Blog

Guide to Roof Access Ladders, Hatches and Ship Ladders Roof access is not something a building gets right by accident. On a commercial building the route to the roof is used by maintenance crews, HVAC techs, inspectors and sometimes the public, and the difference between a proper fixed ladder or hatch and whatever was installed years ago shows up every time somebody has to get up there. If you are specifying access for a new building or fixing what is there, the choice comes down to a few decis …

Guide to Baker Scaffold vs Pump Jacks for Siding These two systems both exist to put a worker in front of a wall, and they solve different problems. Baker scaffold is a compact rolling platform that moves across the ground. Pump jacks are a pair of poles with brackets that ride up and down the wall itself, so the platform goes up rather than sideways. Siding crews ask us which one to buy constantly, and the honest answer depends on three things: how high you are going, how long the run is, and …

Guide to Securing Ladders on a DFW Job Site Ladders are the most stolen item on a construction site and one of the cheapest to replace, which is exactly why they disappear. A crew arrives in the morning and the equipment it needs to start is gone, and on a commercial job that is not just the cost of the ladder - it is the hour of the schedule while somebody drives to Rowlett to buy another one. Why Ladders Are the Target They are light enough for one person, valuable enough to resell, and they …

Guide to Scaffold Wind Ratings and Securing an Open Site A scaffold that carries everything you put on it can still go over in an afternoon. Wind acts on the whole face of the structure - frames, planks, guard rails, netting and signage - and on an open site or a parking structure that face area adds up fast. DFW gets storms that arrive with little warning, and the difference between a scaffold that survives one and a scaffold on its side is preparation that happened before the forecast. Wind I …

Guide to Scaffold Stair Towers for Upper Level Access Most crews access a scaffold the way they always have, which means climbing the frames or leaning a ladder against the outside. That works for a one-lift job and it stops working the moment the scaffold gets tall, the crew gets large, or anyone has to carry something up. A stair tower is the piece of the system that decides how a job actually flows, and it is usually an afterthought in the quote. What a Stair Tower Is A stair tower is a scaf …