Why should you buy New scaffolding and not used?

The world would be a very dull and even more overcrowded place if no one had invented scaffolding. Imagine a sprawling city centre without high-rise blocks and where no building stood taller than a single storey. We can seldom walk very far in an urban area without encountering the poles and planks that provide access for workers and building materials to the upper reaches of modern buildings. However, far from being a product of some industrial revolution, the use of scaffolds dates from neolithic times. All that has changed is their complexity and the materials from which they are manufactured.

Today, scaffolding has become an indispensable aid – not only to those in the building industry but also to many others who may be required to perform some type of activity at height as part of their job. Such tasks might include anything from installing solar panels on the roof of a three-story apartment block to painting a decorative mural on a disused cooling tower. Whatever the job, the safety of the worker will need to be a primary concern. 

Such reassurance is only possible if the scaffolding employed is up to the task. Indeed, purchasing a brand new system can often require a substantial investment, and it might be tempting to consider purchasing from the second-hand market. That said, the cost of an accident involving a serious injury or even loss of life could be far higher, so you may need to think twice before relying on a pre-used product to safeguard workers and anyone else who may be in or near the work area.

Given that scaffolding is a specialised product, when new, it will generally be offered by a company with the technical knowledge to provide informed guidance with your selection and who will be well aware of the safety regulations that apply to its manufacture and performance limits. By contrast, those who offer pre-owned equipment are most often general second-hand dealers with no particular expertise relevant to most of their stock items. Often, what they have to offer might have been best sold as scrap metal. 

While the benefits of new scaffolding are clear enough, it is equally important that your new purchase is of the type best suited for your task. In South Africa, this usually means a choice between the two products most popular with local builders and construction companies, namely, Kwikstage and Selflock. The former is more versatile and requires the expertise of a professional scaffolder. By contrast, Selflock’s more user-friendly design makes it the ideal choice for the smaller building and decorating firms that tend to rely on unskilled and semi-skilled labour. Buy these world-class products new from Disc-O-Scaff.

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