can be easily assembled on-site when needed, and then packed away for storage until the next job requires it.

Our heavy duty steel scaffold towers are built from quality 2” British Steel and come with many safety features such as guard rails and sturdy platforms to allow users to operate equipment with both hands and perform difficult tasks in safety.

Scaffold towers are commonly used for many DIY construction and maintenance tasks – see ‘Who needs a scaffold tower’.

A scaffolding tower is relatively quick to erect compared with a full scaffolding system as it is modular. It is made up of interlocking frames, bars and platforms which connect easily together – but please follow the instructions provided carefully when erecting any scaffold tower.

A scaffold tower can also be set on casters meaning it can be moved around, unlike scaffolding, and so is an excellent mobile access solution. Our full range of Steel Scaffold Towers and Scaffold Tower Components can be seen here – The full range.