Screening or Containment Scaffolding
Screening is used for both safety and environmental purposes. Where work is carried out close to pedestrian or vehicular access, scaffolds that are fully screened can minimise both the risk to the public and the area lost to public access. Note that toeboards must still be fitted to screened scaffolds.
Scaffolds fitted with screening have increased environmental loads (wind loads, rain loads, etc) and increase the dead load of the scaffold. Consequently additional ties are required for screened scaffolds. It is recommended that significant scaffolds or those exposed to extreme weather conditions be designed by a chartered engineer.
Industrial safety nets are sometimes used as an effective means of fall protection for people working at height, particularly where it is not practical to provide scaffolds or temporary guardrailing. They are generally manufactured from synthetic fibre knotted lines with a mesh size of about 100mm. These lines are attached to perimeter cords. Safety nets are usually available in 3.0m x 4.0m sizes or larger.
Each net will have a label that will state the maximum fall distance for which the net has been designed. This is usually between 1.0m and 6.0m.
It is generally accepted that securing a safety net to a building, structure or scaffold requires input from a chartered engineer, as the impact loads applied to a safety net require the supporting structure or scaffold to support these loads.
Call us to discuss your scaffolding requirements - 0800 255 7223