At Stronghold Hire, we maintain full control over our projects by owning our scaffold, transport, and labour. This ensures a streamlined and cost-efficient service as we don’t rely on external services. Moreover it means that we can have regular scaffolding inspections and do whatever maintenance may be needed. This is crucial when it comes to ensuring safety on site for our workers and clients and that’s what we’re going to discuss now.

Scaffolding Equipment

Owning your own scaffolding equipment offers numerous advantages, including:

• Stock Level Forecasting: Owning equipment prevents mid-project shortages that can occur with cross-hiring.
• Maximizing Profits: Direct ownership means retaining 100% of the hire charge, eliminating third-party expenses.
• Asset Value: Galvanised and aluminium scaffold components hold their value very well giving a great re-sale price if needs be. This asset also gives extra borrowing power for capital to invest and grow further.
• Quick Access to Components: Ownership facilitates prompt access to extra materials for unforeseen needs.
• Efficient Logistics: Direct control over trucks enables smoother loading/unloading without scheduling constraints.
• Quality Assurance: Ownership ensures high standards of equipment inspection and maintenance, avoiding liability for failures on-site.

Quality Assurance for Scaffolding

Paying particular attention to point 6 above, this is probably the most important advantage of owning your own scaffolidng systems. At Stronghold Hire, once scaffold is erected on site, it undergoes a stringent 30-day inspection process. Our safety officer, Nick, a qualified scaffolder, conducts these inspections, re-certifies them, and issues a detailed report to the client. The certification process not only verifies the integrity of the components but also ensures they remain serviceable and fit for purpose, particularly in cases where timber decks and boards are exposed to adverse weather conditions like rain.

Scaffolding Inspections and Maintenance

Our components undergo visual checks on four occasions throughout the hire process.

• Picking and packing at the scaffold yard: When the equipment lists are sent to the yard manager, the team is responsible for picking and safely packing the equipment in stillages and cages for transport and delivery. During this process, the yard staff visually inspect the components as they handle them.
• During the installation stage: While components are checked at the yard, individual inspection isn’t always feasible, especially with bulk orders. Hence, a “secondary line of defense” is crucial. Components pass through at least two pairs of hands on-site before installation, providing another opportunity for visual checks. Scaffolders, responsible for signing off to Australian Standards, ensure thorough inspections to maintain compliance.
• During the dismantle stage: Similar to the erection stage, components typically pass through at least two pairs of hands on-site before being packed for transport back to the yard. Occasionally, damage may occur during hire. In such cases, a photograph is taken on-site, and the faulty component is set aside for disposal upon return to the yard, with notification sent to the client.
• Sorting the returned stock at the yard: Upon return, components are organised back into full stillages and cages for storage. A thorough count is conducted, and quantities are recorded to ensure no equipment is missing. This stage provides another opportunity to identify any damaged material.

Scaffolding Damage

The most common types of damage include:

• Rotten timber boards, decks, plywood, or sole boards
• Bent ledgers, tubes, or standards
• Dented or missing end caps on steel boards
• Seized screw jacks
• Seized fittings
• Corrosion on steel items, particularly in coastal locations
• Components covered in render material or concrete
• Ladders with bent or missing rungs
• Beams, tubes, or standards cut with angle grinders on site

Scaffolding Inspections and Maintenance

Maintaining our equipment to the highest standards is a constant challenge, but with our meticulous processes in place, we have no reason to lose sleep at night. Don’t settle for anything less than the best. Give us a call now on 02 89852020 or contact us online for a free quote for your next project.